Celtic saw off Dundee United 4-0 in the League Cup Round of 16 on Friday evening. The visitors took control early and never looked back at Dens Park. By then you could see this was not going to be a contest.
Auston Levi-Iezekiyil Trusty opened the scoring at twenty-two minutes, and Cameron Carter-Vickers' side extended their lead two minutes later. K. Duran doubled the advantage before half-time, and here's the thing — Dundee United had not managed a shot on target despite 109 attacks.
The second half brought no change in direction. Sebastian Tounekti made it three at fifty-four minutes, and Björn Nygren added a fourth in the sixty-third. The hosts had already begun turning over their entire back line.
Substitutions came thick and fast from both sides. Celtic brought on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at fifty-nine minutes, then made three changes together in the sixty-third. Dundee United responded with their own alterations, but the pattern was set. Yellow cards for Joshua Rawlins, Abdoulaye Yoro and Cameron Carter-Vickers marked the physical nature of a one-sided affair.
By then the statistics told the full story. Dundee United registered eleven shots off target but none on target. Celtic had eight shots on target from just one off target, and that efficiency was all that mattered. Possession sat at fifty percent apiece, but the quality of chances separated the two sides entirely.
Celtic advance to the quarter-finals with a performance that speaks to their standards. Dundee United's recent form — four defeats in their last five matches — reached a new low. The result leaves them with questions that go beyond this competition.