Celtic v Hibs

Saturday 27th December 2003

Celts gain revenge by hammering six past the Hibees

Chris Sutton and John Hartson both scored twice as Celtic hit 10-man Hibernian for six at Parkhead to move 11 points clear of Rangers at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League.

After Sutton had fired Celtic ahead, referee Alan Freeland harshly dismissed Derek Riordan for a rash challenge on Jackie McNamara which sparked a flurry of goals and ended Hibs' hopes.

Henrik Larsson and Stilian Petrov also scored as Celtic avenged their CIS Insurance Cup defeat at Easter Road over a fortnight ago and increased their lead over Rangers, who play on Sunday.

It was a memorable day all round for the club as they recorded their biggest win over Hibernian for 25 years while Larsson became the club's joint third highest goalscorer.

They made a dream start by going ahead after just three minutes. Sutton exchanged passes with Hartson before bursting into the box and slotting the ball past Daniel Andersson.

But before being reduced to 10 men, Bobby Williamson's highly-rated youngsters did look dangerous on the break.

Tom McManus held his head in his hands in the 11th minute after blazing a bicycle kick over the bar from Gary O'Connor's cross.

Celtic keeper Robert Douglas then gave the home fans an anxious moment when he dropped a cross but he reacted quickly to jump on the loose ball.

Despite the Christmas festivities, Hartson looked leaner than he had for some time and he fired wide from seven yards before Alan Thompson blazed into the crowd.

Larsson was equally as wasteful as he picked up a pass from Alan Thompson and then fired wide from just inside the box.

At the other end, McManus was given too much space in the area but Johan Mjallby made sure he did not test Douglas by deflecting his shot wide for a corner.

Sutton has been enjoying a fruitful season in front of goal, despite being played in a number of positions, and he fired a 28-yard shot just wide from Thompson's pass.

But the Englishman was in the wars in the 23rd minute when he was floored by a reckless foul from Kevin Thomson, who deservedly received a yellow card.

Mjallby and Thompson quickly followed him into the book for rash challenges on Scott Brown as the game began to turn sour.

Douglas then brilliantly kept Celtic in front in the 29th minute when Riordan's shot took a wicked deflection but he acrobatically tipped it over the crossbar.

Sutton had the ball in the net again in the 33rd minute when he played a one-two with Larsson but this time the linesman ruled it out for offside.

The former Blackburn striker then turned provider as he threaded the ball through to Hartson but the Welshman's tame effort was easily saved by a relieved Andersson.

Some of referee Freeland's decisions were beginning to get too much for Bobby Williamson and both sets of supporters. And the Hibernian manager was out of the dugout again in the 42nd minute when Riordan was controversially shown a straight red card for a challenge on McNamara.

It got even worse for the Edinburgh club as Hartson then headed home Thompson's cross a minute before half-time after Andersson had made a hash of a Petrov cross.

The players missed a hail shower at the break but the restart could not come quickly enough for Celtic.

Neil Lennon sensed a rare goal in the 50th minute when he was fed the ball after a flowing five-man move for the home side but he fired wide from the edge of the box.

The referee pointed to the spot in the 53rd minute after Larsson had gone down under a clumsy challenge from Colin Murdock and Sutton confidently chipped the ball past the diving Andersson.

Larsson could have got in on the scoring act after 57 minutes when he was picked out unmarked in the box by McNamara but he headed straight at Andersson from six yards.

Hibernian's misery continued on the hour mark when the Swede teed up Hartson to fire low past the keeper's outstretched right hand and into the bottom corner.

Larsson did get on the scoresheet in the 67th minute when he steered the ball past Andersson from close range after more terrible defending from the visitors.

The Swede should have had another as he fired over after Andersson had spilled Sutton's long-range effort.

The final whistle could not come quick enough for Hibernian but there was still time for Petrov to force the ball past the distraught goalkeeper.

Liam Miller almost scored the best goal of the day in the dying minutes as he coolly lobbed the ball over Anderson but he could only watch as it brushed the top of the crossbar.

Thompson blazed over moments later before Freeland, for the first time, did Hibernian a favour by putting them out of their misery.

Teams

Celtic Douglas, Varga (Miller 63), Balde (Wallace 69), Mjallby (Beattie 69), McNamara, Lennon, Petrov, Sutton, Thompson, Larsson, Hartson.

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Smith.

Booked: Mjallby, Thompson.

Goals: Sutton 4, Hartson 45, Sutton 54 pen, Hartson 60, Larsson 66, Petrov 77.

Hibernian Andersson, Smith, Murdock, Doumbe, Whittaker, Brown, Brebner, Thomson (Nicol 87), Riordan, O'Connor (Dobbie 63), McManus (Reid 84).

Subs Not Used: Hyldgaard, Baillie.

Sent Off: Riordan (42).

Booked: McManus, Thomson.

Att: 59,609

Ref: A Freeland (Scotland).

Motherwell v Celtic

Sunday 21st December 2003

Hoops regain eight point cushion going into Christmas

John Hartson and Alan Thompson assured Celtic of an eight point Christmas lead over Rangers as Martin O'Neill's men returned to form with a comfortable victory at Fir Park.

The Glasgow giants had been suffering from a European hangover from their defeat in Lyon with a far-from-convincing win over Dundee and a CIS Insurance Cup defeat at the hands of Hibernian.

But they picked themselves up to inflict the fourth consecutive defeat on Terry Butcher's youngsters.

Celtic always looked in command even though Robert Douglas, who continued in place of Magnus Hedman, had to save a controversial Derek Adams penalty to keep them ahead.

They made the perfect start by taking the lead after only two minutes.

The visitors could have been ahead moments earlier but Gordon Marshall spared Stephen Craigan's blushes by saving his poor attempted clearance from Thompson's cross.

But the goalkeeper had no chance seconds later as Scott Leitch got a slight deflection on Chris Sutton's cross, after Thompson's pass, and Hartson arrived at the back post to poke the ball into the back of the net from two yards out.

It could have got even worse for Motherwell in the fifth minute as Sutton got on the end of Stanislav Varga's long ball far too easily but he fired straight at a relieved Marshall.

The goalkeeper was again fortunate in the 12th minute when Hartson headed Varga's cross into his hands.

Motherwell were hanging on as Sutton fired into the side-netting after Liam Miller had charged down Martyn Corrigan's clearance.

But the home side fought back and Johan Mjallby needed to head Leitch's cross behind to prevent Adams from reaching it.

The Motherwell midfielder then came within inches of scoring the equaliser as his free-kick, out near the corner flag, caught Douglas by surprise and came crashing back off the bar.

The same played then curled a 22-yard free-kick just past the upright after Bobo Balde was booked for a foul on Leitch.

Keith Lasley was the next man to be booked before Motherwell youngster David Clarkson won his side a dubious penalty.

Mjallby won the ball as the player hit the deck but justice was done as Douglas acrobatically saved Adams' spot-kick by flinging out his left hand to stop the ball going over him.

Referee John Underhill again angered the visitors by booking Larsson for diving after going down under the challenge of Craigan in the box before ignoring the same player's clumsy barge from behind on Hartson.

At the other end Clarkson embarrassed Balde by going past him with ease but he then shot wide with just Douglas to beat.

Celtic were dealt a blow just five minutes before the interval as Larsson, who along with Hartson and Sutton shrugged off injury to play, trudged off to be replaced by Jamie Smith.

Motherwell started the second half much better than the first and Alex Burns should have done better in the 48th minute.

Steven Hammell and Stephen Pearson combined to release the former Partick striker into space inside the box but he got caught in two minds and his weak shot was saved by Douglas.

But Marshall gifted Celtic the ideal chance to kill Motherwell off in the 55th minute.

He made a hash of Miller's cross by pushing it straight to Smith, who controlled it and then blazed over the crossbar.

Celtic did wrap up the points in the 71st minute after Craigan had been booked for a foul on Petrov, just outside the box, and Thompson stepped up to curl a superb left-foot effort over the wall and into the corner of the net.

The Englishman's confidence was high and his audacious long-range drive was comfortably saved by Marshall two minutes later.

Douglas showed he too was concentrating despite a lack of action when he tipped Adams' powerful strike over the top.

The referee was also enjoying himself and he needlessly booked Miller for a challenge on Adams.

But nothing could stop Celtic from enjoying Christmas with an eight-point gap over Rangers.

Hibs v Celtic

CIS Insurance Cup Round 4

Thursday 18th December 2003

Celtc lose out in 1st domestic defeat of the season

Nineteen-year-old Kevin Thomson scored the goal which sent Celtic tumbling to their first domestic defeat of the season.

Thomson's 82nd-minute strike - his first goal for Hibernian - was enough to book his side a place in the CIS Insurance Cup semi-finals against Rangers.

