There had been a lot of positivity around Celtic in the last few weeks. They won away at Ibrox, albeit only on penalties, to go through to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup. That was followed by a win over Motherwell, while Hearts on the same matchday, allowing Martin O'Neill's side to cut the lead down to just two points in the Premiership.

Based on momentum, it felt like only a matter of time before Celtic would take the lead in the title race. But all that came to a screeching halt, with the Hoops losing away against Dundee United.

On the other hand, both Hearts and Rangers won their games this weekend. That means that Celtic now find themselves sitting at third in the table and have a mountain to climb.

Such a result had been coming for a while, to be honest. Celtic's performances have been poor for months and they had only been winning games narrowly on most days. Today, they ran out of both individual brilliance and luck.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of the bad news for Celtic this weekend. It looks like Julian Araujo's injury, which most fans had thought to be a mere niggle initially, is far more serious than first believed.

In fact, he has returned to Bournemouth for treatment and it is unclear whether he will even be available after the international break.

According to 67 Hail Hail, O'Neill said about the status of Araujo: 

“He’s missing, he’s down and he’s getting treatment and being rehabbed at his football club at Bournemouth.

“I’m not sure [if he’ll be available after the international break]. I’m not sure, but the extra two weeks could help.”

Araujo has been a key performer for Celtic since being signed on loan from Bournemouth. Not only is he a good player, but someone who has formed a genuine connection with the supporters.

He is the kind of character that lifts the mood of a team. Right now, the Hoops need every inch that they can get, and Araujo's absence has been felt over these last few games.

Calls have been made for the club to sign Araujo permanently. But right now, fans will be hoping for him to back available as soon as possible.

The result against Dundee United means that Celtic have no room for error in the remaining seven league games of the season. They must win all of them. And even that might not be enough for them to win the Premiership.

Unfortunately, they have been poor throughout the course of the season. Celtic have let themselves down, on and off the pitch. Nobody can complain with where they stand.

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