Score:
Celtic 2
Dundee United 0

Attendance: 56,532

Bhoys fans hailed the arrival of new signing Shunsuke Nakamura - but it was Hartson and super sub Beattie who had them singing.

The ?2.5m signing from Reggina almost made a dream start to his Celtic career having gone close to scoring after just 60 seconds.

He spread the ball out wide to Maciej Zurawski and then arrived to get on the end of the Pole's cross but Stuart Duff denied him his moment of glory by getting back to clear his glancing header off the line and come to the rescue of goalkeeper Derek Stillie.

Instead, it was left to Hartson to keep his cool just before the break and score his fifth goal of the new campaign before young striker Beattie came off the bench for the third consecutive match to fire a stunning volley for his third of the season

United soaked up the early pressure but Zurawski could have settled the home side down having been played clean through by a fine pass from Nakamura. The Pole panicked, though, and took a touch too far, giving Stillie the chance to narrow the angle and block his effort.

Hartson had started the campaign with a bang and he could have increased his season tally to five in the 23rd minute.

Thompson was brought down close to the touchline by Crawford, who was booked, and he picked out the striker in the centre, only for him to head over from seven yards.

Stillie was tested by Celtic skipper Neil Lennon in the 36th minute when he got down well to hold the midfielder's long-range drive.

But the United goalkeeper had no chance of keeping his side on level terms moments later when Hartson held off the challenge of David McCracken and kept his cool to steer a right-footed shot past Stillie.

Miller gave the home side a scare in the 40th minute when he brushed aside Paul Telfer in the area but blazed wide.

Celtic's minds were still in the dressing room when United carved out a glorious chance to go level in the 46th minute.

Jim McIntyre got behind his marker to run onto Grant Brebner's pass but he swivelled and fired straight at the onrushing Boruc.

Celtic then went close to increasing their lead from three consecutive corners.

First Petrov failed to get the contact he was looking for after Thompson's corner had broke to him in the area but Stillie still had to push the ball behind.

Then amazingly Hartson saw two separate headers come back off the crossbar, from Thompson and then Petrov crosses.

But United were still in the game and Celtic breathed a sigh of relief in the 58th minute when Miller went down under the challenge of Bobo Balde but referee Iain Brines was not interested.

Nakamura then snatched the limelight when he left Mark Kerr for dead with a moment of magic in the 63rd minute and the curled a left-footed free-kick towards the top corner only for Stillie to scamper across his goal-line and the claw the ball behind.

The home side should have paid for their lack of a killer touch in the 71st minute when McIntyre teed up Stevie Crawford but the striker fired weakly allowing Boruc to make the save.

Maloney fired wide from the edge of the area with 10 minutes left before Nakamura saw the keeper off his line and tried a clever chip - but Stillie stretched to get a finger-tip to the ball to thwart him again.

Nakamura left to rapturous applause as Strachan brought Beattie on after his two goals in two substitution appearances.

And Beattie blasted Maloney's ball across Stillie into the far corner of the net to wrap up the points.

Celtic: Boruc, Telfer, Balde, McManus, Camara, Petrov, Lennon, Thompson, Nakamura (Beattie 84), Hartson, Zurawski (Maloney 64).

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Aliadiere, McGeady, Wallace, O'Dea.

Booked: Petrov.

Goals: Hartson 37, Beattie 88.

Dundee Utd: Stillie, Wilson, McCracken, Archibald, Duff, Kerr, Brebner, Robson (Samuel 48), McIntyre, Crawford, Miller.

Subs Not Used: Dodds, Samson, Kenneth, Holmes, Robertson, Cameron.

Booked: Crawford, McCracken.

Ref: