Celtic Park witnessed a dominant and familiar sight on Saturday as the Hoops marked Martin O'Neill's return to the dugout with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Dundee United.
O'Neill's Immediate Impact at Celtic Park
The interim manager's first game back in charge after the brief tenure of Wilfried Nancy could not have gone more smoothly. Celtic secured their first clean sheet since O'Neill's previous spell in charge, completely controlling the match from start to finish.
The home side enjoyed a staggering 78% of possession and fired 22 shots towards goal, while restricting the visitors to just three attempts. This was a stark contrast to the 17 shots Dundee United managed in their 2-1 win over Celtic at Tannadice less than a month ago.
Goals Flow in Commanding Performance
The result was never in doubt after a quickfire double in the first half broke Dundee United's resistance. Yang Hyun-jun and Arne Engels scored two goals within five minutes to set Celtic on the path to a rout.
The second half saw the lead extended further. Substitute Benjamin Nygren netted his 11th goal of the campaign, and Daizen Maeda added a fourth from a rebound. The 4-0 scoreline equalled Celtic's two biggest league victories of the season, both of which were also achieved during O'Neill's earlier caretaker spell.
That interim period has now yielded an impressive seven wins from eight games under the veteran manager's guidance.
Hibs and Motherwell Share the Spoils
Elsewhere in the Scottish Premiership, Hibernian and Motherwell played out a 1-1 draw at Easter Road. A slow-burning first half gave way to an entertaining second period.
Motherwell's Tawanda Maswanhise broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute, finishing a sharp counter-attack for his 15th goal of the season. However, Kieron Bowie earned a point for Hibs, levelling the match in the 69th minute with a close-range finish.
Looking Ahead to Sunday's Fixtures
The weekend's action continues on Sunday with two key fixtures. Hearts travel to face Dundee, while Aberdeen host Rangers in a highly anticipated rematch at Pittodrie.
Rangers won the previous encounter 2-0 at Ibrox on Tuesday, but Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester believes his side can produce a different outcome. With the team still under interim manager Peter Leven, the Dutchman pointed to positive signs from the midweek defeat.
"If we can finish at least one or two of these very big chances and don't allow them to score so easy in a set piece, then it can be a whole different game," Knoester said. "So I think there are also positive things to take from the game."
