Too early for title talk says Celtic boss Ronny Deila

Boss Ronny Deila enjoyed watching Celtic open up a six-point gap over Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership with an impressive 4-1 win over Dundee United at Tannadice on Friday night, but will proceed with caution.

Notwithstanding United's ongoing struggle at the bottom of the table, the Parkhead men looked focused and hungry with in-form striker Leigh Griffiths in unstoppable form.

A double from the former Livingston, Dundee and Wolves attacker took his Hoops tally for the season to 24 and to 51 in 60 starts for the champions - he is the quickest Celt to reach the half-century mark since Charlie Nicholas in the early 1980s - and goals from defender Jozo Simunovic and midfielder Kris Commons left Simon Murray's counter a consolation.

Deila's side have won three games in succession for the first time since October.

Asked if six points is too big a gap for other clubs to make up - the second-placed Dons play Ross County in Dingwall on Sunday - he said: Hopefully, but I don't think so. We need to win a lot more games.

That is 21 games played now. There is 17 more games. It is way too early to talk about these things.

But we are in a good position and every time we win we put the other teams under pressure. We just have to keep on performing.''

Pundit and former Celtic striker Chris Sutton ahead of the match described some of the Parkhead club's recent performances as bang average dross'', but Deila was measured in his response.

The former Stromsgodset boss said: I think lately that we have had some performances that haven't been great. But that is the case with every team.

You don't see any team that goes through a season without bad performances.

But in Scotland we have won nearly every game that we have played. We have also scored a lot of goals. Again, it is not black all the time. Sometimes there are good things as well.

I'm very pleased because it's always hard to go to Tannadice.

Dundee United are a team desperate to win games and we managed to score four goals and win the game in a good way.''