Martin O’Neill departs as Celtic boss with win over Dundee

Celtic 1

Dundee 0

MARTIN O’NEILL CLOSED the gap on Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts as he delivered one final victory for Celtic.

Daizen Maeda’s brave 11th-minute header proved enough to hand O’Neill a 1-0 victory over Dundee in his farewell match before making way for Wilfried Nancy, whose appointment was confirmed less than an hour before kick-off.

It was O’Neill’s seventh win in eight matches since returning to Celtic Park 20 years after his initial spell in charge ended.

Celtic were eight points adrift of Hearts when O’Neill and Shaun Maloney were placed in interim charge in the wake of Brendan Rodgers’ sudden exit in late October.

The 73-year-old leaves with Celtic now trailing the league leaders on goal difference with a game in hand.

O’Neill’s players could have given their manager a less stressful swansong but could not build on their flying start and Dundee caused some nervy moments for the home support.

That included a sparsely-filled standing section with the bottom six rows blocked off following the extended and indefinite ban handed to the Green Brigade on Tuesday.

Anti-board chants rang out along with tributes to O’Neill in a reminder that Nancy inherits a disunited club despite the platform to challenge in the league and Europa League, as well as a Premier Sports Cup final to look forward to in his third match. His first two come against Hearts and Roma.

Celtic were quickly on the front foot and Maeda and Reo Hatate threatened from long range before the breakthrough.

Yang Hyun-jun continued his rejuvenation under O’Neill by forcing a save from Jon McCracken after a lofted pass from Hatate and Maeda headed home the rebound before being caught by the head of Luke Graham in a hefty collision.

Celtic played with 10 men for several minutes before the Japan forward re-emerged from the tunnel sporting a bandage and a black eye.

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Celtic continued to press and Arne Engels and Yang had chances before Marcelo Saracchi forced a good save. The Uruguayan left-back soon went off with what looked like a recurrence of a hamstring injury, with Kieran Tierney a straight replacement.

There was one first-half scare for Celtic when Simon Murray hit the bar after Liam Scales’ short headed pass back. The offside flag went up after Kasper Schmeichel saved Cameron Congreve’s follow-up.

Celtic also started the second half well. Maeda could not steer a rebound on target following Luke McCowan’s effort and Hatate saw a shot saved after some impressive football.

Dundee began to threaten midway through the half. Substitute Ashley Hay was released by a long ball, shrugged off Scales’ attempt to bring him down and tried his luck from an ambitious angle. Schmeichel blocked his weak effort.

Finlay Robertson then tried his luck from 50 yards after Schmeichel came out of his box and sliced a clearance but the goalkeeper raced back to save, comfortably in the end.

Dundee kept the pressure on until Maeda hit the post on a stoppage-time breakaway, before the full-time whistle prompted chants of “Martin O’Neill” around Celtic Park.

Liam Scales played the full game for the Hoops, for whom Johnny Kenny was an unused substitute. Kieran O’Hara was on the Dundee bench.

Elsewhere, Kilmarnock substitute Bruce Anderson scored a 90th-minute equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle as faltering leaders Hearts endured a fourth consecutive match without victory.

Lawrence Shankland’s strike early in the second half looked like proving decisive for the Jambos until Anderson forced the ball home from close range to leave the home support shell-shocked ahead of Sunday’s top-of-the-table showdown at Parkhead.

And Nedim Bajrami scored a dramatic last-gasp penalty to rescue a point for Rangers in an eventful 2-2 draw with Dundee United at Tannadice.

Striker Zac Sapsford’s delightful solo goal in the 11th minute gave the home side the lead before 19-year-old left-back Jayden Meghoma powered in a long-range equaliser in the 23rd minute for his first Gers goal since arriving on loan from Brentford.

Amar Fatah restored United’s lead in the 66th minute with a fine finish but in the sixth of six added minutes Gers substitute Max Aarons was brought down in the box by Will Ferry and Bajrami fired the spot kick high into the net.

But it was not enough for some of the travelling support who booed and jeered the players at the end on another night of frustration for Rangers.

Meanwhile, Troy Parrott played the full game as AZ Alkmaar progressed in the Dutch Cup with a 3-1 win away to PEC Zwolle. Sven Minjnans (two) and Ibrahim Sadiq were on target for Alkmaar.