2013-08-31: Dundee Utd 0-1 Celtic, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2013 – 2014 | 2013-14 Pictures

Trivia

• Celtic second behind leaders Inv Caley who admittedly have done marvellously well to top the table.
• First match after Celtic qualified for Champions League group stages with incredible 3-0 win after first leg 2-0 defeat.
• Lustig has a bad injury after a wreckless tackle from DUtd player.
• Summertime and the transfer window is now into its last day in Scotland for bringing players in. Monday is last day across rest of much of Europe.
• Out so far: Miku, Lassad, Rogne, Wanyama, Hooper, Daryl Murphy, Wilson, Paddy McCourt, Tony Watt (loan)
• In: Amido Baldé, Van Dijk, Mouyokolo, Boerrigter, Nir Biton, Teemu Pukki, Max Oberschmidt on loan
• Paddy McCourt signs for Barnsley, Nir Biton and Teemu Pukki sign for Celtic.
• Tony Watt sent out on loan to Lierse of Belgium for a season.
• Celtic sign Fulham goalkeeper Max Oberschmidt on loan.
• International matches next weekend.

Review

(CelticElvis of KDS forum)
Great result from another pityfully poor away performance.

The real heroes from today are the away support that continue to watch sub standard fare from their team after all the money they would have spent.

There were positives, Virgil looks the part, incredibly impressed with his performance particularly his passing ability.
Ambrose continues to impress, very solid today, never panicked.

Lustig & Matthews are in the 'we can rely on them to do the business category'

Stokes got a great goal but he is no better than Samaras playing the loan striker role.

Other than that we had a seriously dysfunctional midfield that stumbled, spluttered, fell over, misplaced passes and failed to cover the back four for the bulk of the match.
Commons was very poor, Ledley lacked conviction, the more Brown tried the less effective he was, Derk, the less said about him the better, he can only improve. Balde huffed & puffed but it is hard to see him scoring any more than half a dozen goals for us per season. His header from six yards summed up his efforts for us to date.

NL again didn't seem to have a plan B and pointing the finger at the sprinkler system is OK but just about every away match has been like that. I also take the point about the match after the European match and all that but if there is a history of weak performances in those circumstances than learn from it and put out the second team. surely if certain players continually under perform after a midweek match rest them and give someone a chance to take their place.

Maybe overly negative but to see accomplished footballers missing simple passes, falling over the ball and generally looking like conference players is nothing to cheer about.

To end I'm still delighted with the three points and Neil is right when he said that last year we would have dropped points in a match like this.

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Stats

Dundee United Celtic
Possession
51% 49%
90mins

Shots
3 10

On target
2 2

Corners
3 5

Fouls
11 12

Articles

Dundee United 0-1 Celtic: Stokes' late free-kick wins game for Celtic

STV 31 August 2013 15:13 BST
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Celtic's Anthony Stokes celebrates his winning goal.SNS Group

Anthony Stokes' 87th-minute free-kick gave Celtic victory over Dundee United in their Scottish Premiership clash at Tannadice.

The game looked to be drifting towards a draw when the Irishman was brought down by United defenders Stuart Armstrong and Keith Watson at the edge of the box.

Stokes, who had set up James Forrest for the Champions League clincher in the 3-0 win against Shakhter Karagandy at Parkhead on Wednesday night, picked himself up and curled the free-kick over the wall and past Radoslaw Cierzniak, with the ball going in off the post.

The only downside was the injury to defender Mikael Lustig, who was carried off on a stretcher early in the second half after appearing to fall awkwardly following a hefty challenge by United defender Gavin Gunning.

As a reaction to their Champions League efforts in midweek, it was a good day's work by the visitors.

Celtic were rewarded for getting into the group stages by being pitched into a group with Barcelona, AC Milan and Ajax.

To that end, Lennon strengthened his squad further.

Israel international midfielder Nir Biton's move to Celtic from FC Ashdod was confirmed on Friday while Finnish striker Teemu Pukki checked in this morning at Celtic Park from Schalke 04.

Neither was involved against United but following their energy-sapping win over the Kazakhstan champions, Lennon made three changes to his starting eleven,

Defenders Virgil van Dijk and Emilio Izaguirre and striker Derk Boerrigter came in for Charlie Mulgrew, James Forrest and Georgios Samaras.

