Last updated on .From the section Football

Celtic extend lead at top to 5 points

Gary Mackay-Steven scores against his old club

John Guidetti and Jason Denayer also score for Celtic

Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Premiership with a third successive win over Dundee United.

There was an air of formality about this one as soon as the former United star Gary Mackay-Steven had put his new club ahead.

John Guidetti and Jason Denayer added to the lead before the break.

Aberdeen's draw earlier in the day at Dundee means Celtic are now five points clear at the top and on this form a stick-on for the title.

The United manager Jackie McNamara admitted before the match he would be glad to see the back of Celtic and nothing he witnessed over the course of the afternoon would have given him cause to change that opinion.

Aside from highlighting an obvious inferiority to Celtic, the result extends United's winless streak to eight games, a run that will have to be arrested if they are to retain hopes of a top-three finish.

To rub further salt in United's wounds, Mackay-Steven was an influential figure, never more so than when he put his new club in front.

With time and space in the inside-right position, the winger collected the ball before firing an early strike through a crowd of bodies and low past the diving Radoslaw Cierzniak.

His lack of celebration would scarcely have eased the United fans' anguish and his hand in the second goal would've piqued it further.

Celtic's Gary Mackay-Steven was a pivotal figure against his old club.

He rolled the ball into the path of Guidetti whose shot from just outside the area took a deflection and looped over the goalkeeper.

Mackay-Steven was scythed to the ground by Paul Paton as United's frustration began to creep to the fore, but it was only increased as the resultant free kick by Stefan Johansen was met by Virgil van Dijk and though his shot was partially blocked, Denayer back-heeled past Cierzniak.

The visitors' attacking threat was virtually non-existent until well into the second half when Craig Gordon was at last brought into the action to tip over from Ryan Dow and gather a long-range drive from Paul Dixon.

Virgil van Dijk also had to show his defensive prowess to race back to deny Nadir Ciftci a shot on goal, but in truth the game had already been won by half-time.

There was no repeat of the nastiness that had been evident in the previous matches between the teams as United, instead, submitted meekly to the league leaders.