Bobby Williamson's youthful side had to come back from behind, with a Grant Brebner penalty cancelling out Stanislav Varga's header.

The starting line-ups had an unbalanced look to them with Celtic fielding established internationals and the home side pitching in teenagers.

Hibs centre-half Jonathan Baillie was even a debutant, with the 18-year-old handed the task of snuffing out Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton.

But what Hibs lacked in experience they made up for in exuberance and in the end they were deserved winners.

Larsson was allowed to head an Alan Thompson free-kick inches wide in the 13th minute but Hibs' reply was to go even closer, with Derek Riordan denied only by the woodwork.

Riordan had fooled John Kennedy into thinking a cross from the left was coming and instead cut inside to send a swirling ball beyond Robert Douglas which bounced back off the top of the post.

Scott Brown was first to the rebound but Varga was there to block.

Five minutes later and the goal-frame at the other end was shaking when a slice of good fortune set up Sutton, who had just sent a diving header from a good position straight at the goalkeeper.

Thompson let fly from outside the box and saw his effort hit Larsson before falling into Sutton's path in the box. In came the shot from 12 yards out but it cannoned back off the crossbar.

Garry O'Connor blazed a good chance over before referee John Rowbotham began to brandish his yellow card, with Thomson penalised for hacking Paul Lambert down before becoming the victim when Thompson felled him at full pelt.

Kennedy completed a trio of first-half bookings for one foul too many for the official's liking.

Brown presented O'Connor with another good chance straight after the restart with a ball which sent the striker clear of the Celtic rearguard. In came a powerful shot but Douglas got enough behind it to block and Lambert was there to mop up.

Shaun Maloney replaced Sutton up front in the 50th minute and six minutes later his side were in front.

Thomson conceded a corner which Liam Miller swung in for Varga to beat goalkeeper Daniel Andersson in the air and although the man who had conceded the flag-kick tried to stop the ball from crossing the line he was unable to do so.

Hibernian were back on level terms by the 64th minute when Kennedy was adjudged to have used a hand in the box under pressure from Tom McManus.

Brebner made no mistake with the spot-kick, blasting past Douglas, who had at least guessed correctly.

Kennedy almost made amends at the other end by meeting a Thompson free-kick, for a yellow-card offence on Ross Wallace by Steven Whittaker, on the volley but it was a difficult chance at the back post and he could not hit the target.

Both sides made changes, with Stephen Dobbie replacing McManus and Lambert making way for Craig Beattie.

But it was Hibs who had the most zest and Thomson served up a memorable winner with eight minutes remaining.

The midfielder lashed home from the edge of the box with the outside of his left boot to condemn Celtic to their first domestic defeat of the season.

It could have been even worse for Celtic as the woodwork denied Brown in the last minute, although there was still time for Larsson to head a good chance over at the other end.

Teams

Hibernian Andersson, Baillie, Smith, Doumbe, Whittaker, McManus (Dobbie 77), Brown, Brebner, Thomson, Riordan, O'Connor.

Subs Not Used: Hyldgaard, Nicol, Reid, Shields.

Booked: Thomson, Smith, Whittaker.

Goals: Brebner 64 pen, Thomson 82.

Celtic Douglas, Varga, Balde, Kennedy, Crainey, Miller, Lambert (Beattie 81), Thompson, Wallace, Larsson, Sutton (Maloney 50).

Subs Not Used: Laursen, Guppy, Marshall.

Booked: Thompson, Kennedy.

Goals: Varga 56.

Att: 9,246

Ref: J Rowbotham (Scotland).

Saturday 13th December 2003

Celtic v Dundee

Celts win again, but keeper still in blunderland

Bobo Balde went some way to making his peace with Celtic at Parkhead as the Premier League leaders crawled eight points clear of Rangers.

The giant defender's late handball in Lyon on Wednesday night ended Celtic's dream of qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League.

His week then went from bad to worse when his mistake led to Mark Fotheringham cancelling out Henrik Larsson's 18th goal of the season this afternoon.

But with his side still sick from their heartbreaking defeat in France, despite the consolation of a UEFA Cup tie with Teplice, his goal then galvanised his team-mates before John Kennedy sealed the win - although Lee Mair reduced the deficit for the visitors late on.

Celtic set a new club milestone of 15 straight victories in the process but manager Martin O'Neill will know his team were somewhat fortunate in the face of a brave show by the visitors.

Despite their financial plight, Dundee gave an immediate warning of their intent by carving out a glorious chance to go ahead in only the third minute.

Former Celtic youth team player Fotheringham flicked on Gavin Rae's header to put Nacho Novo clean through but, despite his lack of first-team action, Robert Douglas raced off his line to block his shot to keep his side on level terms.

The home crowd were understandably subdued despite the consolation of a UEFA Cup place but they were given some encouragement in the 13th minute.

Chris Sutton directed Alan Thompson's cross-field ball towards Larsson but he fired over the crossbar from 12 yards.

But the Swedish striker did not let that affect his confidence and just two minutes later he had settled his side's nerves with the opening goal.

Thompson picked him out in the area and kept his cool to curl the ball around Julian Speroni and into the top corner of the net.

But it did not take long for Dundee to haul themselves back on level terms following a wonder strike from Fotheringham.

With another midweek culprit Magnus Hedman nowhere in sight, Balde was again at fault as he misjudged Speroni's long ball and the ball skimmed of his head to the Dundee man.

He still had much to do but he picked up the ball and steered his shot past Douglas, off the under-side of the crossbar, from 27 yards.

Celtic were again in disarray in defence and a deflected Rae effort had Douglas desperately scurrying across his goal-line to watch it go behind.

Neil Lennon and the Hoops' bench were again casting quizzical looks towards the defence as Fotheringham threaded the ball through to Novo but fortunately for Stanislav Varga and his team-mates his low shot was comfortably saved by the Scotland number one.

That sparked Celtic's best spell of pressure as Speroni was forced to make good saves to deny shots from Maloney and Larsson.

The Dundee defence were sliced open in the 38th minute as Maloney exchanged passes with Johan Mjallby but he went for glory and curled a right-footed effort just past the angle.

Varga was next to threaten as he got on the end of Thompson's free-kick but headed straight at Speroni from eight yards.

But he was not as relieved as Balde and Lennon as more hesitancy from the pair allowed Novo to play a one-two with Rae but he failed to find the back of the net.

As in midweek the break came at the worst time for Celtic as they struggled to get going again immediately after the restart.

They were fortunate in the 50th minute when Fotheringham's corner fell to Novo in the area but the ball just trickled away from him and the chance was lost.

Thompson tried to provide the spark for the home side but his long-range free-kick was easily held by Speroni.

Dave Mackay did his best to prompt an angry reaction from the home side, and not just Lennon, by booting the ball at a grounded Mjallby which earned him a booking.

Speroni's time-wasting was adding to Celtic's frustration before the Swede limped off to be replaced by Kennedy in the 62nd minute.

But Lennon had clearly lost the plot as he charged up and pushed one of the Dundee substitutes to retrieve the ball in the 68th minute.

Celtic's frustration, however, was dispersed moments later when Balde went from villain to hero to head home from close range after Sutton had directed Thompson's ball across goal.

The home side still needed another goal to settle their nerves and Kennedy did just that by prodding a Thompson corner home from close range.

Mair fired a late consolation for Dundee after a mistake by Douglas but it came too late much to the relief of O'Neill.

Teams

Celtic Douglas, Mjallby (Kennedy 63), Balde, Varga, Miller, Lennon, Maloney (Smith 55), Petrov, Thompson, Larsson, Sutton.

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Lambert, Wallace.

Booked: Thompson.

Goals: Larsson 15, Balde 69, Kennedy 87.

Dundee Speroni, Mackay, Wilkie, Mair, Hernandez Santos, Smith, Rae (Linn 81), Fotheringham, Brady, Novo, Sancho (Hutchinson 88).

Subs Not Used: McCafferty, Cameron, McDonald.

Booked: Fotheringham, Mackay, Wilkie, Mair.

Goals: Fotheringham 20, Mair 90.

Att: 57,573

Ref: K Clark (Scotland).

Wednesday 10th December 2003

Lyon v Celtic

UEFA Champions League 

Matchday 6

Penalty agony for hoops as we crash out again

Scottish football suffered another blow on Wednesday night as a controversial late penalty sent Celtic out of the Champions League in the Stade de Gerland.

Chris Sutton thought he had put the Scots into the knock-out stages for the first time in the competition's new format when he cancelled out Juninho's second-half strike.

Celtic had already come back from a goal down when John Hartson levelled Giovane Elber's early header.

