Martin O’Neill enjoyed a successful first match back in the Celtic dugout as his side eased past Dundee United to climb back into second place in the Scottish Premiership, closing to within three points of leaders Hearts.
Following last weekend’s bruising Old Firm defeat, which brought Wilfried Nancy’s short reign to an abrupt end, O’Neill’s return immediately restored confidence around Celtic Park.
The hosts dominated from the outset against a deeply defensive United and took the lead through Yang Hyun-jun, whose low strike took a deflection before skidding into the net.
Celtic quickly pressed home their advantage. Five minutes later, Arne Engels met Kieran Tierney’s delivery with a sharp first-time finish from close range to make it 2-0.
United struggled to escape their own half but did fashion a rare opening before the break.
Teenager Owen Stirton pounced on a mistake by Auston Trusty, only to hesitate and allow Liam Scales to recover and clear the danger.
The pattern continued after the interval, with Celtic in control as United attempted to play more expansively and were repeatedly exposed.
Substitute Benjamin Nygren tapped in from close range to extend the lead, before Daizen Maeda added a fourth after goalkeeper Dave Richards failed to hold Sebastian Tounekti’s effort.
The result lifts Celtic above Rangers ahead of Danny Rohl’s side’s trip to Pittodrie on Sunday.
Dundee United remain seventh, level on points with Aberdeen but now five behind Falkirk having played a game more.
There was a clear lift around Celtic Park following O’Neill’s appointment as interim manager.
Any doubts over whether the 73-year-old could recreate the momentum of his previous spell were quickly dispelled by a dominant display.
Celtic were assured throughout, posting 78% possession, 22 shots and a clean sheet.
Defensively they looked composed, with Scales particularly impressive, while their attacking play carried a sharpness that had been missing in recent weeks.
For United and manager Jim Goodwin, the concerns are mounting.
They failed to register a single shot on target and have now gone 51 visits to Celtic Park without a win, dating back to December 1992.
Their three attempts in total marked their lowest tally in a league game this season.
With rivals around them still to play this weekend, the table is beginning to look increasingly uncomfortable for United as Celtic’s revival gathers pace.
Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill: "It was delightful, we played really well in the game and in the end we won quite convincingly.
"You still have to score the first goal in the game, Yang takes it magnificently and we get up and running but the performance was really good.
"Some of the players are just back to a bit of form that I know they can produce and that was the lovely thing about today's performance. Overall I thought we were excellent."
Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin: "They're playing a formation and a system that the players are familiar with, and one that suits the squad they've got.
"When you come here you know you're going to be starved of possession at times and you have to really show a bit of resilience in and around your penalty area and I think today there's lots of areas within the goals we've conceded we could've done a lot better."
