Celtic’s dream in the Scottish Premiership is over

Originally posted on Celtic Xtra | By Oscar Cortes | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 7:40 PM ET

Celtic missed a golden opportunity to challenge for the Scottish Premiership title after an unexpected 2-0 defeat to Dundee United.

Martin O’Neill’s side failed to impose their game in a crucial match and ended up dropping points that practically eliminate them from title contention in this final stretch of the season.

Martin O’Neill’s men are now out of the running for the Scottish Premiership.

Meanwhile, Hearts fulfilled their objective and secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Dundee FC. Although it was a hard-fought match, the league leaders earned three vital points that put them very close to clinching the title, consolidating a campaign marked by consistency and resilience in decisive moments.

This result directly impacts Celtic, who see their hopes of a historic league comeback vanish. With only a few matches remaining, the gap has become virtually insurmountable, thus concluding a season that promised more in the domestic championship but ended with a bitter taste for the Glasgow club.

Full-time.#DUTDCEL | #CelticFC pic.twitter.com/8iXcCmIBcI
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) March 22, 2026

Now, O’Neill’s team’s only remaining objective is the Scottish Cup, where they still have a chance to end the season with a title.

Their next challenge will be the semi-final against St Mirren, a match that represents their last opportunity to prevent the manager from leaving without a trophy and to give the fans something to cheer about at the end of the campaign.

This article first appeared on Celtic Xtra and was syndicated with permission.

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