But with six minutes remaining, Swiss referee Urs Meier Balde somewhat harshly penalised Bobo Balde for handball in the area as he jumped in a challenge with Peguy Luyindula. Juninho coolly converted the resulting spot-kick.

The referee and his assistants needed to be escorted off the pitch as the Celtic management team and Henrik Larsson, who had to endure more heartache in the stadium after breaking his leg here in 1999, tried to challenge them.

It was a cruel finale to a action-packed Group A campaign as Lyon went through and left the Glasgow giants with the scant consolation of a UEFA Cup place.

Manager Martin O'Neill promised yesterday to go on the attack despite needing only a draw to go through, but they were under intense pressure from the very first minute.

Liam Miller showed his lack of experience to needlessly give the ball away to Luyindula, who fed Elber.

Stanislav Varga slipped at the worst possible moment and the Brazilian hit a powerful low shot which Magnus Hedman pushed away.

Sidney Govou then had the visitors in all kinds of trouble and when the ball broke to Anthony Reveillere, he fired just over from just outside the box.

It was no surprise when Celtic went behind in the sixth minute.

Juninho's free-kick came back off the crossbar and into the path of Elber to head into the empty net, with Hedman trying desperately to get back to his feet.

Moments later only a timely intervention from Johan Mjallby prevented the former Bayern Munich star from adding to his tally.

Hedman had to race off his line a few minutes later to stop Luyindula getting on the end of Juninho's throughball after Varga had been caught day dreaming.

But Lyon's bold four-pronged attack left them short at the back, and Celtic almost exploited that to get back level on 16 minutes.

Larsson and Miller combined to feed Hartson in the box, but even though his shot was not on target, the Swede was close to getting a vital touch.

Sutton uncharacteristically gave the ball away on the edge of his box in the 18th minute and he was relieved to see Elber whistle a shot over the crossbar.

Neil Lennon lost his cool and was booked for a foul on Mahamadou Diarra who, from the resulting free-kick, headed Juninho's floated ball just over the crossbar.

That proved costly for the French champions, as Celtic bravely hauled themselves level on 24 minutes.

Sutton headed Stilian Petrov's long ball into the path of Larsson and his shot was pushed out by Gregory Coupet, but fortunately for the visitors it dropped to Hartson to fire home.

But Celtic were still in disarray at the back and needed a fine save from Hedman to deny Luyindula after a one-two with Elber cut through the Scots backline.

Celtic felt they should have had a penalty on 32 minutes.

Sutton went down in the box under the challenge of Jeremy Berthod, after being played through by Larsson, but the Englishman was annoyed to see the referee wave play on.

On-loan Michael Gray was being given a torrid time by Govou and the Lyon winger showed him a clean pair of heels, but then wildly lashed his shot over the bar with just Hedman to beat.

At the other end, Coupet failed to hold Miller's innocent-looking effort, but managed to jump on the ball as it rolled towards goal.

After the restart, the referee awarded Lyon a corner after Govou appeared to head wide, before Celtic fell behind again in the 53rd minute.

Juninho picked up the lose ball 35 yards out, strode forward and fired an audacious strike past Hedman, who should never have been beaten from that distance.

Elber then blazed over after being put through by Luyindula as Celtic again found themselves hanging on.

Claudio Cacapa was inches away from killing off the tie in the 64th minute when his header flew just past the angle from a corner.

O'Neill responded by making a double substitution by taking off Hartson and the tortured Gray, and bringing on Ross Wallace and Momo Sylla to rescue the match.

Fortunately for the visitors Hedman was concentrating in the 70th minute to push Juninho's free-kick over the bar.

But against the run of play, Celtic fought their way back level again in the 75th minute when the ball broke to Sutton inside the box and he coolly slid the ball past Coupet.

O'Neill responded immediately by taking off the goal hero, who had picked up an injury, and bringing on an extra defender in John Kennedy.

But just when it looked Celtic had done enough, the referee awarded Lyon a penalty with six minutes remaining for what looked the slightest of touches from Balde's leading arm, and Juninho sent Hedman the wrong way.

Teams

Lyon Coupet, Edmilson, Berthod (Carriere 76), Reveillere, Cacapa, Diarra, Juninho (Muller 89), Malouda, Govou, Luyindula, Elber (Dhorasoo 87).

Subs Not Used: Vercoutre, Deflandre, Essien, Viale.

Goals: Elber 6, Juninho 52, 86 pen.

Celtic Hedman, Varga, Mjallby, Balde, Gray (Wallace 68), Lennon, Miller, Petrov, Sutton (Kennedy 80), Hartson (Sylla 68), Larsson.

Subs Not Used: Douglas, Lambert, Maloney, Crainey.

Booked: Lennon, Hartson, Balde.

Goals: Hartson 24, Sutton 75.

Att: 40,125

Ref: Urs Meier (Switzerland).

Saturday 06th December 2003

Livingston v Celtic

English duo see off Lions

Chris Sutton and Alan Thompson strengthened their claims for England call-ups by hitting the net at Almondvale to keep Celtic's relentless march towards the Bank of Scotland Premier League title on track.

England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson watched the pair against Bayern Munich last month and they again staked a strong claim for an international chance.

Despite playing in several positions for Celtic this season Sutton is now just one goal behind 17-goal Henrik Larsson in the Parkhead scoring charts.

His latest clinical strike was valuable as it helped increase Celtic's lead at the top of the table to eight points at a ground where Rangers were held to a goalless draw.

That fate looked on the cards for Martin O'Neill's men too but the visitors wasted first-half chances to go in at the break level.

Celtic's full-strength side had far too much class for Davie Hay's men and they will now go to Lyon for their final Champions League Group A game confident of the draw needed to make the knock-out stages.

O'Neill will be without in-form Thompson, who weighed in with the second late on, for the vital trip to France through suspension.

Celtic were looking to get this one finished early as Larsson ran onto Sutton's flick-on but snatched at the chance and fired high and wide from a tight angle.

Livingston goalkeeper Roddy McKenzie was forced to make a save a minute later to keep his side on level terms.

Sutton had time and space in the box to feed the overlapping McNamara and his right-foot drive was pushed behind for a corner.

David McNamee was the next to come to the home side's rescue in the seventh minute.

Sutton flicked Thompson's pass into the path of Larsson and he managed to poke the ball past the onrushing McKenzie but the defender got back to clear off the line.

Livingston finally got out of their half in the 10th minute when Burton O'Brien played the ball to Francisco Quino and he blazed over the crossbar from distance.

But the Celtic pressure was relentless and Larsson curled a superb right-foot effort just over from the corner of the penalty box.

Bobo Balde also went close in the 15th minute when Thompson fired the ball to the back post where the defender was lurking, but he could only head into the sidenetting.

But Celtic had some cause for concern moments later when Thompson was helped off the field after coming off worse in a full-blooded challenge with Emanuel Dorado. He returned to action quickly though.

Eventually Hedman did have something to do just before the half-time break when he tipped over Jamie McAllister's free-kick.

Three minutes after the restart Thompson played the ball up to Sutton who turned to leave Oscar Rubio for dead before drilling a low shot past McKenzie and into the bottom corner.

Larsson thought he had increased Celtic's lead in the 55th minute when he sent the ball towards goal but a faint touch from McKenzie took the sting out of his effort to give Dorado the chance to clear.

That brought an instant reaction from the home side, who threatened themselves.

Pasquinelli sent O'Brien away down the left and Hedman could only flick the ball into the danger area, although Livingston were unable to capitalise.

Thompson and Sutton were involved again on the hour as the latter teed the ball into the path of Larsson but he could not get his volley on target.

The Swede went close again when he was picked out by Liam Miller in the box but his shot fizzed just past the upright.

The visitors survived a scare with eight minutes remaining when Pasquinelli fired over from close range.

But the game was over in the 85th minute when Thompson hit an unstoppable volley past McKenzie which nestled into the back of the net.

McNamara was booked for a foul on Pasquinelli before the Livingston man got his revenge by catching the Scotland international on the arm.

Thompson was replaced by Johan Mjallby and walked back to the dressing room clutching his arm.

Teams

Livingston McKenzie, Rubio, Dorado (Camacho 76), Andrews, McNamee, Lovell (McGovern 67), O'Brien, Quino, McAllister, Pasquinelli, Lilley.

Subs Not Used: Main, Scott McLaughlin, Snodgrass.

Booked: Quino.

Celtic Hedman, Varga, Balde, McNamara (Mjallby 90), Gray, Miller, Petrov, Lennon, Thompson, Larsson, Sutton.

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Hartson, Maloney, Wallace.

Booked: McNamara.

Goals: Sutton 48, Thompson 85.

Att: 9,523

Ref: H Dallas (Scotland).

