Dundee United 0 Celtic 4
Fair play to Benjamin Nygren. If there’s a way to show you have no intention of going anywhere as your club loads up on attacking talent, it’s exactly this.
The Swede went into this match having scored in each of Celtic’s opening two league games against Dundee and Kilmarnock and really emphasised his value to their evolving squad by getting in about everything, really.
He scored again himself and played an important role in each of the efforts delivered by Auston Trusty, Camilo Duran and Sebastian Tounekti as Martin O’Neill’s side cruised into the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup and set themselves up nicely for Wednesday night’s Champions League play-off first leg against LASK at Parkhead.
Nygren had a big role in last season’s successes too, of course, scoring 21 goals in all competitions. It’s just that games seemed to pass him by at times. He’d maybe get on the scoresheet but still look unconvincing in a Celtic side that never really found top form.
Any questions about him having the personality to really put his stamp on games and control proceedings are being answered right now, though. Played in a central position behind striker Kasper Hogh, he was terrific at Tannadice.
Benjamin Nygren fires home Celtic’s fourth goal at Tannadice
The 25-year-old delivered two assists and played the killer pass which cut through United’s backline in the lead-up to the Duran goal that added to Trusty’s opener. It was his own strike on 63 minutes, though, shortly before being replaced by Luke McCowan, that really lit up the occasion.
Tounekti played in a ball from the left to find Nygren at the edge of the area, he controlled the ball with his right foot and then bent in the most beautiful effort with his left to send the visiting fans behind the goal into raptures. His standing ovation when going off was richly deserved.
That’s three goals and three assists in three games from him so far. These are statistics that show just how much of a threat he will continue to provide alongside the likes of new recruits Hogh, Duran and Haissem Hassan among others.
His goal last night also put Celtic so far in front that they were able to offer vital minutes to new midfielder Mika Baur, signed from SC Paderborn, and Egyptian winger Hassan ahead of that all-important European clash with LASK.
Mind you, even though the evening’s work proved relatively straightforward for Celtic in the end, their saviour in the initial stages was goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo’s right-hand upright, which was struck twice by United in a quite frantic three-minute spell.
By the final whistle, the Tannadice outfit had hit the frame of the goal an astonishing five times. That should be considered a warning and a reminder there remains a need for further reinforcements at Parkhead going forward.
With 13 minutes on the clock, a throw-in from the left made its way to Julius Eskesen at the edge of the area following an unconvincing headed clearance from Cameron Carter-Vickers. He struck his effort pretty well, only to see it crack off the face of the post.
Tounekti and Nygren celebrate after the Tunisian scored Celtic’s third goal
Emmanuel Agyei then came even closer. A clearance from Sinisalo struck Callum McGregor midway inside the visitors’ half and made its way to Eskesen, who picked out Agyei around 20 yards out with a clever pass.
The Ghanaian midfielder took a touch, set his sights and released a fine effort that beat Sinisalo all ends up before hitting off the inside of that same post before being cleared.
From there, Celtic started to turn the screw ever so gradually and got themselves in front midway through the first 45.
Colby Donovan won a corner on the right, which was clipped into the area by Benjamin Nygren.
United simply didn’t track Trusty’s diagonal run to the near post and were in no position to recover when the American centre-back sent a glancing header into the opposite corner with keeper Jack Walton helpless.
Two minutes later, on the 24-minute mark, Duran gave O’Neill’s men some welcome breathing space with his first goal for the club since arriving from Qarabag in a £5.5million deal.
Nygren picked the ball up midway inside the United half and sent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain clear on the right-hand side of the area with a superbly weighted forward ball.
The former Arsenal man fired a low ball across goal that centre-forward Kasper Hogh couldn’t convert under pressure from Bert Esselink. As both went to ground, the ball appeared to strike Hogh’s arm before falling into the path of Duran, who had been just that bit sharper than Eskesen in anticipating the movement of the ball.
The Colombian showed great reactions again to scoop it into the net, but could only really begin his celebrations after VAR Greg Aitken had watched the re-run and confirmed the goal was good to stand.
Duran then came close to turning provider just before the break. He picked out Hogh with a brilliant chipped pass at the back post and the big Dane should have done better when sending a first-time volley wide.
Hogh had a funny game, in truth. He leads the line well, but after scoring three at Kilmarnock last weekend, was back to missing opportunities the way he did against Dundee on league business.
On 19 minutes, he fluffed a header from a Callum McGregor cross that looped high and into the hands of Walton. After missing from Duran’s cross, he actually went to the Colombian as the teams left the pitch at half-time to offer what looked like an apology.
Listen, he’s getting into the right positions, for sure. There’s no faulting his application. Chances are he will score a barrowload, but, in the big European games such as this one coming up in a few days’ time, greater precision and killer instinct will be required.
Auston Trusty celebrates after opening the scoring for Celtic at Tannadice
Camilo Duran pounces to score Celtic’s second goal against Dundee United
In fairness, United fought their way back into things at 2-0 and enjoyed a decent spell at the start of the second half, in which Zac Sapsford hit the crossbar with a shot that had Sinisalo comprehensively beaten.
However, Tounekti’s nicely taken effort on 54 minutes killed the tie stone-dead.
Nygren collected the ball in central midfield and released the Tunisian winger on the left with a diagonal ball. Tounekti advanced to the edge of the area, cut inside past Joshua Rawlins and dispatched a low effort that foxed Walton and squeezed in at the near post.
Esselink then hit the bar before Nygren topped off a virtuoso display with that truly delicious effort of his own.
With time running out, substitute Mehdi Merghem smacked the bar again for United with a great shot from distance, the fifth time the woodwork had intervened.
Just one of those nights for the hosts, unfortunately, when Lady Luck and a clearly motivated Swede both had it in for them. Big time.
