Dundee United pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat Celtic 2-1 at Tannadice Park on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, heaping more pressure on new Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy.
In front of 12,966 spectators, Celtic took the lead early through Daizen Maeda's 13th-minute goal, but a sluggish second-half performance allowed Dundee United to turn the game around.
Krisztian Keresztes opened the scoring for the home side in the 58th minute, and just three minutes later, Zachary Sapsford struck with a magnificent goal to complete the comeback. Despite a late miss from Daizen Maeda, Celtic couldn't find an equalizer, handing Nancy his fourth consecutive defeat since taking charge.
The loss has sparked calls from frustrated Celtic fans for the return of former interim boss Martin O'Neill, with the team failing to close the gap on league leaders Hearts.
Celtic's dominance in the first half was squandered due to missed chances, with Johnny Kenny alone accumulating an expected goals (xG) value of 0.88. The team's poor finishing proved costly, as Dundee United capitalized on their shortcomings with two well-taken goals from set pieces.
The defeat comes amid tumultuous off-field developments at Celtic, with chairman Peter Lawwell announcing his resignation earlier in the day due to "abuse and threats."
Nancy, who insisted pre-match that he had nothing to prove despite his previous losses, now faces mounting pressure to turn around Celtic's fortunes. "We did a good game," Nancy said post-match. "We had many chances but didn't score. We hit the post and then in three minutes we lost the game because they scored two set pieces."
The result sees Dundee United move one point behind seventh-placed Falkirk, while Celtic remains six points adrift of Hearts at the top of the table. The defeat also marks Celtic's first four-game losing streak in 47 years, further complicating Nancy's tenure.
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