Thursday 04th December 2003

Partick Thistle v Celtic

Young guns too good for Thistle

A star of the present and one of the future stole the show from managerless Partick as Martin O'Neill's next generation strolled into the quarter-final of the CIS Insurance Cup with a comfortable victory at Firhill tonight.

Teenage striker Craig Beattie illustrated just why Tottenham were chasing him in the summer and that he could be the long-term replacement for Henrik Larsson with an impressive performance which was capped by a clinical first-half finish.

Jamie Smith's second-half strike killed off their Glasgow neighbours but that came after skipper Paul Lambert had played 77 minutes to put himself into contention for a starting place against Lyon in next Wednesday's final Champions League Group A showdown.

The Scotland midfielder had not played since injuring his ankle for Scotland in September but he was surrounded by youngsters tonight.

Many felt a shock was on the cards from the moment the teams were announced with David Marshall, Stephen Crainey, Shaun Maloney and John Kennedy also in the starting line-up.

But Celtic's young stars started brightly while the men from Firhill looked as though they were lost without the guidance of Gerry Collins after his sacking on Sunday.

Jean-Yves Anis had to head an in-swinging corner from Maloney off his line before the youngster curled a long-range free-kick over the crossbar in the fifth minute.

Beattie was almost in after eight minutes but he mis-controlled Maloney's through-ball much to the relief of Partick goalkeeper Kenny Arthur.

The former Rangers trainee and strike partner Momo Sylla were causing the home side plenty of problems but they eventually came to life in the 18th minute when James Grady flicked on Anis' cross but Kenny Milne blazed high over the crossbar from 15 yards.

Anis then picked up the ball midway in the Celtic half and tried an audacious effort which was deflected past the post by on-loan Sunderland star Michael Gray.

But Celtic took the lead in the 31st minute after a good passing move and mature piece of finishing from Beattie.

Sylla fed the 19-year-old inside the box and he coolly steered the ball first-time around the hand of Arthur.

Beattie could - and should - have doubled his tally just two minutes later when Gray picked him out unmarked in the box but he headed straight at the Partick keeper.

Celtic were the first to threaten after half-time as Kennedy picked out Beattie with a great ball down the right flank and Sylla got ahead of his marker but could only turn his cross past the upright.

Whyte was booked in the 51st minute for deliberate handball before the Partick defence was opened up again in the 55th minute, allowing Sylla too much room only for the player to fire wide of the upright from 10 yards.

Celtic then conceded a free-kick just outside their area but former Parkhead midfielder John-Paul McBride's effort hit Gray and bounced to safety.

Lambert's night came to a premature end in the 71st minute as Steve Guppy stepped in but the midfielder had proved his fitness ahead of their Champions League showdown.

But Celtic did not need the presence of their inspirational skipper to see off the woeful Partick in the 75th minute.

Sylla again turned provider with a weighted through-ball to Smith and he hit a first time shot beyond the outstretched hand of Arthur and into the bottom corner.

Beattie came within inches of scoring a wonder goal with six minutes remaining but his brilliant right-foot curler came back off the crossbar.

Celtic's youngsters hardly broke sweat and they now face Hibernian at Easter Road on December 18.

Teams

Partick: Arthur, Anis, Lilley, Whyte, Murray, Milne, McBride (Howie 85), Andy Ross, Fleming (Taylor 82), Mitchell, Grady (Gemmell 77).

Subs Not Used: Budinauckas, Madaschi.

Booked: Lilley.

Celtic: Marshall, Kennedy, Gray, McNamara (Laursen 78), Mjallby, Crainey, Smith, Lambert (Guppy 71), Maloney, Beattie, Sylla.

Subs Not Used: Hedman, Miller, Varga.

Booked: Beattie.

Goals: Beattie 31, Smith 75.

Att: 5,700

Ref: M McCurry (Scotland).

Saturday 29th November 2003

Celtic v Partick Thistle

Celts stroll it after early scare

Martin O'Neill's men survived an early scare and a touch of the European blues to foil Gerry Collins' courageous cavaliers at Parkhead on Saturday.

Celtic were expected to comfortably stretch their unbeaten home record to 64 matches after their midweek Champions League draw with German giants Bayern Munich.

O'Neill drafted in young Celts Ross Wallace, Liam Miller and John Kennedy among five changes in a bid to avoid complacency from his side and supporters.

But he had not bargained on a shock early goal from James Grady and a performance from Collins' side which made a mockery of their bottom place position.

For long periods, Celtic did not look like a side who were about to go eight points clear of Rangers at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League and Partick did not look like a side searching for their first league win of the season.

Fortunately O'Neill has Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson battling to be the club's top scorer this season with the Englishman now just two adrift on 15 goals after his double today with Larsson still favourite to take that honour with the equaliser being his 17th.

The rain lashed down throughout making conditions hazardous for both sets of players but Partick soaked up the early pressure.

They even had the audacity to open the scoring with their very first attempt on goal in the 12th minute which stunned the home crowd into silence.

Derek Fleming swung an inviting cross into the box and Grady was given far too much room to head past Magnus Hedman and off the underside of the crossbar.

Larsson should have equalised four minutes later when Ross Wallace made room for himself and picked the Swede out in the centre but he headed over the bar.

Partick needed a vital block from former Celtic star Derek Whyte in the 21st-minute to prevent Sutton from testing Kenny Arthur as the ball dropped to him in the area.

The Englishman again threatened moments later when he sprinted to the near post for Wallace's corner but flicked his header over the bar.

There were signs, though, that Celtic were set to go up the gears as Arthur made a comfortable save from Larsson's low shot.

And it was no surprise that with their next attack they hit back to level the score.

At the second attempt, Sutton squeezed the ball through to the Swede and he poked the ball past the Partick goalkeeper from close range.

That sparked an inevitable charge from Celtic and John Hartson could only watch as his header from Larsson's cross flew just past the post.

The home side did not have to wait too long to go ahead but their 35th-minute goal still came about a little fortuitously.

Larsson drilled a right-foot free-kick towards goal and Sutton's wicked deflection wrong-footed Arthur and the ball spun into the opposite corner of the net.

Celtic looked as uneasy in defence as they had for quite some time which was testament to the heart and pressure from the Firhill side.

Strangely Collins was out-doing his opposite number for animation on the touchline as he gestured wildly for his men to continue surging forward in search of the equaliser.

But they paid the ultimate price for that bravery as Celtic increased their lead on the hour and killed the visitors off.

Partick were stretched as Larsson exchanged passes with Miller and played the ball across goal into the path of Sutton to steer the ball past Arthur.

Collins' side were fortunate to avoid another goal as heroics from Arthur denied Hartson a deserved strike after the Welshman burst past a number of challenges.

Partick were understandably frustrated and Fleming was the next man booked for hacking down Sylla.

The Jags' day went from bad to worse as Adrian Madaschi was stretchered off in the 67th minute and was replaced by Emmanuel Panther.

Hartson almost compounded their misery when he got on the end of Wallace's cross but his header was cleared off the line.

Miller could also have twisted the knife even further when Sutton's cross found its way to him but he drilled his effort just past the upright.

Whyte almost headed into his own net in the dying seconds but that would have been far too harsh on the former Parkhead defender and his team-mates.

WEBSITE MAN OF THE MATCH : CHRIS SUTTON

Teams

Celtic Hedman, Mjallby, Kennedy, Varga, Sylla (Gray 76), Lennon, Miller, Sutton, Wallace, Larsson, Hartson (Petrov 76).

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Valgaeren, Maloney.

Booked: Hartson.

Goals: Larsson 23, Sutton 36, 60.

Partick Arthur, Murray, Whyte, Milne, Anis (Gemmell 82), Mitchell, Andy Ross (Taylor 70), Fleming, McBride, Madaschi (Panther 67), Grady.

Subs Not Used: Mikkelsen, Howie.

Booked: Anis, McBride, Fleming, Andy Ross.

Goals: Grady 12.

Att: 58,202

Ref: C Thomson (Scotland).

Tuesday 25th November 2003

Celtic v Bayern Munich

UEFA Champions League

Matchday 5

Celts top group but still need a point to progress

Match report from FC Bayern website

Saturday 22nd November 2003

Dundee United v Celtic

Hat-trick for Sutton as Celts hit yet another five

Hat-trick hero Chris Sutton and two-goal Henrik Larsson made it impossible for Martin O'Neill to split them up for the Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich after they reunited to awesome effect by gunning down Dundee United.

The explosive striking pair moved Celtic eight points clear of Rangers at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League.

But now all their attentions are switched to Tuesday night as they look to book their place in the knock-out stages of Europe's premier competition and drive a nail into the German side's coffin.

O'Neill is faced with a tough dilemma in attack but the form of Larsson and Sutton today must have helped him make up his mind.

