By Keir Murray
**A last-minute header by Darren Dodds gave Dundee United their first victory over Celtic since August 1999.**Former United captain Barry Robson scored a 72nd-minute penalty to put Tony Mowbray’s men ahead.
United manager Craig Levein threw on Danny Swanson and striker Jon Daly and the pair combined at a corner to level the score, Daly powering home a header.
As the pulsating match approached full-time, Swanson swung in another corner and Dodds nodded in the winner.
The game began at a frantic pace, with Aiden McGeady immediately looking in the mood for the visitors as he scampered down the left wing.
With United aware that a win would put them within touching distance of the Old Firm at the top of the Scottish Premier League, and the hosts knowing victory would take them to the summit, the atmosphere at Tannadice was upbeat.
Celtic’s Andreas Hinkel had the first shot on goal in the match, cutting inside from the right wing in the eighth minute and running with purpose towards the retreating line of tangerine defenders.
He kept his left-foot shot low but United keeper Nicky Weaver got down well to his left to make the save.
There was plenty of energy in the play, most clearly shown by Fortune who sprinted 60 yards to get n the end of a McGeady pass and Cadamarteri who deserved a better pass after his intelligent run into the box.
Former United captain Barry Robson fired a free-kick over the bar for Celtic with quarter of an hour gone, much to the delight of the Terrors fans, who were reacquainted also with former goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska, in for Artur Boruc, and midfielder Willo Flood, who was on Tony Mowbray’s bench.
Robson had to move aside for Fox when Celtic got their next free-kick within firing range, but the new Scotland cap smacked his effort over too.
United tackled fiercely and, with Morgaro Gomis and Prince Buaben, there was always the possibility they might create something to test the Celtic defence.
But Celtic attacked relentlessly, forcing six corners in the first 45 minutes.
Marc-Antoine Fortune, 10 yards from goal, was set up brilliantly by McGeady but he took an extra touch when a first-time shot would have tested Weaver.
And Hinkel left his marker Craig Conway to burst in to the box on the right but fired across the goal from a tight angle.
Jennison Myrie-Williams went streaking through the Celtic midfield before the break until he was stopped illegally by Glenn Loovens, and was the player who caught the eye again at the restart, bursting through the heart of the visitors’ defence but shooting just wide.
Fortune again wanted to take a touch too many in front of goal when he should have volleyed Gary Caldwell’s cross.
And as the home fans breathed a sigh of relief, Buaben pounced to drill a right-foot shot from 30 yards which Zaluska knocked over, then Kovacevic increased the pressure on Celtic when he headed against the crossbar.
Mowbray and Levein changed their line-ups, with Georgios Samaras replacing the hesitant Fortune for Celtic, and David Goodwillie and Danny Swanson coming on for Cadamarteri and Conway.
With 20 minutes to go, ex-United hero Robson won and converted a penalty for his new team, Darren Dodds with a clumsy challenge just inside the box. Robson’s low spot-kick sent Weaver the wrong way.
Immediately, Levein introduced Jon Daly to the fray, with Damian Casalinuovo making way, but it looked like United could not get a grip on play to give Daly a chance in front of goal.
How that changed, though, when the Terrors won a corner which was swung in by sub Swanson and the unmarked Daly, making his first appearance of the season, bulleted a header into the net.
Swanson stung the fingers of Zaluska with a 30-yard free-kick then, with the home support in full voice, United won a last-minute corner.
Once again Swanson’s delivery was inch-perfect, again Celtic’s marking was absent.
Dodds made amends for conceding the penalty with a thumping header to win the match.