Blunder

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The national team break was over, and league battles reignited.

On October 17, in the 8th round of the Scottish Premier League, Dundee United faced off at home against Celtic, one of the Scottish football giants.

The two-week break allowed the players to rest and recover, but it didn't suddenly elevate their abilities.

Against the powerful Celtic squad, Dundee United put up a tenacious fight. At one point, the fans believed they could hold on for a hard-fought draw, but in the 90th minute, English striker Gary Hooper sealed the win for the visitors with a clinical finish, handing Dundee United a heartbreaking 1-2 loss.

Liam Carter's performance was decent, but not outstanding. The gap in overall team strength was evident, and his current ability wasn't at the level where he could single-handedly turn the tide of such a match.

Despite the loss, Dundee United wasn't criticized. In the eyes of the media, making Celtic struggle to secure a win was already a solid performance.

However, Peter Houston remained concerned. The team had built momentum with consecutive victories before the break, and he feared this defeat could disrupt their rhythm.

During the next training session, Houston was much stricter than usual.

"Pass the ball! Pass the ball! Liam was in position—why didn't you make the pass?"

Hearing Houston's shouts, Liam couldn't help but smile.

The coach hadn't been this vocal before, but his increased expectations proved one thing—Liam's role in the squad was growing more important.

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October 23, Matchday 9.

Dundee United traveled northeast to face Motherwell. Before the game, Houston gave a rare speech.

"We lost last weekend. We have to win today. Get back that feeling of victory."

Two months into the season, Dundee United had already experienced both winning streaks and winless runs. By now, their 4-4-2 formation had become well-established.

Starting XI:

Goalkeeper: Dušan Perniš – A Slovak international, signed in 2009 from the Slovak league. He was the starting keeper last season.

Defenders: Seán Dillon, Paul Dixon, Gary Kenneth, Scott Severin.

Except for Dillon, an Irishman, the rest were Scottish. Kenneth and Dixon came through Dundee United's academy, forming a reliable center-back partnership despite their limitations. Severin, the right-back, came through Aberdeen's youth system before moving around before landing at Dundee United.

Midfielders: Craig Conway, David Robertson, Stuart Armstrong, Liam Carter.

Dundee United's midfield played in a slightly concave shape, with the wide players positioned slightly higher than the central midfielders.

Conway, a diminutive but quick winger at 5'7", was tasked with creating chances alongside Liam.

Robertson was an all-around midfielder—solid in both attack and defense but excelling in neither, a typical product of British football development.

Forwards: Jon Daly, David Goodwillie.

The frontline featured the classic "big man, small man" pairing. Daly, a 6'3" Irish striker, was physically imposing but lacked technical skill, serving mainly as an aerial target. Goodwillie, at 5'9", was more mobile and relied on positioning rather than strength.

Motherwell had finished fourth in the league last season, securing a spot in European competition. Their campaign had gone slightly better than Dundee United's, as they managed to advance past the third qualifying round before being eliminated by Danish side Odense in the playoffs.

Speaking of Europe, of the five Scottish teams that had qualified for European competition this season, only Rangers remained in the Champions League group stage, while the rest had been knocked out.

Dundee United had fallen to Liverpool in the Europa League qualifiers. Motherwell had also been eliminated in the third qualifying round by Slovenian club Maribor. Hibernian, another Scottish club, had met the same fate.

In the Champions League, Rangers had earned direct group stage entry as league champions, but Celtic had been eliminated in the qualifiers by Portuguese side Braga. They then dropped to the Europa League but were knocked out by Utrecht from the Netherlands.

This was the reality for smaller European leagues—many teams qualified for continental tournaments, but most were eliminated in the early rounds. Platini's reforms aimed to give such teams more opportunities, which won him the support of smaller football associations.

After all, whether a country had a major league or a minor league, their football federations all had equal voting power. Platini was adept at playing politics—by slightly reducing the power of major leagues, he won the favor of many smaller nations, securing their votes.

Houston had feared that the Celtic loss would impact his team's mentality. His concerns were soon validated.

Just one minute into the match, disaster struck.

Motherwell midfielder Jamie Murphy whipped in a low, driven cross. Dundee United's right-back Severin rushed forward in an attempt to clear it but misjudged his touch—sending the ball straight into his own net.

And to make matters worse, it went through the goalkeeper's legs.

"Unbelievable! Dundee United's defender just nutmegged his own goalkeeper!" The Scottish commentator couldn't help but chuckle.

Houston exploded on the sideline, shouting at his players before finally regaining his composure.

Dundee United responded well. In the 33rd minute, Liam Carter moved inside from the right, linking up with teammates. Left-winger Conway then drove into the box before being tripped by a Motherwell defender—penalty!

Goodwillie stepped up and calmly slotted it home, leveling the score at 1-1 before halftime.

"Good job, boys. Keep this up, and we'll win this game," Houston encouraged them at the break.

But just four minutes into the second half, calamity struck again.

Motherwell delivered a cross into the box, and Dundee United's left-back Dillon rose to head it clear.

However, his header was mistimed—it flew directly into the top corner of his own net! Perniš, despite his desperate dive, had no chance.

"Another one! Another own goal!"

"The Dundee United full-backs are putting on a masterclass... in scoring at the wrong end!"

"Look at Dillon's header. The power, the precision—it was perfect! If only it had been at the right goal!"

"Dillon and Severin have taught us an important football lesson today: goals can be ordinary, but own goals? They're spectacular!"

Houston's face turned red with frustration on the touchline.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is Dillon's second own goal of the season. Two in just nine games! Is he secretly competing for the Golden Boot?"

Dundee United, now trailing 2-1, had to respond.

In the 55th minute, after some buildup in midfield, Liam Carter received the ball on the right flank. He surged forward, but with a defender pressing him tightly, his cross was deflected.

However, the ball didn't go out of play. Instead, it bounced perfectly into Carter's path. Without hesitation, he whipped in a left-footed delivery into the box.

Goodwillie, showing great awareness, met the pass with a powerful volley—GOAL!

"Dundee United strike back again! It's 2-2!"

Despite both sides pushing forward in search of a winner, neither could break the deadlock. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

"We scored four goals, but only got a draw," Carter joked in a post-match interview, unable to hide his frustration.

The defenders had been their own worst enemies today. Two own goals in one match—who could tolerate that?

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