Before kick-off he chose to pair the duo together and leave Larsson's normal partner John Hartson on the bench after his midweek disappointment with Wales.

But the big marksman was left to watch as Sutton showed that he had not lost his threat in attack after stints in midfield and defence.

Celtic, however, started shakily at the back and had Stanislav Varga booked in the fifth minute for a mistimed challenge on Barry Robson, who threatened to break through.

The home side had the ball in the net a minute later when former Rangers striker Billy Dodds prodded home from close range but referee Kenny Clark saw an infringement.

Celtic were struggling to get their fluent passing game flowing but they still looked like they could go up several gears at any time.

Didier Agathe got on the end of Alan Thompson's deep cross but was unable to put Paul Gallacher under any sort of pressure.

The visitors finally put a good passing move together which almost resulted in the opener in the 18th minute.

Larsson fed Stilian Petrov on the left flank and his cross arrived at Thompson but his volley bounced just past the post from nine yards.

Three minutes later Sutton fired over the crossbar from the edge of the box after being picked out by Varga's long ball.

Thompson somehow avoided a booking moments later for a poor tackle on Dodds under the referee's nose and in good view of both dug-outs.

But Celtic went even closer to breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute when Sutton fed Larsson inside the box but he drove his right-footed shot into the side-netting.

United's early threat had disappeared and even when the Celtic defence allowed Derek McInnes to run through the midfield his shot was too weak to test Magnus Hedman.

But in a half of so much mediocrity it was not a surprise that a mistake from Chris Innes gifted Celtic their opening goal in the 32nd minute.

He stumbled inside the box and the ball ran to Sutton who then steered the ball around Gallacher and inside his left post.

Varga was fortunate not to be shown a second yellow card when he blatantly body-checked Robson on the far touchline but he was substituted at the break.

Scotland duo Robert Douglas and Jackie McNamara came on for Hedman and Varga and Ian McCall also made a change with Collin Samuel replacing Robson.

But Celtic gave United enough warning that they were on the verge of going hgoal crazy.

Larsson sent Liam Miller away down the right and he pulled the ball back into the path of Sutton but as he postured to score, Innes made a vital tackle.

But Celtic did increase their lead in the 52nd minute when Petrov's corner found Larsson strangely unmarked in the box and he headed home from close range.

Larsson went down hurt after an off-the-ball incident involving Dodds and the United man was given a talking to after making a gesture to the fans and speaking out of turn.

Celtic should have gone even further ahead in the 55th minute when Petrov mis-kicked Sutton's pass in front of goal and then Miller blazed high and wide.

But the visitors rubbed Dodds' nose in it when they did increase their lead in the 56th minute when Gallacher made a mess of Larsson's lob and Sutton fired the rebound home.

United were in disarray and they conceded another goal just two minutes later.

Larsson picked up the ball just outside the box and he blasted a crisp right-footed shot into the top corner of the net.

O'Neill chose to rest Larsson in the 68th minute and bring the young legs of Maloney into the action.

But Celtic conceded a goal in the 76th minute when Jim McIntyre capitalised on a mistake by Agathe to fire past Douglas.

However Sutton won a spot-kick after a clumsy challenge from Alan Archibald and dusted himself down to complete his hat-trick.

WEBSITE MAN OF THE MATCH : CHRIS SUTTON

Teams

Dundee Utd Gallacher, Wilson, Archibald, Innes, McCracken, Robson (Samuel 45), Easton, McLaren, McInnes, Dodds, McIntyre.

Subs Not Used: Jarvie, Griffin, James Paterson, Kerr.

Booked: Innes.

Goals: McIntyre 76.

Celtic Hedman (Douglas 45), Balde, Varga (McNamara 45), Mjallby, Thompson, Lennon, Petrov, Miller, Agathe, Larsson (Maloney 68), Sutton.

Subs Not Used: Hartson, Wallace.

Booked: Varga, Sutton.

Goals: Sutton 34, Larsson 52, Sutton 56, Larsson 58, Sutton 82 pen.

Att: 10,802

Ref: K Clark (Scotland).

Saturday 08th November 2003

Celtic v Dunfermline

Celts hit five again

Celtic struck four times in a second-half blitz against Dunfermline to move eight points clear at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League table.

A John Hartson double and strikes from Ross Wallace, Stanislav Varga and Henrik Larsson were cruel on the Pars.

But Martin O'Neill's side had looked out-of-sorts for long periods after the excellent Champions League win over Anderlecht and struggled to find a spark without the injured livewire Liam Miller.

However, the late introduction of Ross Wallace inspired the Hoops in the closing stages.

There was little to suggest Celtic would struggle against the Fife club in the opening moments of the game.

Indeed, Rob Douglas was offered little to deal with throughout the 90 minutes in his preparation for the Euro 2004 play-off against Holland next week.

Larsson and Stilian Petrov combined in the ninth minute and the Bulgarian was inches away from getting on the end of his team-mate's ball across the face of goal.

Shaun Maloney was keen to make as big an impact as Miller had done in midweek and his quick feet were too much for Gary Mason as he chopped him down to earn the first booking of the game.

Chris Sutton then sent a left-foot effort over the bar after more good work by Hartson before the Pars gave them a warning when Lee Bullen headed Scott Thomson's free-kick wide.

Celtic squandered another chance in the 22nd minute when Maloney found Larsson but his cross was headed over by Sutton at full stretch from eight yards.

The home side's patience, however, paid off a minute later when they took the lead courtesy of a great strike from Hartson.

Larsson threaded the ball through to the overlapping Didier Agathe to clip the ball into the area where the big Welshman was waiting to crash a crisp right-foot shot past the despairing dive of Derek Stillie.

After the re-start, Sutton brought the game to life again with a right-foot shot which Stillie could not hold but Petrov was unable to steer home the rebound.

Pars boss Jimmy Calderwood made a change in the 61st minute by bringing on Gary Dempsey for Mason and, within a minute, they had gone close to going level.

Billy Mehmet was given far too much space to turn and crashed a right-foot shot against the underside of the crossbar which bounced down still in play.

Both managers made changes with Maloney coming off and Wallace entering the action while Craig Brewster replaced Andy McDermott.

Larsson headed Petrov's cross over in the 75th minute before Hartson eased Celtic's nerves with a cool toe poke past the on-rushing Stillie two minutes later.

But there was still time for Wallace to make a name for himself when he turned a defender inside out before drilling a right-foot shot past Stillie and into the bottom corner.

Varga also got in the act with seven minutes remaining as he stooped to head past the Pars' goalkeeper.

Johan Mjallby made his first-team return from the bench with Bobo Balde going off while Momo Sylla replaced Petrov.

With just three minutes left, Larsson also got his name on the scoresheet when he latched on to Sutton's pass and somehow squeezed the ball into the net from a tight of angle.

WEBSITE MAN OF THE MATCH : JOHN HARTSON

Teams

Celtic Douglas, Varga, Balde (Mjallby 84), McNamara, Agathe, Lennon, Sutton, Maloney (Wallace 72), Petrov (Sylla 84), Larsson, Hartson.

Subs Not Used: Hedman, Gray.

Goals: Hartson 23, 77, Wallace 81, Varga 83, Larsson 87.

Dunfermline Stillie, Bullen, Scott Wilson, Skerla, Scott Thomson, Mason (Dempsey 61), Darren Young, McDermott (Brewster 72), Labonte, Mehmet (McGarty 89), Crawford.

Subs Not Used: Ruitenbeek, Byrne.

Booked: Mason, Scott Thomson.

Att: 58,328

Ref: M McCurry (Scotland).

Wednesday 05th November 2003

Celtic v RSC Anderlecht

UEFA Champions League

Matchday 4

Simply Awesome

Celtic produced yet another stunning European performance in front of a packed audience of 60,000 at Celtic Park.

Celtic was really fired up for revenge and they swept the Belgians aside as they raced into a 3-0 lead inside the first 30 minutes.

John Hartson had a superb game and he had a hand in all three Celtic goals.

There was just 12 minutes on the clock when Hartson released Didier Agathe on the wing and when Didier swung over a perfect cross there was Henrik Larsson to glance the ball past the bemused Zitka the Anderlecht goalie.

It was lift off time as Celtic Park erupted into a frenzy, unknown to the fans in the stadium this was just the start of things to come.

Another five minutes passed and again John Hartson was in the thick of things, this time he laid off a perfect ball for man of the match Liam Miller to slam the ball home for Celtic’s second, by this time the Celtic fans were ecstatic and still we were not finished.

Just 12 minutes later and keeper Zitka turned over a fine Petrov header after some great work again by Liam Miller.

From Stan Petrov’s corner Celtic soared into a three goal lead. Stan’s corner kick was flicked on by Hartson and in came Chris Sutton, diving headlong to bullet the ball home.

