Celtic back to their best after thrashing Dundee
Celtic 6 - 0 Dundee
Celtic strolled to a dominant 6-0 victory at home to Dundee, restoring their 13-point cushion at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
The Hoops barely had to shift out of second gear in the first half but still went into the break two goals up—Arne Engels converting from the penalty spot before Adam Idah added a second just before half-time.
Jota, rewarded with a start after his goal against Motherwell, looked sharp throughout and once again underlined why bringing him back from Rennes was such an exciting piece of business for Celtic. It was his pinpoint cross that set up Daizen Maeda for his first of the night, before the Portuguese winger showed his class by lifting the ball over Trevor Carson to grab his second just minutes into the second half.
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Celtic's emphatic win was sealed in style with two stunning long-range strikes—one from Engels and another from substitute Nicolas Kühn—allowing debutant Jeffrey Schlupp to ease his way into the action with the game long out of Dundee’s reach.
For Tony Docherty’s side, it’s another bruising 6-0 defeat in the league, but they can’t afford to dwell on it too much with a Scottish Cup tie against Airdrieonians looming on Saturday.
A closer look at what happened
Kyogo’s departure to French side Rennes raised questions about how Celtic’s attack would shape up for the rest of the season.
But on this evidence, the Hoops remain a ruthless force even without their star striker, with his international teammate Daizen Maeda leading the charge.
Maeda’s blistering pace caused Dundee problems all night, and he looked completely unfazed by switching wings, pressing relentlessly and stretching the opposition defence.
The 27-year-old was at the heart of everything, creating three chances—the joint-most of any player—and recording more touches in the opposition box than anyone else. His second goal oozed confidence, bending a sublime first-time effort over the helpless Trevor Carson and into the top corner.
Adam Idah continued to step up in Kyogo’s absence, netting his fourth goal in three games, while Jota showed glimpses of his class on his first start since returning to Glasgow. The Portuguese winger’s delivery for Maeda’s opener was superb, and he’ll only get sharper with more minutes under his belt.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Kühn’s introduction from the bench underlined the strength in depth at Brendan Rodgers’ disposal, and the German added the finishing touch with a stunning left-footed strike late on.
On this showing—and with such a commanding lead at the top—it feels inevitable that the Scottish Premiership title will remain at Parkhead come May.