United boss Jackie McNamara made five changes to the side which beat Dumbarton 3-2 in the League Cup in midweek with Gunning, Watson, Armstrong, Gary Mackay-Steven and Nadir Ciftci starting, and John Souttar, Calum Butcher, Ryan Gauld, Mark Wilson and Brian Graham all dropping to the bench.

Celtic started with some purpose, carving out a chance in the second minute through Kris Commons.

The Hoops midfielder picked out the advancing Lustig with a perfectly-weighted pass but the defender's shot, after a second of hesitation, was blocked by Watson with the home side gratefully clearing their lines.

Moments later, Van Dijk slipped all too easily through the United defence and should have scored but instead lifted the ball over the bar from eight yards out.

It was further evidence that the champions were comfortably in control.

In the 17th minute Boerrigter's cross on the run from the left was only cleared to Stokes at the edge of the box and his volley whistled inches past Cierzniak's left-hand post.

A minute later Van Dijk moved up to bolster the attack again and sent a powerful drive from 25 yards just wide of the target.

United had their first real chance in the 23rd minute when Armstrong planted a cross from the left on to the head of the unmarked David Goodwillie but his weak header from 10 yards was easily saved by Hoops keeper Fraser Forster.

Five minutes later Celtic skipper Scott Brown hauled down Mackay-Steven 25 yards from goal and from the resultant free-kick by Ciftci, a curled shot heading in at the post, Forster made a good save by diving to his right to punch away.

The start of the second half was tepid but in the 55th minute Lustig signalled furiously after landing beside Gunning and the game stopped as he was strapped up and taken off, to be replaced by striker Amido Balde with Adam Matthews moving to right-back.

The United defender required treatment before he came back on but the tempo dipped.

In the 73rd minute a fine cross by United left-back Andrew Robertson just evaded the sliding Armstrong at the back post having bypassed Forster but that aside, the first goal of the game looked far from inevitable.

Balde might have scored from Commons' flighted corner with eight minutes remaining but he headed wide of the target from six yards out, before the former Nottingham Forest player drilled wide of the target from just inside the box.

But with three minutes to go Stokes took the points back to Glasgow with a free-kick which must have sickened the home side.

Copyright of Press Association 2013

BBC

By Keir Murray BBC Sport Scotland

Anthony Stokes curled home a late free-kick against Dundee United to round off a rewarding week for Celtic.

The visitors began the brighter, with Stokes volleying wide and Virgil van Dijk firing over.

United eventually responded with David Goodwillie's downward header and Nadir Ciftci's lofted free-kick testing goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

The players produced little to excite in the second half until Stokes despatched his free-kick with aplomb.

Having reached the Champions League group stage thanks to their 3-0 win over Shakhter Karagandy on Wednesday, Celtic manager Neil Lennon had intimated that he wants his players to deliver improved results in the matches that follow European exertions.

His message seemed to have registered, because there was a verve to the visitors' play from the first whistle.

Unusually, four of Celtic's five chances in the opening half hour came from their defensive players.

In the second minute, full-back Mikael Lustig drifted into the United box and, although he got a powerful shot away, it was blocked by Sean Dillon.
Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara watches his side in action against Celtic

Jackie McNamara watched his United team lose to a late free-kick

Then van Dijk picked up the ball on the halfway line, saw the gap in the tangerine ranks and surged into the danger zone almost uncontested. His left-footed finish over the bar betrayed his normal central-defensive role.

With United struggling to keep pace, Honduran left-back Emilio Izaguirre showed he too had the appetite for domestic fare as he made himself available on the overlap and his cross was punched clear by home goalkeeper Radoslaw Cierzniak.

The Terrors inched their way into the match, tackling with vigour in midfield, but still the green and white shirts advanced.

When Stokes' 17th-minute volley whizzed past the left-hand post and, within a minute, van Dijk's thunderous 22-yard shot darted past the other post, Cierzniak could have been forgiven for feeling disorientated.

However, in the final 15 minutes of the first half, it was United who had the upper hand.

Defender Andy Robertson shot over Forster's crossbar from a tight angle then the English goalie kept out a Goodwillie header from Paul Paton's perfect cross from the left.
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The Taysiders' best chance, though, came from Ciftci's 20-yard free-kick. The Dutch-born Turk clipped the ball firmly over the Celtic wall but was denied a goal by the strong outstretched hand of Forster as the goalkeeper dived to his right.