It was celebration time again for the thousands of hoops fans.

Not even a dodgy second-half penalty consolation from Dindane Aruna could sour the evening for the Hoops.

This was yet another remarkable match for those fortunate enough to be in attendance on the evening.

Bring on the Germans.

Website man of the match: LIAM MILLER

Teams:

Celtic Hedman, Varga, Balde, McNamara, Agathe, Miller (Gray 75), Lennon, Sutton, Petrov, Hartson (Maloney 83), Larsson, Maloney (Sylla 90).

Subs Not Used: Douglas, Wallace, Mjallby, Kennedy.

Booked: Sutton, Hartson, Varga.

Goals: Larsson 12, Miller 17, Sutton 29.

Anderlecht Zitka, Zewlakow, Tihinen, Kompany, Deschacht, Wilhelmsson, Hendrikx (Kolar 62), Hasi, Baseggio, Dindane, Mornar.

Subs Not Used: Peersman, Ilic, Vanderhaeghe, Zetterberg, MacDonald, Ngalula Mbuyi.

Booked: Dindane, Zewlakow, Wilhelmsson.

Goals: Dindane 77.

Att: 59,057

Ref: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)

Saturday 01st November 2003

Kilmarnock v Celtic

Hatrick for Sutton as Killie are swept aside 

Decades from now the surviving members of the 12,460 gathered together at Rugby Park will be able to tell their children and their children's children a scarcely believable bedtime story of how they once watched Celtic win a match 5-0 without Henrik Larsson scoring once.

And if they know their history, these loveable moppets will no doubt dismiss these reminisces as the first signs of senility but, scarcely credible though it seems just two days later, it did happen.

Those whose knowledge of football does not extend beyond balance sheets and score sheets will
presumably note that the Swede was on the field for 90 minutes and put it down as a bad day at the office; they would be wrong.

If anything, this match illustrated the genius of Larsson - and simultaneously underlined his value to Martin O'Neill's side, even more than his hat trick against Aberdeen the previous weekend. The fact is that
Larsson was the most influential performer on view, playing a key role in each of Celtic's goals and generally emphasising the notion that he may be the most unselfish striker Scottish football has ever seen.
 

He may have been top scorer in each of his five full seasons at Parkhead - he was overtaken by Mark Viduka after breaking his leg against Lyon in 1999/2000 - and few people enjoy bulging nets more than Larsson does, but the root of his greatness lies in his understanding that football is
essentially a team game. Thus his prodigious work rate is repeated uncomplainingly, week after week, for the greater good.
 

Larsson is not in this for self-gratification. He shares his abundant gifts with what social workers may describe as differently talented team-mates: who can forget the poignant sight of him passing up certain goals for himself in order to lay them on a plate for the hapless Harald Brattbakk?
There was more of the same on Saturday, with Celtic's fourth goal encapsulating Larsson's socialist approach to the people's game.

With Celtic three up and only five minutes remaining, the result was already more of a
foregone conclusion than Liza Minelli's latest divorce. Yet Larsson refused to settle for that. Consequently, he set off on a lung-bursting run deep into his own half in order to win possession of a
loose pass from Peter Canero. Having shrugged off one challenge, he swiftly transferred the ball to substitute Ross Wallace and the youngster's cross picked out Shaun Maloney, who controlled it on his chest before firing home into the corner.
 

Even then he wasn't finished, coaxing the rash challenge from Freddie Dindeleux for the last-minute penalty which Chris Sutton converted for his hat trick. Oddly, no mention was made of Larsson's contribution in the post-match interviews, not by his team-mates or by either manager. Perhaps
we have become so inured to the consistency of his brilliance that it barely registers any more. That must be the only reason for him failing to win the SFWA Player of the Year award for 2002-03, a campaign which saw him claim 44 goals for the club and finish joint-top scorer in the UEFA Cup.
 

Having bagged a dozen already in what will be his final season in Scotland, his potency shows no sign of diminishing: just ask Kilmarnock. Home fans were understandably upset at the soft penalty awarded for Stilian Petrov's theatrical tumble which followed the merest hint of contact from Gary McDonald but it was Larsson's audacious back-heeled pass which wrong-footed the Killie defence in the first place and allowed Sutton to claim his first goal of the day.
 

Larsson then released Michael Gray on the left and his cross was flicked on for John Hartson to direct his header over Frédéric Dubourdeau. Sutton added the third, side footing home from Larsson's cutback.
Kilmarnock ought to have had a penalty of their own when Jackie McNamara tugged Colin Nish's shirt but though manager Jim Jefferies was entitled to feel aggrieved with referee Hugh Dallas ("Scotland's No.1? Not on that performance!"), he would only be masking the deficiencies of his own side if
he believed the official was to blame for his team's pounding.
 

Martin O'Neill claimed afterwards to have fielded a flat back four but on-loan left-back Michael Gray's attacking instincts meant that, for the most part, Celtic's traditional 3-5-2 formation was effectively maintained.
 

It was the fourth consecutive Premier League clean sheet for Magnus Hedman, who, at 1-0, produced a fine save to turn McDonald's drive behind. It was the only time the goalkeeper was called into action but that meant he was still busier than he had been in the previous fixtures against Aberdeen,
Hearts and Rangers. Celtic, of course, stuck five past Hearts three days before capitulating to
Anderlecht in Brussels last month.

With the Belgians on Champions League duty at Parkhead on Wednesday, O'Neill will be hoping history does not repeat itself. That was a rare off-night for Larsson, who will be keener than most to prove to these opponents that his display of profligacy at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium was hardly representative.

Website man of the match : Chris Sutton

Kilmarnock Dubourdeau, Shields, Greer, Hessey, Dindeleux, McLaughlin, Fowler (Canero 45), Fulton, McDonald, Di Giacomo (McSwegan 72), Invincibile (Nish 63).

Subs Not Used: Meldrum, Hardie.

Booked: Greer, Fulton, McSwegan.

Celtic Hedman, Varga, Balde, McNamara, Miller, Lennon (Wallace 81), Petrov, Gray (Sylla 81), Larsson, Sutton, Hartson (Maloney 81).

Subs Not Used: Douglas, Valgaeren.

Booked: Miller.

Goals: Sutton 21 pen, Hartson 70, Sutton 76, Maloney 84, Sutton 90 pen.

Att: 12,460

Ref: H Dallas (Scotland).

Saturday 25th October 2003 Celtic 4 Aberdeen 0 Celts coast to easy victory A Henrik Larsson hat-trick against Aberdeen cured Celtic's European hangover by sending them five points clear at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League. The former Swedish international opened the scoring in the fourth minute against the Dons before adding a second 22 minutes later as the Hoops recovered from their Champions League defeat at Anderlecht in style. Chris Sutton struck from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time after John Hartson had been felled by Russell Anderson. Larsson then hit his third of the game 10 minutes after the break to take full advantage of Rangers' goalless draw at Livingston earlier in the day. Aberdeen manager Steve Paterson knew an early Celtic opener would spell trouble and the writing was on the wall when they went behind to a fourth-minute strike. England hopeful Alan Thompson swung an inviting cross into the box and Larsson got ahead of Phil McGuire to flick the ball past David Preece. Aberdeen came battling back and Joos Valgaeren sliced Darren Mackie's dangerous cross just over his own crossbar. Despite Martin O'Neill's reluctance to heap too much pressure on Liam Miller, the youngster caught the eye again in the ninth minute with a piece of skill which deserved a goal. The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international skipped away from several challenges and pulled the back to Larsson, but the Swede pulled his right-foot shot just past the upright. But Celtic still looked vulnerable at the back and were given a few a few scares before the goals followed. Paul Sheerin sent Mackie clean through, but his finishing let him down and he could only clip the ball across goal with Magnus Hedman beaten. The home side were again let off the hook in the 20th minute after more slack play from Hedman and his defence. Scott Muirhead whipped in a good cross to the back post for Steve Tosh to play the ball back into the danger area but, with the goal gaping, Sheerin dragged his shot wide. However, Aberdeen paid the price for those missed chances in the 26th minute after Anderson had given away a free-kick on the edge of his box for a foul on Hartson. The visitors lined the wall up, but Thompson allowed Larsson to step up and curl a right-foot shot around the wall and into the bottom corner of the net. Then, the striker turned provider in the 42nd minute by picking out Hartson, who knocked the ball back to Sutton, but the former Blackburn man snatched at the chance and blazed over. The Englishman did, however, get in on the act a minute before the break when Anderson fouled Hartson in the box and he blasted the penalty into the centre of the net. But Larsson completed his second hat-trick of the season and notched his 12th goal of the season just 10 minutes into the second half. Sutton found Miller unmarked down the right flank and the youngster crossed into his path for the prolific hitman to side-foot the ball past Preece from five yards. That prompted O'Neill to bring on Michael Gray, Shaun Maloney and Momo Sylla for Neil Lennon, Thompson and Didier Agathe. Maloney and Hartson both had chances to compound Aberdeen's misery late on, but the recovery from their midweek defeat was complete. Website man of the match : Who else but "THE KING of KINGS" Teams: Celtic Hedman, Varga, Balde, Valgaeren, Agathe (Sylla 68), Lennon (Gray 60), Miller, Sutton, Thompson (Maloney 60), Larsson, Hartson. Subs Not Used: Douglas, Kennedy. Goals: Larsson 4, 28, Sutton 45 pen, Larsson 55. Aberdeen Preece, Deloumeaux, Anderson, McGuire, Tosh, Heikkinen, Sheerin, Clark, Muirhead, Booth (Foster 82), Mackie (Hinds 70). Subs Not Used: Hutton, Rutkiewicz, Tiernan. Booked: Tosh. Att: 59,598 Ref: C Richmond (Scotland). Tuesday 21st October 2003 Anderlecht v Celtic Champions League matchday 3 Misery in Anderlecht By Alison McConnell (Celtic View)

