They still sing about Henrik. But they have overseen the birth of a new hero at Celtic this past year.

Leigh Griffiths hit his 50th and 51st goals for the Parkhead side as Ronny Deila’s side comfortably swatted away Dundee United.

Griffiths arrived at Celtic almost two years ago to limited fanfare after Neil Lennon quietly signed him in the January transfer window.

There were no waiting crowds in the car park. There was no bow taken before the support. Such was his stock within Ronny Deila’s team only a year ago that when the draw was made for the latter stages of the Europa League as Celtic were paired against Inter Milan, Griffiths took to Twitter to joke that he couldn’t wait to take in such a great game from the stand.

And yet here we are. As Griffiths whipped off his shirt in the cool breeze of an icy Tannadice January evening, gleefully accepting a yellow card from whistler Bobby Madden, to display a ‘50’ celebratory t-shirt, it was difficult to escape the important with which he has become to the Celtic manager.

With Nadir Ciftci never showing the form that he did in his United days at Celtic and Carlton Cole still ponderous and clearly short of match fitness, it is worthwhile reflecting on just what Celtic’s plight Celtic’s plight might have been the season without Griffiths and the 24 goals he has netted since the campaign began.

The once unfancied striker has raced to the half century of his Hoops career after just 60 starts for the club; Charlie Nicholas hit the same landmark after 62 starts.

His first goal against Dundee United was almost his Celtic career in microcosm. Gavin Gunning slipped and Griffiths, ever alert to the opportunity, was there to calmly slot the ball through Eiji Kawashima’s legs.

It was a typical Griffiths goal – quick, efficient and predatory. It gave Celtic a platform to go on and lay the foundations for the evening – a Jozo Simunovic header seven minutes later ought to have put the game out of sight – although United were allowed to edge their way back into proceedings when the lively Simon Murray pulled one back.

Yet, Griffiths again was on hand to re-establish a two-goal cushion for Celtic when a Mikael Lustig cross was met by Kris Commons who swung out a boot before the ball fell to Griffiths and he buried the chance.

The goal came just minutes after Simunovic had booted one off the line at the other end but given the confidence with which Griffiths is currently playing with, it was always liable that there would be more goals for the striker.

The evening belonged to the former Hibs kid, but Kris Commons stole a little of the limelight with a cracking volley after a deft Stuart Armstrong chip. Commons met the ball exquisitely, cannoning in an effort that firmly established Celtic’s grip of the game.

Deila recently lamented the lack of games in which Celtic have turned the screw on teams and went for a haul of goals, but he got what he wanted against a Dundee United side whose resistance folded almost immediately after the restart when Griffiths had added his 51st goal of his Celtic career.

Last term it was the latter months of the season when Celtic enjoyed their best displays under the Norwegian and while the display at Tannadice will be regarded in the context of just how poor United have been this term, it does set out a marker as the Parkhead side hunt a domestic Treble.

In saying that, although the game was long but over as a contest, a handball from James Forrest in the penalty box was allowed to escape without sanction. Any penalty would well have been too little, too late but it did underline that Celtic, defensively, still lack a soundness of conviction at times when it comes to simply putting games to bed.

The coming weeks will be telling for this Celtic side. Tuesday night’s game against Hamilton Accies will give them the chance to further stretch their lead at the top of the league away from Aberdeen, while the forthcoming League Cup semi-final against Ross County will allow the challenge for a domestic Treble to intensify.

But so far as Tannadice was concerned, it was an evening to enjoy for Deila and the Celtic support. The chant of “Efe Ambrose, ballon’d’or” suggested the party might have rumbled on a little too long, although, on recent evidence, the Nigerian defender might look a better bet than Dedryck Boyata.

Food for thought, indeed.

DUNDEE UTD: Kawashima, Dixon, Dillon, Gunning, McGowan, Souttar (Paton 81), Rankin, Spittal, Fraser, Riski (Dow 63), Murray (Erskine 73). Subs: Zwick, Paton, Telfer, Spark, Donaldson.

CELTIC: Gordon; Lustig, Ambrose, Simunovic, Tierney; McGregor, Johansen; Commons, Rogic (Forrest 59), Armstrong (Allan 68); Griffiths. Subs: Bailly, Izaguirre, Ciftci, Cole, O’Connell, Forrest.

REFEREE: Bobby Madden