Commons was the player who further brightened the match at sun-drenched Tannadice.

Within five minutes of the restart, he had created two chances down the right, the first of which he fired low at goal after cutting on to his favoured left foot, then he slipped the ball between a United trio and squeezed into the box before his cutback was cleared.

Lustig was stretchered off with a painful ankle after landing awkwardly from an aerial challenge with Gavin Gunning, with striker Amido Balde his replacement.

This typified the scrappiness of the match at that stage as a series of fouls, over-hit passes and offside decisions prevented any sense of momentum in the play.

Gary Mackay-Steven clipped Stokes to present the Irishman with a free-kick in an attractive position just outside the box, but the visiting striker's effort lacked craft and cannoned off the United wall.
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Home manager Jackie McNamara replaced Goodwillie with 17-year-old Ryan Gauld, but it was another of his young players, Robertson, who caught the eye with a testing cross from the left that caught Forster flat-footed.

Ten minutes from time, Mackay-Steven's dance towards the Celtic goal was halted by van Dijk's illegal block in the D.

Gauld's free-kick did not progress beyond the wall and the match seemed destined for the first goalless meeting between the teams in 19 years.

However, Stokes made United pay for Stuart Armstrong's foul on him as he ran into the penalty area. He curled the subsequent free-kick in off the left-hand post to give Celtic the win.

Live Text Commentary
90:00 +5:13 Full time

Full Time The referee brings the game to a close.
90:00 +5:03

Stuart Armstrong sends in a cross.
90:00 +4:09

Virgil van Dijk makes a clearance.
90:00 +2:30

Kris Commons takes a shot and went wide of the right hand post.
90:00 +0:34

Kris Commons takes the free kick.
90:00 +0:24

Gavin Gunning concedes a free kick for a foul on Joe Ledley.
90:00 +0:01

Clearance by Keith Watson.
89:55

Efe Ambrose restarts play with the free kick.
89:31

Scott Brown fouled by Nadir Ciftci, the ref awards a free kick.
89:15

Kris Commons has an effort at goal and missed to the right of the net.
89:01

Radoslaw Cierzniak takes the free kick.
88:42

Sean Dillon fouled by Amido Balde, the ref awards a free kick.
88:28

Efe Ambrose restarts play with the free kick.
88:15 Booking

Booking
88:15

Paul Paton is cautioned.
88:11

Paul Paton concedes a free kick for a foul on Adam Matthews.
86:58 Booking

Booking
86:58

Anthony Stokes receives a caution.
86:42 Goal scored

Goal – Anthony Stokes – Dundee U 0 – 1 Celtic Anthony Stokes finds the net with a shot from the free kick. Dundee Utd 0-1 Celtic.
85:55

Free kick awarded for a foul by Keith Watson on Anthony Stokes.
84:21

Shot by Kris Commons went wide of the left-hand post.
82:13 Substitution

Substitution Derk Boerrigter leaves the field to be replaced by Tom Rogic.
81:47

Header at goal by Amido Balde misses to the right.
81:37

Corner taken by Kris Commons.
80:08

Fraser Forster restarts play with the free kick.
79:59

Unfair challenge on Virgil van Dijk by Keith Watson results in a free kick.
79:44

Ryan Gauld has a direct shot on goal from the free kick.
79:06

Gary Mackay-Steven fouled by Virgil van Dijk, the ref awards a free kick.
77:24

Free kick taken by Sean Dillon.
77:16

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Sean Dillon by Amido Balde.
76:29

Emilio Izaguirre delivers the ball.
73:08

Andrew Robertson delivers the ball.
70:55 Substitution

Substitution Ryan Gauld replaces David Goodwillie.
70:34

Paul Paton makes a clearance.
70:29

Centre by Adam Matthews.
69:29

Gavin Gunning manages to make a clearance.
69:27

The ball is crossed by Anthony Stokes.
67:58

Shot comes in from Anthony Stokes from the free kick.
67:07

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Anthony Stokes by Gary Mackay-Steven.
66:16

