SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Dundee Utd 0 Celtic 1CELTIC, WHO have lost the Scottish Premier League title to Rangers amid epic final-day drama in 2003 and 2005, claimed their third championship in as many years last night, rounding off what has been a remarkable late-season surge.
Gordon Strachan, the first Celtic manager since Jock Stein to guide them to three titles from three, has overseen a remarkable recovery. Six weeks ago his team were seven points behind Rangers, having played a game more and apparently destined for a barren campaign. That it was not surely secures Strachan's place on the club's most-revered list.
This result was immaterial given Rangers' troubles 65 miles up the coast, where they lost 2-0. Some 6,000 Celtic fans, and many more on the streets outside, chanted in memory of the late Celtic player, manager and coach Tommy Burns.
United opened the smarter with Artur Boruc forced to parry a fierce Noel Hunt drive within 10 minutes. Lee Naylor's slackness in the visiting defence presented Danny Swanson with an opportunity but the playmaker blasted over. Celtic responded with Aiden McGeady's close-range effort prompting heroics from Lukasz Zaluska. Barry Robson went even closer, rattling a header against the United crossbar. The last act of an entertaining opening half arrived from Mark de Vries, the United striker who somehow failed to hit the target when afforded a clear sight at goal from 12 yards.
A rapid opening to the second period saw Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink miss chances before Nakamura was booked for embellishing a Danny Grainger tackle inside the United penalty area. United's Swanson went within a Boruc fingertip save of opening the scoring.
It took news from further north to send the visiting fans into raptures, as confirmation of Lee Miller's goal for Aberdeen arrived. Better was to come, Vennegoor of Hesselink nodding a Paul Hartley corner beyond Zaluska from close range. A muted party, suddenly, was an all-out championship celebration and news of Aberdeen's second goal just added to the sweetness of it all at the end.
DUNDEE UTD: Zaluska, Dillon, Dods, Kenneth, Grainger, Flood, Kerr (Robb 80), Gomis, Swanson (Robertson 79), De Vries (Daly 80), Hunt. Subs Not Used: Camara, Wilkie, O'Brien, Smith. Booked: Flood.
CELTIC: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor (Wilson 76), Nakamura (Scott Brown 62), Hartley, Robson, McGeady, McDonald, Vennegoor of Hesselink (Samaras 81). Subs Not Used: Mark Brown, Donati, Sheridan, O'Dea. Booked: Nakamura, Samaras.
Referee: S Dougal (Scotland).