An evening that promised to yield so much ended joylessly as Celtic suffered a 1-0 defeat in Brussels against ten man Anderlecht. It was a disappointing blow to Celtc's Champions League aspirations, however although the performance didn't match recent displays against the likes of Lyon and Rangers, Martin O'Neill's side will feel that they deserved to take a point from the meeting. In truth, Celtic failed to create the usual glut of chances that their trio of forwards frequently have to feast on and after playing for more than an hour with an extra man that will be a source of some frustration for O'Neill. The result enables Anderlecht to leapfrog Celtic in Group A, and the next game at Celtic Park is bound to be an interesting affair. Chris Sutton and Alan Thompson, the two biggest concerns for Martin O’Neill before the game kicked off, recovered from hamstring injuries to claim their place with the result being that Liam Miller had to make way for Sutton. The Englishman took up a familiar position just behind the front pairing of Henrik Larsson and John Hartson and as usual produced a bustling and energetic performance. Although the game was conducted at a furious pace in the frantic early minutes there were few genuine chances carved out by either side. After nine minutes Anderlecht created the first when Olivier Deschacht beat Magnus Hedman only to be denied by the crossbar. Celtic had lost possession when Stilian Petrov was penalised for what looked like a reasonable challenge in the middle of the park and from which he won the ball, but from the resultant move Anderlecht hit the woodwork. Dindane Aruna – a persistent menace throughout - wheedled his way down the flank and although he was well policed by Bobo Balde the striker nevertheless succeeded in cutting the ball back to Deschacht just inside the box. His attempt curved wildly over everyone before dipping and bouncing off the crossbar. Celtic retaliated by heading up the park where Thompson’s long ball was headed on by Hartson. It was latched on to by Larsson who twisted and turned on the edge of the box to hang on to possession before sliding the ball into Sutton’s path. The striker swung his boot while still leaning too far back and his attempt blazed wildly over the bar. Anderlecht captain Glen de Boeck was the first booking of the evening when he was penalised for a cynical tackle on Larsson on the half-way line after just 15 minutes, and ten minutes later his offence was compounded when he was dismissed for a second foul.   Stanislav Varga sent a low ball through to Hartson on the edge of the box and the Welshman was tugged back by a pull of the jersey. Austrian referee Fritz Stuchlik immediately flourished a quick yellow followed by a red and Celtic were up against ten men.   Anderlecht adopted to three at the back with 17-year-old Vincent Kompany at the heart of defence and the young Belgian internationalist impressive against Celtic’s trio of attackers.   The visitors failed to exact a more telling punishment from the consequential free-kick that deflected off the wall before bouncing out of play for a corner that subsequently proved fruitless.   The atmosphere became somewhat more acrimonious after the sending off and Varga found himself at the centre of an Anderlecht penalty claim minutes later when he tangled with Dindane Mornar.   However, the most blatant call for a spot kick belonged to Celtic after Larsson had the legs swiped away from him by Deschacht, but the whistler – who won’t have won friends in either camp with his disjointed performance – dismissed the claims.  In between times Hartson had the ball in the net only for his celebrations to be snipped short by the linesman’s flag.   Joos Valgaeren replaced Jackie McNamara at the break, after the latter appeared to pick up a calf injury in the final minutes of the opening half. It was the Belgian’s first appearance since the 2-1 win over Partick Thistle back in August.  Varga had a glorious opportunity five minutes into the second period to claim the opener, albeit that the move came from a corner that never really was. Thompson collected on the left flank and delivered into the box where Larsson’s flick ended at the feet of Varga inside the 6-yard box. As the defender grappled to compose himself, he managed to get a touch on the but sent it wide of the target.  As Celtic pushed to break their way through Anderlecht, the Belgians took the lead. A Balde header was cleared only so far as Christian Wilhelmsson who tore his way towards goal where he outpaced Valgaeren and sent the ball towards the far post. Aruna collected and converted with a low drive into the bottom corner.  O’Neill replaced Lennon with Liam Miller with 12 minutes remaining, perhaps hoping that the youngster could replicate the display he conjured up against Lyon. It didn't happen and Celtic now have it all to do when the teams meet again at Celtic Park.   WEBSITE MAN OF THE MATCH : Chris Sutton CELTIC (3-5-2): Hedman; McNamara (Valgaeren. 46), Balde, Varga; Thompson, Lennon (Miller 78), Sutton, Petrov, Agathe; Hartson, Larsson. Subs: Douglas, Gray, Sylla, Maloney, Kennedy. ANDERLECHT (4-4-2): Zitka; Zewlakow, De Boeck, Kompany, Deschacht; Wilhelmsson (Hendrikx 86), Hasi, Baseggio, Kolar (Tihinen 90); Aruna, Mornar. Subs: Perrsman, Vanderhaeghe, Zetterberg, MacDonald. REFEREE: Fritz Stuchlik. Saturday 18th October 2003 Celtic v Hearts Five star bhoys Martin O'Neill had claimed Scotland's "third-force" had bridged the gap to Glasgow's big two - but after dishing out Hearts' second Old Firm massacre of the season it was clear to see that the ocean-size divide was still as depressingly wide as ever. He insisted that Rangers' 4-0 win over Craig Levein's men was a freak result and having clinched a place in the second round of the UEFA Cup, Celtic expected a tough test. But even though Celtic were set to face Anderlecht in their latest Champions League Group A game in Brussels on Tuesday and without the likes of Chris Sutton, Paul Lambert, Joos Valgaeren and Johan Mjallby, Hearts were clearly out of their depth at Parkhead. Liam Miller enhanced his growing reputation with a double while Stanislav Varga, Henrik Larsson and even Hearts' very own Phil Stamp found the net for Celtic. The confident Hoops moved four points clear of Rangers in the Bank of Scotland Premier League, but they needed no help after their comfortable win at Ibrox a fortnight ago. The writing was on the wall from as early as the second minute when Larsson burst past two men and clipped an audacious effort against the upright from a tight angle. Ibrox goal hero John Hartson was also in the mood despite Wales' defeat last weekend, but he was stretching as he headed Alan Thompson's cross over the top from six yards. But the Edinburgh side could only hold out for 10 minutes as Celtic's pressure paid off with the opener from highly-rated youngster Miller. Tepi Moilanen could only parry Hartson's shot after a great flowing move involving Thompson and Petrov and the ball broke to the midfielder to fire into the roof of the net. Hearts were in shock and they fell further behind just two minutes later in bizarre circumstances. Hartson flicked on Varga's throw-in and Stamp headed brilliantly past his own goalkeeper and into the corner of the net from 12 yards. After the uncertainty of Hartson's Ibrox goal this was as clear-cut as they come - much to the embarrassment of the Englishman. The attacking was relentless and it would have been worse for Hearts had Moilanen not superbly tipped over Miller's drive and Bobo Balde not headed Thompson's corner wide. The home side were threatening to kill the game off as Levein gestured angrily for his players to move up the pitch and not sit so deep. But there was little they could do as Hartson headed Thompson's chip back into the path of Stilian Petrov and he blazed just past the post from the edge of the box. Hearts already looked desperate for the match to end, but Mark de Vries could have given the visitors a much-needed lift after their first purposeful attack. The Dutchman wriggled free from the attentions of the Celtic defence, but with Magnus Hedman to beat he screwed his right-foot shot past the post from 13 yards. Hearts' desperation and frustration showed in the 29th minute when Andy Webster's only option was to pull down Larsson which earned him the first yellow card of the game. The onslaught continued as Larsson again clipped the crossbar with a speculative effort from a tight angle. Didier Agathe also went close in the 35th minute with a shot into the side-netting under the challenge of Patrick Kisnorbo before Larsson killed the game off just a minute later when he beat the offside trap to prod the ball past the on-rushing Moilanen. The Swede would have made it four just two minutes later when Thompson sent him through, but the Finnish goalkeeper rushed off his line to block his effort. Moilanen, however, could do nothing to prevent Varga from getting in the act four minutes before the break as his defence let him head Thompson's corner home from close range. O'Neill, as