Free kick taken by Efe Ambrose.
65:53

Foul by David Goodwillie on Efe Ambrose, free kick awarded.
64:25

Radoslaw Cierzniak restarts play with the free kick.
63:50

Anthony Stokes is caught offside.
62:23

Stuart Armstrong crosses the ball in from the free kick.
62:01

Kris Commons concedes a free kick for a foul on Nadir Ciftci.
61:51

Andrew Robertson takes the free kick.
61:44

Adam Matthews challenges Nadir Ciftci unfairly and gives away a free kick.
61:12

Free kick taken by David Goodwillie.
60:58

Free kick awarded for a foul by Efe Ambrose on David Goodwillie.
60:26

Virgil van Dijk restarts play with the free kick.
60:03

Gary Mackay-Steven gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Scott Brown.
57:28 Substitution

Substitution Amido Balde joins the action as a substitute, replacing Mikael Lustig.
53:54

Fraser Forster restarts play with the free kick.
53:47

The referee blows for offside against Nadir Ciftci.
53:25

Free kick taken by Paul Paton.
53:03

Unfair challenge on Gary Mackay-Steven by Emilio Izaguirre results in a free kick.
52:27

Free kick taken by Radoslaw Cierzniak.
52:16

Derk Boerrigter challenges Keith Watson unfairly and gives away a free kick.
51:21

Adam Matthews crosses the ball.
51:04

Clearance by Emilio Izaguirre.
51:01

Corner from the right by-line taken by Gary Mackay-Steven.
48:46

Free kick crossed by Paul Paton.
48:20

Unfair challenge on Gary Mackay-Steven by Mikael Lustig results in a free kick.
47:06

Kris Commons has an effort at goal. Radoslaw Cierzniak catches the ball.
46:52

Corner taken by Kris Commons from the right by-line.
45:01

The second half begins.
45:00 +0:18 Half time

Half Time The first half comes to an end.
42:55

Free kick taken by Sean Dillon.
42:48

Paul Paton fouled by Anthony Stokes, the ref awards a free kick.
42:42

Clearance by Virgil van Dijk.
42:40

The ball is sent over by David Goodwillie.
40:43

Clearance made by Mikael Lustig.
40:32

Free kick taken by Sean Dillon.
40:08

Unfair challenge on Keith Watson by Derk Boerrigter results in a free kick.
39:37

The ball is crossed by Kris Commons.
37:43

Clearance made by Gavin Gunning.
37:40

Free kick taken by Kris Commons.
37:15

Unfair challenge on Scott Brown by Paul Paton results in a free kick.
36:57

Fraser Forster takes the free kick.
36:38

David Goodwillie gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Joe Ledley.
36:25

Clearance made by Virgil van Dijk.
36:23

Corner taken by Gary Mackay-Steven.
36:02

Corner taken by Gary Mackay-Steven from the left by-line.
31:58

Emilio Izaguirre produces a cross.
28:23

John Rankin sends in a cross.
28:02

Nadir Ciftci produces a shot on goal direct from the free kick. Fraser Forster parries the ball away.
27:02

Free kick awarded for a foul by Scott Brown on Gary Mackay-Steven.
24:48

The ball is swung over by Emilio Izaguirre.
23:07

Header at goal by David Goodwillie. Fraser Forster parries the ball away.
23:03

Stuart Armstrong sends in a cross.
20:28

Kris Commons restarts play with the free kick.
20:04

Paul Paton concedes a free kick for a foul on Derk Boerrigter.
18:01

Virgil van Dijk takes a shot and missed to the left of the target.
17:38

John Rankin makes a clearance.
17:33

Corner taken by Kris Commons from the left by-line.
16:43

Shot by Anthony Stokes went wide of the right-hand post.
16:26

Clearance made by Gavin Gunning.
16:13

Centre by Derk Boerrigter.
15:33

Radoslaw Cierzniak makes a clearance.
15:30

Corner from the right by-line taken by Kris Commons.
13:57

Anthony Stokes sends in a cross.
10:42

Free kick taken by Fraser Forster.
10:26

David Goodwillie is caught offside.
9:30

Corner taken by Kris Commons.
8:27

Centre by Emilio Izaguirre.
5:46

The ball is swung over by Keith Watson.
3:21

Shot by Virgil van Dijk cleared the crossbar.
0:00

The referee gets the game started.

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