Celtic 3 – 3 United

Two goals in the final eight minutes earned Dundee United their first point at Celtic Park since March 1998.

The Hoops had taken the lead through John Hartson and, although his opener was cancelled out by David Fernandez, goals from Maciej Zurawski and Stilian Petrov should have been enough to secure the win.

But Lee Miller and Fernandez grabbed a goal apiece in the last eight minutes to snatch a point from the SPL leaders.

The result will have come as a boost to second-placed Hearts, who defeated Hibernian in the Edinburgh derby, as well as Rangers, who take on Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Sunday.

Hoops boss Gordon Strachan opted to keep the faith with central defensive pair Adam Virgo and Stanislav Varga following last week’s win at Motherwell.

Instead, he chose to tinker with the full-back positions, handing Mark Wilson his debut against his former club at the expense of Paul Telfer, and replacing Mo Camara with Ross Wallace.

Roy Keane had recovered enough from the hamstring injury, which kept him out of last week’s game, to be named in the squad but had to settle for a place on the bench.

United player-boss Craig Brewster was also confined to the dug-out, after suffering a leg fracture last week, but his influence is already being felt at the Tannadice club and it was they who almost drew first blood at Parkhead.

The ball broke kindly to Jim McIntyre on the six-yard line but Virgo bravely threw his body across the goalmouth to block the effort.

Instead, the honour of grabbing the game’s opening goal went to Hartson, who reaffirmed his desire to remain at Celtic earlier in the week.

A Barry Robson challenge on Zurawski proved costly when Shunsuke Nakamura flighted the resultant free-kick into the crowded box and it was Hartson who rose above everyone else to nod home in the ninth minute.

Undeterred, United tried to battle their way back into the game, McIntyre drawing a couple of decent saves from Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

Celtic should have doubled their lead when Nakamura displayed sublime skill to skip past his marker and deliver the ball to the head of Petrov, but the Bulgarian nodded wide.

Instead, with half-time looming, it was United who found the back of the net.

Robson whipped a free-kick into the box, which was met by Alan Archibald, whose mis-directed header bounced into the path of Fernandez, and all that was required from the former Celt was to poke home in the 40th minute.

But Celtic restored their lead four minutes after the break.

Shaun Maloney sparked a scramble in the box with his free-kick and Zurawski connected with the ball to bullet the header past goalkeeper Derek Stillie.

Celtic Park then screamed for a penalty when Stuart Duff barged into Maloney in the area but referee Mike Ritchie ignored the pleas.

Fernandez was denied his second goal of the day only by a decent save from Boruc, before Hartson also failed to add to his tally when he prodded wide from a yard out.

When Celtic did find the back of the net again, it was in extraordinary style when Petrov’s 35-yard drive took a deflection off Derek McInnes and into the back of the net in the 67th minute.

Zurawski was unfortunate not to add his tally with a thunderous effort, which fizzed across the face of goal and just wide of the target.

But United ensured a tense finish when they pulled a goal back in the 82nd minute through substitute Miller, who had replaced McInnes just two minutes earlier.

McIntyre’s flicked ball was met by Miller at the far post and he stabbed home amid cries for offside, but the flag stayed down and the goal was given.

Boosted by that goal, United hauled themselves onto level terms with four minutes to go when Fernandez burst into the box, took the ball past Boruc and coolly slotted into the back of a gaping net.