From The Official Site (or somewhere)

Clinical Celtic in total control

CHRIS ROBERTS AT THE ST DARIAUS AND ST GIRENO STADIUM


FBK Kaunas 0
Celtic4

THE remarkably prolific Celtic career of Henrik Larsson reached a new
milestone in Lithuania last night as he joined legendary forwards Ian Rush
and Peter Lorimer as the joint top goalscorer in European competition for a
single British club. However, any joy to be taken from this achievement was
clouded when the striker limped off in the second-half clutching his leg
with what appeared to be a hamstring problem.

It was the one black spot in what was a professional display by the UEFA Cup
finalists as a comfortable 4-0 away victory put this Champions League second
qualifying round tie beyond Lithuanian minnows and all but ensured a third
qualifying round clash with HJK Helsinki or MTK Hungaria.

The incomparable Swede scored his 30th European goal to get the ball rolling
after only 12 minutes in the St Dariaus and St Gireno Stadium, as Celtic
wasted no time in exerting their superiority over the opposition.

Embarking on what will be his final season for the Parkhead club, the
Swedish striker, who was bought for a bargain £650,000 from Feyenoord six
years ago, proved once again what an invaluable addition he has been. He has
scored 202 goals for the club, won the European golden shoe and become
Celtic's top scorer in European competition during his time at Parkhead. Now
he joins Liverpool legend Rush and former Leeds and Scotland player Lorimer
on the 30-goal mark.

However, the injury which saw him trudge off the pitch midway through the
second half will be at the forefront of his manager Martin O'Neill's mind
today.

With Chris Sutton - who scored the second goal last night - suspended for
the first five matches of the Premierleague season, and Welsh striker John
Hartson still injured, Larsson's absence is one that Celtic can ill afford
as they set out to ensure the league title returns to Parkhead after being
pipped by treble-winning Rangers last season.

On the bright side, Scotland Under-21 striker Shaun Maloney made his
comeback and got himself on the scoresheet with Celtic's third early in the
second half. Young Lee Millar completed the rout with the fourth in the 86th
minute as the Scottish side effectively rendered next Wednesday's return leg
a formality.

Robert Douglas started the new season as Celtic's No1 as O'Neill went with
almost the same team that started the UEFA Cup final in Seville just over
two months ago.

The selection of the Scotland goalkeeper came as something as a surprise as
Sweden international Magnus Hedman had looked to have emerged from a
miserable injury-hit first season to take pole position, but he had to make
do with a place on the bench.

The only change from the side which lost 3-2 to FC Porto was Slovakian
Stanislav Varga coming in for the injured Bobo Balde, with regular central
defenders Joos Valgaeren and Johan Mjallby both recovering from knocks.

O'Neill was concerned about coming to Lithuania so early, especially with
their unknown opponents vowing to pull off a shock victory for former
striker Audrius Slekys, who was killed in a car accident on Sunday night.

After a silent tribute, the visitors, in their new black away shirts, almost
got off to a dream start after just four minutes.

Didier Agathe clipped the ball through to Neil Lennon and hit a shot past
goalkeeper Gytis Padimanskas which looked destined for the back of the net,
but Irmantas Zelmikas was quick to spot the danger and got back to put the
ball behind for a corner.

The Kaunas goalkeeper did much better five minutes later to deny Celtic a
deserved lead.

Strikers Sutton and Larsson combined on the edge of the box, after Alan
Thompson's long ball, but Padimanskas threw himself to his left to parry the
Englishman's volley.

But it did not take long for the former Swedish striker to equal that
British club record.

After a mix up from the home defenders after Thompson's corner, Larsson
showed he was as razor sharp as ever as he swept the loose ball home.

Sutton fired into the side- netting before Kaunas warned Celtic when Andrius
Gedgaudas found Ricardas Beniusis before Varga got back to block his effort.
But Sutton then doubled the Scottish side's lead in the 29th minute after he
capitalised on another terrible blunder by Padimanskas to stroke the ball
home from close range.

