Spending Celtic were punished for squandering some bright chances as Dundee United came from behind to suffer a fourth successive defeat at Wilfried Nancy and Celtic fans clamored for Martin O’Neill to return.
Nancy insisted before the match that he had nothing to prove despite losing each of their last three games, but the way his team collapsed in the 45 minutes of the second half despite a dominant first half will only add fuel to the fire that has dogged his difficult reign so far.
On a day dominated by the club’s turmoil off the pitch, Wednesday night’s result and performance did nothing to appease an already furious fan base, who praised former caretaker manager O’Neill while watching the team slump to their first four consecutive defeats in 47 years.
“Celtic fans are not going to continue to accept defeat,” said Sky Sports’ Chris Sutton.
“They need to win the league but at the moment they look like a third-place team. It’s really bad. Celtic’s hierarchy have a bit of something to think about.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Dundee United took a 2-1 lead over Celtic with Cristian Kerestes and Zak Sapsford scoring within three minutes.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was announced that chairman Peter Lawwell would resign from the club’s board, citing “abuse and intimidation”.
Lawwell’s resignation put even more pressure on the manager to finally get a good result, but it looked like it was enough to revitalize the team as they quickly got out of the traps and created a number of chances before Daenen Maeda scored in the 12th minute.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Daenen Maeda scores Celtic’s first goal in the SPFL match against Dundee United
Despite the visitors having several chances to extend their lead, this goal only came in the first period, with only Johnny Kenny scoring an xG of 0.88 in the first half.
Despite a promising performance, Nancy’s side went into the second half without any of the positive results they showed in the first half.
United took advantage of their slow attack and turned the game around with Christian Kerestes and Zachary Sapsford scoring stunners within three minutes of each other.
Celtic still had a chance of scoring an equalizer, but with a chance that commentator Chris Sutton couldn’t miss, Maeda hit the woodwork from just a yard out, inflicting further misery on the Hoops with the goal open.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Celtic’s Daenen Maeda missed a golden chance to equalize late in the 2-1 defeat to Dundee United.
Tannadice Park was filled with boos as fans called for O’Neill’s return, and Nancy’s historic run continued to mount pressure on his tenure and cast doubt on his future.
With this defeat, Celtic were unable to close the gap on leaders Hearts, leaving them with a six-point lead, but Dundee United’s first win since October meant they increased their lead over seventh-placed Falkirk to one point.
“Context matters – we played a good game.”
Wilfried Nancy reacts during Celtic’s Scottish Premiership match at Dundee United
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy told Sky Sports:
“To be honest, we played a good game, we had a lot of chances but we couldn’t score, we hit the post, we had two set pieces in three minutes and we lost the game.
“The second wave might have been offside before the second corner, but after that we had to push and finish the game.
“We could have done that many times in the first half, but we didn’t and then we started pushing in the second half.
DUNDEE, SCOTLAND – DECEMBER 17: Celtic’s Johnny Kenny looks disappointed after missing a first-half chance during the William Hill Premiership match between Dundee United and Celtic at Calforth Construction Arena, Tannadice Park on December 17, 2025.
“We lose the game in three minutes. It’s difficult because obviously we feel we did something really good. We were in control of the game and attacked, but we couldn’t score on all our chances.
“It’s tough in terms of results, but in terms of our chances of winning the game we are there.
“We are on the right track, but this is not enough. We know that. We all want to win, but we are confident because of the games we played and because we see improvement every time.”
“It’s still not enough in terms of results.”
As for what he would say to Celtic fans: “I know they’re upset, but we’re close to winning and we can’t do that at the moment.
“But the players are giving their all and we are trying to find a solution to it and we are faced with a lot of situations where we score goals.
DUNDEE, SCOTLAND – DECEMBER 17: Celtic’s Johnny Kenny misses a first-half chance during the William Hill Premiership match between Dundee United and Celtic at Calforth Construction Arena, Tannadice Park on December 17, 2025 in Dundee, Scotland.
“Listen, I knew the situation before I came here. It was to see what we could do, and the plan remains the same.
“We are looking at that positively and then we will think about what to do regarding the window.
“The most important thing for now is to get back to working a little bit.
“I don’t have enough time because I’m playing games every day. That’s all I can do right now.”
“I knew the moment would come when I would reach the top.”
Wilfried Nancy reacts during Celtic’s Scottish Premiership match at Dundee United
Dundee United’s Zac Sapsford told Sky Sports:
“Even though we lost, we always knew we were in the game and were confident we could come back. All we needed was a few chances. I’m glad we got over the line and won.”
“We knew we could get back to the top.”
Dundee United captain Ross Graham told Sky Sports:
“I thought we could have done better if we got a goal, but after that I thought we reacted really well and were persistent in our high press and put Celtic under pressure.
“We’ve had a very good record against the top teams in the league. We knew we were going to beat one of them and thankfully it happened tonight.”
Goodwin: Lots of 3 points
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin told Sky Sports.
“It was almost a back-and-forth game. Celtic started very bright but caused us a lot of problems.
“We were lucky to go into the game at the break 1-0, but we haven’t had much luck lately so it was good to get a little bit of a win in the first half.
“We made one change to increase the pace of our backline and in the first 30 minutes of the second half we dominated. “We did against Celtic what Celtic did for us early on.
“We were just about to get some shade tonight.
“This is a big three points for us. We’re not going to get carried away because our previous form has been too many draws and not enough.”
