I watched Celtic draw with Dundee United and noticed a unifying figure and an 838-minute curse

Camilo Duran had got the home side off to a perfect start after 19 minutes, but two quickfire goals from Zac Sapsford (28) and Neil Faruggia (31) put the away side on course for an unlikely victory until Liam Scales notched a leveller with 65 minutes on the clock.

The draw keeps Celtic four points clear at the top of the table after second-placed Rangers failed to capitalise by drawing 2-2 with Hearts. But what did their win over Dundee United tell us about Celtic’s hopes of winning a sixth successive league title?

Graham Falk was at Parkhead to cover proceedings. These are his three key takeaways from Celtic’s draw vs Dundee United:

Whole Jota love

Celtic and unity are words that haven’t been associated with each other much over the last 12 months, with sections of the support continually at loggerheads with the club’s board over its direction. However, the love between the Celtic fanbase and Portuguese winger Jota couldn’t be stronger. His introduction to the pitch seems to change the mood in the stands.

Appearing off the bench for the fourth league game running, Jota played a major role in Celtic getting back into a game they were threatening to lose. The second time he has been introduced off the bench at half-time since he made his long-awaited return from an 18-month layoff with an ACL injury, the 27-year-old showed glimpses of the skill and mesmerising footwork that made Parkhead fans fall in love with him when he first arrived on loan from Benfica over five years ago.

After the game, O’Neill admitted that he’s “still some way” from being available to start games. However, the more minutes Jota gets on the pitch, the more influence he appears to have on proceedings and when he’s back fully fit and firing, he could prove to be a major difference-maker in a title race that looks increasingly likely to be decided by small margins.

838-minute curse

It has been roughly 838 minutes since Celtic’s big summer signing, Kasper Hogh, scored for his new club. The Danish international looked frustrated in the 45 minutes he was on the field, touching the ball just 14 times.

Overheard on the terraces ahead of kick-off, a confident fan claimed that tonight was the night Hogh would score his first goal at Celtic Park. But he once again never looked close to breaking his luckless run in front of goal. There were concerns about the £11million striker in the opening day win over Dundee in August, when the 25-year-old missing a barrel load of chances.

However, his hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Kilmarnock just a week later calmed those who were twitchy at his debut performance, making it look more like an exception rather than the rule.

While his assist for Duran’s opener was smart, laying off a perfect ball for the Colombian to tap home, his goal mouth action was reduced to a half-chance after three minutes that was ruled offside anyway.

Shown a yellow card for a needless foul seconds before the break, he was withdrawn at half-time to extend his run to 13 goals without a game. He was defended by his manager during the post-match press conference. But at what point does O’Neill decide he simply can't afford a restoration project?

34 year run continues - but Dundee United on right track

Unbelievably, it has been 34 years since Dundee United last tasted victory at Celtic Park. Boxing Day 1992, Duncan Ferguson scored the winner in a 1-0 win, if you’re wondering. But Jim Goodwin and his side almost ended that barren run with an impressive display.

Few expected much of the Tangerines in pre-season. Inconsistent throughout the previous campaign, many tipped them to sit in and around mid-table, with a potential top six push at best. A six-game unbeaten run has them in a well deserved fifth place after the first 11 games, though it was their performance against Celtic that will give them further cause for optimism.

A few weeks ago, Hearts rocked up to Parkhead and got spanked 7-1. However, the statistics from that day will show you the Jambos had more possession, more shots and an equal amount of touches in the opposition box. Alas, Celtic scored six more goals, so it didn’t really matter a jot.

It would have been no surprise to see Dundee United attempt to sit in and sneak a draw on the back of that. However, in the first half, they really took the game to Celtic. They didn’t have a great deal of the ball, with just 34 per cent possession, but they continued to pose problems throughout.

Sure, Celtic pulled on the pressure at the end and could have snatched a late winner, but the Dundee United defence stood firm when it had to, and they remained a dangerous proposition on the break late on.

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