Martin O’Neill delivered one final victory for Celtic as Daizen Maeda’s 11th-minute header proved enough for a 1-0 win over Dundee at Celtic Park.
Wilfried Nancy’s appointment as Celtic manager was confirmed less than an hour before kick-off, making this O’Neill’s farewell match before the new boss takes charge. It was O’Neill’s seventh win in eight matches since his return to Parkhead, 20 years after his first spell in charge. The result leaves Celtic level on points with Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, but trailing on goal difference with a game in hand.
Celtic began brightly, with Maeda and Reo Hatate testing Dundee from distance. A lofted pass from Hatate set up Hyun-jun Yang to force a save from Jon McCracken; Maeda headed home the rebound but was then involved in a heavy collision with Luke Graham. Celtic played a period with 10 men before Maeda returned from the tunnel with a bandage and a black eye.
Celtic pressed throughout the first half. Arne Engels and Yang had chances, and Marcelo Saracchi forced a smart save before going off with what appeared to be a hamstring recurrence, Kieran Tierney coming on as his replacement. Dundee had a first-half scare when Simon Murray hit the bar after Liam Scales’ headed back-pass; the follow-up was ruled offside after Kasper Schmeichel had saved Cameron Congreve’s effort.
The second half saw further chances for Celtic — Maeda could not direct a rebound on target and Hatate saw a shot saved — but Dundee began to threaten midway through the period. Substitute Ashley May (reported as Ashley Hay in some coverage) broke clear, shrugged off Scales and saw his angled attempt blocked by Schmeichel. Finlay Robertson later tried his luck from around 50 yards after Schmeichel had come outside his box; the goalkeeper recovered to make the save.
Dundee maintained pressure late on and Celtic had to withstand several nervy moments, with Maeda hitting the post on a stoppage-time breakaway. When the final whistle went, chants of “Martin O’Neill” rang around Celtic Park.
The match was played against a backdrop of unrest off the pitch. Anti-board chants and tributes to O’Neill underlined a club divided ahead of Nancy’s arrival, while an extended, indefinite ban on the Green Brigade left the bottom six rows of the standing section closed. Celtic now head into upcoming fixtures — including matches against Hearts and Roma for the new manager — with momentum but clear questions to resolve off the field.