Source: Team_Talk
Houston: CL talk is premature
Peter Houston cooled talk of a Champions League push after Dundee United's 4-2 victory over Hibernian took them five points behind Celtic. United followed up their 3-0 win over Motherwell with another impressive victory over rivals for a European place.Patrick Cregg gave Hibs the lead inside 40 seconds but Jon Daly's 20th-minute penalty was soon followed by a glorious curling strike from Danny Swanson, and David Goodwillie and Fran Sandaza wrapped up the points before Anthony Stokes' injury-time consolation.The Tannadice men are now unbeaten in seven matches and are due to face Celtic at home after the Scottish Premier League splits.But Houston cautioned: "People have said we're five points behind Celtic but Hibs are also five points behind us and they'll be thinking they can catch us."Ever since I took over I've looked at one game at a time and I refuse to look at any more."We've not done anything yet. We've not achieved a European spot, third spot or second spot."We're in a great place. We've got 55 points and last year we finished on 53, and we've got seven games left."I just want improvement all the time and getting as many points on board as we can. But I look no further than the St Johnstone game in five days."I'm glad it's on the Monday night now with the effort in the last week."I'm not thinking about Celtic, I'm more thinking about Hibs and making sure they don't catch us."Hibs boss John Hughes admitted his side struggled to match United in midfield and were not as assertive in defence as visiting pair Garry Kenneth and Andy Webster."The goals were preventable," Hughes said. "Even the second one, when the ball first came into the box, it should have been a bigger and better header than it was."It was just a wee tame header. You didn't see (Garry) Kenneth letting things drop. When he heads it, he goes and heads it 30 yards."You didn't see Webster's wee headers dropping down, and if it does he goes up like a periscope and it's boom, down to his own player, or it's headed 30 yards."Hibernian's defeat came on the back of news that Moroccan playmaker Merouane Zemmama looks set to miss at least six months with the knee injury he suffered at Falkirk on Saturday."I think he's out for the season," Hughes said. "It might be a cruciate, we're just waiting on a second scan."