After Dundee United were beaten 4-0 by Celtic, Jim Goodwin criticized the conceding of “really poor” goals.

United were swept aside at the champions’ home ground, with Yang and Arne Engels giving the hosts a comfortable half-time lead, putting an end to any lingering nerves from Wilfried Nancy’s catastrophic reign.

Benjamin Nygren and Daizen Maeda scored in the second half, but United’s winless record at Parkhead – dating back to Boxing Day 1992 – showed no signs of improving at any moment.

Martin O’Neill celebrated his return to the dugout in style, having now won 20 of 20 games against the Tangerines as a manager.

Goodwin stated, “Ultimately, we haven’t defended the box well enough today.”

“The goals are pretty poor in our opinion. We can improve in those scenarios. The first issue is that we do not get to the ball quickly enough or apply enough pressure to the shot.

“In the second one, we don’t stick with the midfield runner, and Engels has a simple finish.

“When you give Celtic a two-goal lead, you give yourself a big mountain to climb. We did not deserve to take anything from it. That’s what frustrates us.”

Celtic dominance

United had limited possession in the first half, with Kieran Tierney’s drive deflected wide and Maeda’s header saved by the crossbar. The Hoops posed a consistent threat down the left flank.

United threatened when Dario Naamo met a magnificent deep cross from Will Ferry, but the Finn appeared to be torn between volleying and controlling the ball, which ended up in Kasper Schmeichel’s arms.

Celtic broke the deadlock after 26 minutes, boosted by the return of club hero O’Neill for a third term as manager and setting up in an excellently pragmatic 4-3-3 formation in which his players appeared to be at ease.

A patient passing move led in Yang getting the ball on the edge of the box, and despite Ferry’s diving attempt to block, the South Korean arrowed a superb finish into the bottom corner.

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‘Dangerous’ challenge

However, just minutes later, Auston Trusty showed some lingering Celtic vulnerability by passing the ball straight to Stirton. The teenager hesitated briefly, and his clipped finish was pushed wide by a combination of Liam Scales and Schmeichel.

There was no compassion at the other end, as Engels fizzed a brilliant low finish past Dave Richards following Tierney’s exquisite low delivery.

Celtic’s Julian Araujo was booked for a reckless attack on Ferry, which Goodwin described as “a dangerous tackle.” He (Araujo) appeared to be out of control, and he clearly caught Will Ferry high on the ankle.

“Will feels the affects of that after the game.

“It didn’t seem that VAR spent too much time looking at it – and those are the kind of decisions that you need to go your way when you come to a place like this, with Celtic playing the way they were.”

Missed opportunities

Stirton’s drive went wide of the post as halftime approached, capping a promising break for United.

Despite spending the majority of the half in a low block, attempting to protect their penalty area, the Terrors created opportunities that a team must realistically capitalize on if they are to leave Parkhead with anything other than a defeat.

“When those opportunities come on the counter-attack or on the break, you’ve got to capitalise and you’ve got to be ruthless,” Goodwin went on. “Unfortunately, today we were unable to do so.

“We knew it would be a difficult afternoon for young Owen Stirton and Zac Sapsford in terms of delivering top quality service to them.

“And Stirton performs admirably on a handful of occasions. Although he’s a little frustrated with the results, he works hard to get into such places.”

Home and dry

At halftime, United shifted to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Amar Fatah replacing Pan Camara and Vicko Sevelj moving into midfield. It provided little inspiration in the final third, allowing the hosts to whiz the ball through the lines with increasing threat.

If the game wasn’t already finished, it was just after the hour mark when Nygren reacted quickly to a blocked shot in the box, flicking a close-range finish past Richards with incredible poise.

Gloss added to the scoreline when Maeda hammered home the rebound after Richards parried a strong low shot by the superb Sebastian Tounekti, matching O’Neill’s 4-0 victory margin in his first match as interim manager against Fa.

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