Griffiths' goals take Celts to the brink of glory

Dundee United 0 - 3 Celtic​

It wasn't the treble Ronny Deila was hoping for, but Leigh Griffiths' second half hat-trick sealed the 3 points required to move Celtic a step closer to the title - which would be the 4th in a row - after a 'Jekyll & Hyde' performance at Tannadice.

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Aberdeen's win at Inverness yesterday kept the pressure on The Bhoys to continue producing results, and the Champions responded in the manner you'd expect after a lacklustre first half.
With several Celtic players appearing to be feeling the effects of a long season in the opening 45 minutes the hosts looked the brighter side, without ever seriously threatening to open the scoring.

Jackie McNamara mirrored the formation of the man in the other dugout, opting to select John Souttar in midfield, where he was asked to man mark Stefan Johansen in an attempt to stifle the creativity of the Player of the Year contender. It appeared to be working, as the Norwegian had one of his quieter games.
With Leigh Griffiths staying central and constantly looking to run in behind the United defence, Stuart Armstrong and Kris Commons - both players who like to drift in side and exchange quick passes - struggled to have an impact on the game, meaning the most likely route to goal was through set pieces.
And that is where the visitors best chance of the half came from, with Virgil Van Dijk in fine goal-scoring form recently, seeing his close range strike deflected wide after staying forward following a free kick.

Following the break, Celtic blew their opposition in a 20 minute spell that should have put the game beyond doubt. Commons and Johansen switched roles, and Griffiths began to drift wide and drag the defenders out of position.
The breakthrough came after a neat interchange between Brown and Johansen found Griffiths in space, who hammered a right-foot strike past the helpless United 'keeper. But The Arabs had Cierzniak to thank for still being in the game, with the Polish stopper in outstanding form to deny efforts from Commons and Johansen.

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Former Hibs hitman Griffiths doubled the advantage shortly after the hour mark, when he prodded the ball over the line after Van Dijk's headed effort had hit the post.
Substitute Gary Mackay-Steven saw his left-foot strike cannon back off the bar, before again coming back to haunt his former side, as his driving run saw him brought down by John Rankin. Referee Willie Collum awarded Celtic a penalty, despite the contact appearing to come outside the box.
The impressive Griffiths didn't care, as he slotted the penalty home to claim his second hat-trick of the month in a dominant second half performance.

It is a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for a player who was rumoured to be heading back to Hibernian on loan, where he would be playing in Scottish footballs second tier. Griffiths is not the most well-rounded striker ever to pull on the green & white, but he adds tenacity and determination to the attack, not to mention goals.

MOTM: Leigh Griffiths