Celtic manager Neil Lennon has warned his players that they will have to improve if they are to hope to secure the treble this season. Lennon watched his side move into the semi-finals of the William Hills Scottish Cup with a 4-0 win at Dundee United on Sunday but acknowledged that his side struggled until United full-back Robbie Neilson was shown a straight red card in the 28th minute. He was found guilty of leading with his elbow in a challenge against visiting striker Georgios Samaras. Joe Ledley broke the deadlock early in the second half and the result was never really in doubt with goals from Samaras, Anthony Stokes and Scott Brown, from the spot. Celtic play the winners of the St Mirren versus Hearts replay, to be played on 21 March, in the semi-final but before that they take on Kilmarnock in the final of the Scottish League Cup at Hampden. While Hoops fans headed away from Tayside singing about a treble, Lennon warned against counting chickens too early. He went on: "There is a lot of momentum and there is a lot of talk about the treble but if we play like we did in the first half there will be no treble. We have to analyse the first-half performance and eradicate where we went wrong. I am looking for better than that, particularly in the first half, in games to come. We looked a bit disjointed at times. The sending off obviously changed the game and put us on the front foot but in the second half we were tremendous. But credit to Dundee United, the scoreline probably flattered us. We have a cup final to look forward to next week against Kilmarnock and then a game against Rangers after that so two huge games in the context of the season." United manager Peter Houston has no time to dwell on his disappointment of the result as next weekend sees administration-hit Rangers heading to Tannadice. He said: "The players worked hard and I don't think the scoreline was a true reflection of the game. But the great thing is you go from one big game to another big game. It's another early kick-off on Saturday and we welcome Rangers. It is a difficult game because there is a bit of unity amongst the players there because they have taken a drop in wages and fair play to them, so we are in for a massive game. If we if we play like we did in the first half with 11 men, then we can be a match for anyone."
Source: FOOTYMAD
