By Graeme Dey

THE LONG wait for Dundee United is over. Ten years and 39 games without a victory against Celtic to their name, United yesterday at last found a way to beat the Hoops.

And what a fairytale success it was for comeback man Jon Daly.

Out since April with a career-threatening knee injury, Daly was thrown on for the latter stages by boss Craig Levein with the Tangerines trailing to a Barry Robson penalty.

Daly marked his 50th appearance for the club by heading in an 82nd minute equaliser before skipper Darren Dods nodded home an even later winner.

“I’m absolutely delighted for Jon,” said boss Craig Levein, who embraced the Irishman in the middle of the pitch at time up.

“He has been out seven or eight months and only had 30 minutes football in that time. He was supposed to play in a bounce game last week but couldn’t because of flu and was only on the bench today because we were short of numbers and I thought he could offer us a bit of defensive cover!

“So he’s away home thrilled and so he should be.

“The football gods haven’t looked fondly on him in the past when you consider the injuries he has had to contend with.

“But maybe that’s his luck turning. You won’t see him start a game for a few weeks yet because he isn’t match fit but he showed today what a valuable member of our set-up he is.”

This triumph at Tannadice moved United level on points with third placed Hibs and just three behind leaders Rangers and left their jubilant fans talking title.

While he didn’t wholeheartedly back the view that his side can challenge for the championship, Levein didn’t dismiss the possibility either.

“I don’t want to dampen anybody’s enthusiasm, that’s not my job,” he said.

“We’ve a good group of players who are going along nicely and the last thing they need is a tug on the reins from me.

“We’ll just canter along and see what happens. But I’m not doing down the dressing room and saying we can’t win the league.”

Hoops boss Tony Mowbray dismissed United’s challenge.

“There was a huge gulf in quality and class between the teams until they scored from two set plays,” groaned Mowbray.

“I don’t think we got what we deserved from the game. For 85 minutes it was one-way traffic. I thought we totally dominated. But goals are what football is all about and we didn’t defend those set pieces well enough, allowing them to use the huge physical advantage they had over us.”

Levein—whose claims for the Scotland job can only have been enhanced by this result—refused to get drawn into a slanging match with Mowbray but made clear he’d viewed proceedings somewhat differently.

“Tony is entitled to his opinion and I didn’t think myself that we played that well,” he said.

“But I’ve played Celtic in the past, been absolutely battered and despite our keeper making wonder saves we’ve been three down at half-time.

“I can’t remember Nicky Weaver making too many saves over these 90 minutes so, gulf in class? Not today.

“We haven’t played brilliantly at Tannadice this season and I felt we owed it to the supporters to send them away home happy from this game—which I’m delighted that we did.”

United were certainly some way short of their best in a goalless first-half Celtic had easily the better of.

The home side lacked any spark to their play, corners failed to beat the first defender and their most promising opening, a counter-attack led by Jennison Myrie-Williams, yielded only a corner because Myrie-Williams’ ball in to Danny Cadamarteri was too heavy, allowing Mark Crosas to get back and clear.

A further contributory factor to Celts’ dominance of the opening period, it should be said, was referee Dougie McDonald giving virtually every decision their way—a soft free-kick awarded for a Dods challenge on Scott McDonald 30 yards out, from which Robson wasn’t far off finding the target, being a case in point.

Interestingly, for all their possession, the visitors worked Nicky Weaver only twice, when the keeper did well to push aside an Andreas Hinkel shot from the edge of the area and then when Hinkel tried to beat him from close range and an acute angle and Weaver stuck out a foot, sending the ball looping across goal when it might well have ended in the net.

But they had plenty of chances—most notably when Marc Antoine Fortune should have first-timed home an Aiden McGeady cut-back but inexplicably took a touch, allowing Dods an opportunity to block and McDonald had a fresh air swipe at a low McGeady cross.

The second half looked like offering more of the same when early on Gary Caldwell lifted a Danny Fox free-kick back across goal to the far post where team-mates were queuing up. Unfortunately for Celtic the ball fell to the out-of-form Fortune whose effort was blocked by the alert Weaver.

However, United had clearly been given a rocket by Levein during the interval for they had much more about them and came within inches of opening the scoring.

Former Tangerines keeper Lukasz Zaluska had to produce a fine one-handed save to turn over Prince Buaben’s rifled 30-yarder.

And when Dods nodded the resulting Craig Conway corner back into the path of Danny Casalinuovo the Argentinian’s header rebounded from the underside of the crossbar.

With the game having opened up completely opportunities arose at both ends. A sweeping move almost produced a goal for Celtic but McDonald couldn’t quite reach the low delivery from substitute Georgios Samaras, while Glenn Loovens made a superb challenge on Casalinuovo as he went to pull the trigger from a Myrie-Williams cut-back.

Celts looked to have taken control of proceedings on 71 minutes when former United midfielder Robson went down under a Dods challenge just inside the area and referee McDonald pointed to the penalty spot. Robson sent Weaver the wrong way as he converted.

The Tangerines might have levelled shortly afterwards when Dods rose to meet a Paul Dixon cross, only for his seemingly on target header to be redirected over the bar by Mihael Kovacevic.

They did eventually equalise when, with Andy Webster blocking off Loovens, Daly rose unchallenged to nod Danny Swanson’s corner down into the net.

A point would, given the nature of the match, have been sufficient reward for United.

But bang on 90 minutes another Swanson corner found Dods unmarked and he bulleted another header past Zaluska.

And if the Hoops were entitled to feel they’d been robbed, Dods for one wasn’t caring.

“This makes up for all the times we’ve played well against Celtic and not got the result we’ve deserved,” he said.

“We ran Celtic close a few times last season so we’re absolutely delighted to finally get this win, especially having come from behind for it.

“I was disappointed about the penalty. Having played with Barry for years I know all about his stepovers but he’s done me.

“I thought the contact was outside the box but the ref gave it. So I was really pleased to then go and get the winner.”

Loovens (tripping Myrie-Williams) joined Dods in the book.

Attendance—11,098.

Dundee United—Weaver, Webster, Dods, Conway (Swanson 62), Myrie-Williams, Cadamarteri (Goodwillie 62), Buaben, Gomis, Kovacevic, Casalinuovo (Daly 73), Dixon. Subs not used—Banks, Dillon, Robertson, Shala.

Celtic—Zaluska, Hinkel, Caldwell, Ngeumo, McDonald (McGinn 82), Fortune (Samaras 58), Fox, Crosas, Robson, Loovens, McGeady. Subs not used—Cervi, Naylor, Flood, Thomson, Caddis.

Referee—Dougie McDonald.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that United and city neighbours Dundee each made the tidy sum of £31,000 from the recent derby.

The excellent near-8000 attendance at the friendly on November 10, which was won 3-1 by the Tangerines, ensured the youth set-ups at the city clubs will be quids in.

A cheque will be winging its way from Tannadice to Dens in the next few days.