Jim Goodwin Admits Celtic’s Class as United Suffer Heavy Defeat at Home

Jim Goodwin Admits Celtic’s Class as United Suffer Heavy Defeat at Home

Jim Goodwin, manager of Dundee United, conceded that Celtic are “by a country mile” the best team in Scotland after his side suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat to the Scottish Premiership leaders at Tannadice on December 23. Despite a promising start, Goodwin’s men were ultimately overwhelmed by Brendan Rodgers’ side, who took full advantage of a first-half own goal from United’s Ryan Strain to launch an unstoppable second-half assault.

The defeat was particularly painful for Goodwin, who had managed to frustrate Celtic earlier in the season with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at the same venue. This time, however, Celtic’s blistering counter-attacks and clinical finishing put the game well beyond United’s reach. Following the final whistle, Goodwin was keen to protect his players, admitting the scoreline was difficult to accept but acknowledging that Celtic’s superiority had been clear.

“We’re a bit embarrassed with the way the scoreline looks,” Goodwin told Sky Sports after the match. “Myself and the players have personal pride and nobody likes to be on the end of a result like that. I take responsibility as manager because I asked the team to play in a certain way.”

The United boss acknowledged that the turning point in the match came after Celtic’s second goal, which was scored in added time at the end of the first half. The early second-half goal that followed two minutes into the restart sealed the fate of the match and left United in damage limitation mode for the remaining 40 minutes.

“We could have probably done with this one once the title was already wrapped up,” Goodwin said, showing some frustration at the timing of the fixture, which saw United face the full might of Celtic with their title push in full swing.

Goodwin remained upbeat despite the heavy loss, noting that his side’s overall season had been a success. The defeat didn’t overshadow their fight for a top-six finish and third place, and he called on his team to stay focused as they continue to chase European spots.

“We’ve fought very hard to make the top six and we’re very much in the fight for third place,” Goodwin continued. “We can’t dwell on this one, we have to pick ourselves up. It can’t detract from what’s been a good season.”

Although the final scoreline would suggest otherwise, Goodwin felt that Dundee United had shown some promise in the early stages of the game. For the first half-hour, United looked solid and aggressive, pushing Celtic into unfamiliar territory with their high press and forcing them to play longer balls than usual.

“It sounds bizarre but for half an hour I thought we were very good,” said Goodwin. “The shape was good, we were aggressive in the press and forced Celtic into playing longer than they normally would. But the first goal was a kick in the teeth, given that it’s an own goal. It was a misfortune. And the second one comes from our promising attack, but with the pace Celtic have on the counter-attack, it ends up in the back of our net.”

Despite the frustration, Goodwin did not shy away from praising Celtic’s clinical performance. “We came up against the best team in the country and when Celtic play like they did the last hour, they can do that to any team,” he added. “Congratulations to Brendan and his team, they’ve been the best team by a country mile.”

With the loss, Celtic extended their dominance at the top of the table, proving once again why they are considered by many to be the best team in Scotland. Meanwhile, Goodwin’s United will look to regroup as they focus on their efforts to secure a strong finish to the season, knowing that their campaign remains very much alive despite the setback.