Celtic 2-0 Dundee
- Published
Celtic recorded their third league win of the season in some style with a fairly emphatic win over Dundee.
Goals from Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama made sure there was no slip up to follow last week's defeat in Perth.
The points were secured despite captain Scott Brown failing to score from the spot, but the save from Rab Douglas looked to be delaying the inevitable.
Hooper fired past Douglas four minutes later and Wanyama's powerful drive after the break secured the points.
Celtic had gone into the game on the back of their worst league start in 14 years and having been warned by manager Neil Lennon to kill the complacency that saw them fall to a surprise defeat by St Johnstone.
But two fresh faces - Tunisia striker Lassad Nouioui having been given his first start and partnering the returning Hooper after Miku and Mikael Lustig were ruled out through injury - played significant roles.
Dundee had to re-arrange their defence, with on-loan Lewis Toshney ineligible to play against his parent club and Neil McGregor being injured, with their places taken by Kyle Benedictus and Steven Milne.
The first real chance of the game came for the visitors after 15 minutes of pretty much constant Celtic pressure.
Kelvin Wilson slipped, allowing Ryan Conroy the chance to race in on the right and pick out Colin Nish, but the former Hibs striker fluffed his effort and John Baird blasted the re-bound high over the bar.
Home debut boy Lassad drilled a shot high and wide and Charlie Mulgrew's curling free kick was fisted away by Douglas as the onslaught resumed.
Douglas then blocked a low drive James Forrest after slack play from Matt Lockwood.
Celtic's frustration grew further when captain Brown watched his 39th-minute penalty superbly save by Douglas after Lassad was brought down by Benedictus.
The travelling support went wild, but minutes later they were silenced by Hooper.
Brown slipped the Englishman in on goal and from eight yards the striker fired low past Douglas into the net for his first league goal of the season.
With nerves settled just before the break, it was a goal that perhaps changed the Celtic manager's half-time team talk.
Just minutes after the restart, Gary Irvine chested the ball back to Douglas, but the ball bizarrely hit the post and rolled along the goal-line before the big goalkeeper pounced to smother.
However, Douglas had no chance with goal number two, which came two minutes later.
Wanyama found some space around 30 yards and unleashed a fierce shot with the outside of his right foot and Douglas could only watch helplessly as the ball pinged off the post and into the net.
The Celtic dominance continued and Hooper watched his close-range effort rebound off the post, but by then Celtic had already secured the points that cemented Dundee's place at the foot of the table.
- Published22 September 2012
- Published22 September 2012
- Published22 September 2012
- Published22 September 2012