expected, started to rest his players ahead of the trip to Belgium and he brought on Shaun Maloney for Petrov at half-time. The youngster was immediately involved in the build-up to Celtic's fifth of the afternoon. Maloney clipped the ball back to Hartson from the byline and he directed the ball into the danger area where Miller arrived to prod the ball home from close range. The Scotland Under-21 star should have won a penalty in the 53rd minute when Paul Hartley - on for Stamp - fouled him in the box, but Clark stunned the crowd by waving play on. Hartson was just inches from adding his own name to the scoresheet a minute later when he was picked out by Thompson, but watched as his header flew just wide. O'Neill brought off Thompson, who had recovered from a hamstring injury, for Michael Gray on the hour before Scott Severin was booked for kicking the ball into the crowd. Larsson could have increased Celtic's lead three minutes later, but Moilanen showed he was still fighting a solo effort by directing his effort wide. Celtic continued to bombard the Hearts defence with Larsson again going close, but Levein's drowning side were eventually put out of their misery by Clark's final whistle. WEBSITE MAN OF THE MATCH : Liam Miller Teams: Celtic Hedman, McNamara, Balde, Varga (Kennedy 68), Agathe, Lennon, Miller, Petrov (Maloney 45), Thompson (Gray 60), Larsson, Hartson. Subs Not Used: Douglas, Sylla. Goals: Miller 9, Stamp 12 og, Larsson 36, Varga 42, Miller 50. Hearts Moilanen, Maybury, Pressley, Webster (McKenna 45), Kisnorbo, MacFarlane, Stamp (Hartley 45), Severin, Valois, de Vries (Simmons 66), Weir. Subs Not Used: Gordon, Wyness. Booked: Webster, Maybury, Severin. Att: 59,560 Ref: K Clark (Scotland). Saturday 04th October 2003 Rangers v Celtic Fantastic end to a perfect week What a week to be a hoops fan, we kicked off with a hard fought win over Hibs at Easter Road despite being down to ten men with Bobo Balde seeing red in this one. We still managed to come out on top however with whom else but King Henrik netting the winner in our 2-1 win. Next up was our first home Champions League fixture with two in a row French title winners Lyon providing the opposition. This turned out to be one of Celtic’s most assured European performances in many a year with the fans almost raising the roof in recognition of the efforts put in by Martin O’Neill’s men in a pulsating second half. An inspired substitution by Martin O’Neill saw young Liam Miller replace John Hartson and within a few minutes the young Irishman had put Celtic one up after a fantastic build up by the home side. Chris Sutton secured all three points with a second and Celtic Park was in raptures. Our final game of the week was the small matter of a visit across the city to play arch rivals Rangers at Ibrox, much of the media headlines in the lead up to this game surrounded who would Celtic play at the back as we had numerous injuries and also Bobo suspended after his sending off at Easter Road the previous week. Celtic boss Martin O’Neill however had things all worked out and he resorted to pulling midweek hero Chris Sutton back into a defensive role and he teamed up perfectly with Stan Varga to make sure there was no way through for Alex McLeish’s men. The game kicked off in typical fashion with Rangers carrying the game to the hoops, and although the Ibrox men had plenty of the play they couldn’t find a way past the Celtic rearguard. Young Liam Miller carried on his form from Tuesday night and on this showing he will take some shifting from the team. Celtic created a few good chances in the first half with Klos in the Rangers goal saving from Thompson and Hartson and for a while it looked as though he was going to keep the hoops at bay. Celtic looked to have suffered a serious blow when on form Alan Thompson limped off with a hamstring strain after 25 minutes, his replacement debutant Michael Gray proved to be a very capable deputy and put in a fine performance. The half drew to a close with both teams even but Celtic having the better scoring chances. Magnus Hedman in the Celtic goal did not have one save of note to make in the first 45 minutes. The second half started with Celtic kicking off and 18 seconds later we were one up through John Hartson The big Welshman had been involved in the build-up but when he received the ball from Larsson on the right hand side of the box few were expecting the resulting shot that beat Klos and went in off the crossbar despite the angle. A deflection off Khizanishvili had seemingly helped deceive the goalkeeper. A great end then to a fantastic week with three wins in seven days. Saturday’s result also saw us return to the top of the SPL. Martin O’Neill can feel rightly proud of his men after the last seven days and the team can be rest assured that the fans are right behind them as we set off on another rollercoaster ride. It was Celtic's third successive Old Firm win and the second on the trot at Ibrox. It is also four seasons since Rangers have won the opening Old Firm derby and though the journey back from Greece is a valid explanation for their tepid performance it is not an excuse as, as every Celtic fan would be quick to point out, Celtic had won in April after making a similar return from Portugal. WEBSITE MAN OF THE MATCH : LIAM MILLER Teams Rangers Klos, Khizanishvili, Berg, Moore (Ross 45), Ball, Capucho (Ostenstad 51), Emerson, Arteta, Lovenkrands, Mols, Arveladze. Subs Not Used: McGregor, Nerlinger, Hughes. Booked: Khizanishvili. Celtic Hedman, Varga, Sutton, McNamara, Agathe, Miller, Lennon, Petrov, Thompson (Gray 24), Hartson, Larsson. Subs Not Used: Douglas, Sylla, Maloney, Kennedy. Goals: Hartson 46 Att: 49,825 Ref: M McCurry (Scotland). Tuesday 30th September 2003 Celtic v Lyon Champions League Matchday 2 Henrik's Masterclass Report from official site by Stephen Sullivan Another unforgettable European night at Celtic Park ended with Celtic claiming a magnificent 2-0 victory over Lyon courtesy of second half goals by Liam Miller and Chris Sutton. The return of Champions League football to Paradise, eagerly anticipated ever since a 4-3 defeat of Juventus saw the club’s inaugural campaign end in glorious, was every bit as memorable as we all hoped it would be, with the Celtic fans roaring their side through every momentous minute. The din which greeted the teams arrival on the field and the Hoops’ subsequent huddle was positively spin-tingling, and it appeared to inspire Celtic to launch an early onslaught on their visitors’ goal. They might even have had a penalty as early as the seventh minute when Hartson took a tumble inside the box under the challenge of Edmilson, but referee Eduardo Gonazalez’s judgement in ignoring the Welshman’s claims appeared sound. In fact, the Spaniard went on to enjoy a fine game, officiating with authority while allowing the play to run where possible. This appeared to suit Celtic in the early stages, and on 10 minutes Alan Thompson served notice of their intentions when, emerging with the ball from a 50-50 challenge, he rifled in a stinging left-foot drive which appeared sure to test Coupet before it was deflected over the crossbar by the legs of a blocking Lyon defender. Two minutes later, Celtic were on the attack again, when a flowing move involving Hartson, Thompson and Larsson ended with Didier Agathe measuring a low cross for Chris Sutton, standing unmarked 16 yards from goal. It was a decent opportunity, but the big Englishman made the mistake of leaning back, resulting in his right-foot volley sailing a couple of yards over Coupet’s crossbar. It had been a terrific start by Celtic, but what followed was an uneasy period in which Lyon, having weathered this early storm, began stroking the ball around with purpose – and creating opportunities of their own. Indeed, on 20 minutes, the erstwhile ineffective Giovane Elber, his back to goal, directed with a flick of his neck a header which appeared destined to sneak inside the far post before Hedman scrambled across to tip it round for a corner. It failed to knock Celtic’s self-belief, however, and six minutes before half-time they were presented with a gilt-edged opportunity to take the lead when Gonzalez adjudged that Anthony Reveillere had been guilty of a trip on Larsson inside the area. Celtic’s recent record in such situations is decidedly mixed, unfortunately, and when Coupet guessed correctly the direction in which Thompson was intending to place his penalty, the Geordie’s well-struck kick was straight enough for him to parry the ball to safety. Poor strike though it was, Coupet deserved credit for what was a fine save, and one he somehow managed to better nine minutes into the second half. On that occasion, Hartson was the man denied, the big Welshman accepting a pass from McNamara and nutmegging his marker before forcing the Lyon keeper into a quite magnificent save with a vicious right-foot drive. Celtic refused to allow Coupet to be the hero, however, and, inspired by the most awe-inspiring atmosphere, they set about claiming their first Champions League points on season 2003/04.