Celtic Win 4-0 As Interim Manager Martin ONeill Steers Side Through A Strange Week

Celtic eased some pressure at the end of a turbulent week as Martin ONeill’s side beat Dundee United 4-0, closing the gap to Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts to three points and delivering a controlled

display that quickly settled nerves at Celtic Park.

ONeill is working as interim manager for the second time this season after Wilfried Nancy was dismissed on Monday, only 33 days into the job, and ONeill has now taken six wins from six league matches, while remarkably winning all 20 of Celtic’s games against Dundee United.

The scoring started in the 27th minute when Yang Hyun-jun struck the opener, restoring early confidence, and Arne Engels soon made it 2-0, before half-time pressure told again after the interval as Benjamin Nygren and Daizen Maeda both reacted quickest to rebounds to seal the 4-0 Scottish Premiership victory.

Nygren’s close-range finish and Maeda’s sharp follow-up arrived within six second-half minutes, killing any Dundee United resistance, and the result also underlined Celtic’s strong response to the managerial change, with the home support backing the players as ONeill again stepped in on an interim basis.

#CELDUTD | #CelticFCpic.twitter.com/2E69Cs8Ho3Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 10, 2026

Reflecting on the performance and the Scottish Premiership situation, ONeill told BBC Scotland: "It was delightful. We played really well in the game and in the end we won quite convincingly," and ONeill highlighted the importance of Yang’s opener by adding: "You still have to score the first goal in the game, Yang takes it magnificently and we get up and running. "

ONeill praised the overall display and the players’ response to a difficult few days, saying: "The performance was really good. The players have to do the playing and it's been a strange old week. I've come back in again, perhaps to haunt them as much as anything else, but the players did brilliantly, absolutely brilliantly. It's a boost of confidence as much as anything else. "

The interim manager also underlined the role of the home support as Celtic chase Hearts in the Scottish Premiership title race, commenting: "The crowd were magnificent. Even in moments when we were poor, they kept with us. Today was great, there was a nice atmosphere. Now, being in a dog fight for the championship, we need the crowd behind us. Today, it was all about winning the game, but the performance was terrific. I don't think I should overlook that. We played really well, got some confidence back again and it was just lovely to win. "

The result capped a challenging week for Celtic with a confident four-goal home win, strengthened ONeill’s flawless personal record against Dundee United, and kept Celtic firmly in the title contest with Hearts, while also restoring belief within both the squad and the support at Celtic Park.