If the Lithuanians held any hopes of an unlikely fightback, these were soon
killed off as Maloney - who had replaced Lennon at the break - made it 3-0.
A fluent passing move which was started by Thompson's ball out wide to
Larsson.

The Swede in turn steered the ball inside to Maloney, but despite having a
lot to do the youngster comfortably raced beyond the Kaunas defence before
casually guiding the ball past the hand of Padimanskas and into the bottom
corner from six yards.

Larsson was within inches of beating the record with a right-foot shot which
whistled past the upright from the edge of the box in the 70th minute. O'
Neill clearly felt the tie was in the bag as he sent on Miller and Jamie
Smith on for Sutton and Thompson. Then came the moment that had Celtic
followers' hearts in their mouths as Larsson limped off clutching his leg. O
'Neill had already made all his substitutes and Celtic were force to finish
the match with ten men.

Sensing their chance to grab a consolation goal, Kaunas stepped up a gear
and Giedrius Barevicius fired in a rare shot on goal in the 75th minute, but
Douglas was alert to the danger and made a comfortable save.

But Celtic soon reasserted their authority in what was virtually a training
session and Miller was able to score his first competitive goal for Celtic
after converting Maloney's cross from close range with four minutes of
normal time remaining.

Youth played it's part in the latter stages and, with the tie now in the
bag, O'Neill will no doubt give them, and some other fringe players, the
responsibility of seeing the matter out next Wednesday.

FBK Kaunas: Padimanskas, Gvildys, Kancelskis, Petrenka, Regelskis, Papeckys,
Gedgaudas, Sirmelis, Zelmikas, Beniusis, Barevicius. Subs: Stonys,
Sanajevas, Pastva, Opic, Puotkalis, Kunevicius, Karalius.

Celtic: Douglas, Agathe, Valgaeren, Mjallby, Varga, Petrov, Lennon, Lambert,
Thompson, Larsson, Sutton. Subs: Hedman, Sylla, McNamara, Maloney, Smith,
Crainey, Miller.

Celtic suffer as UEFA dream ends

GLENN GIBBONS AT ESTADIO OLIMPICO, SEVILLE


Celtic 2 Larsson (47, 57)
FC Porto 3 Derlei (45, 115) Alenichev (54)
after extra time

IF THERE is such a thing as glorious failure, it was defined by Celtic
in the sweltering, draining heat of the Estadio Olimpico in Seville last
night, the Scottish champions losing the UEFA Cup final in the second
half of extra time after being reduced to ten men with the 102nd-minute
ordering-off of Bobo Balde for a second caution.

Derlei, the Porto’s deadly Brazilian striker, matched the double
completed earlier by the extraordinary Henrik Larsson - the Swede having
brought Celtic level twice after trailing to Derlei’s first and another
from Dmitri Alenichev - with a low shot which the substitute, Ulrik
Laursen, could not prevent from crossing the line.

It was an exasperating end to a final which had begun quietly and turned
into one of unremitting commitment from both sides.

Until Derlei delivered that numbing goal so close to the interval, there
had been reason for both encouragement and apprehension among the huge
Celtic following, the protagonists taking it in turn to declare their
ambition in the vicinity of the respective goal areas.

If Jose Mourinho’s side looked, by and large, the slicker and quicker in
those moments when they opened up, there was also a liveliness about
Larsson and Chris Sutton - assisted by the ever-mobile Didier Agathe and
the prompting of Alan Thompson - which hinted at possible trouble for
the Portuguese defence.

But any player who felt nervous about an occasion that would certainly
be among the loudest ever staged would have drawn some comfort from the
realisation that he was not alone.

Until well into the match, when some semblance of settlement had taken
place, tentativeness and anxiety seemed to course through both teams.

In such circumstances, the truly gifted tend to overcome the
apprehension the quicker, their natural talent invariably giving birth
to a self-assurance the others have to develop gradually, through
diligence, concentration and the avoidance of morale-crushing damage.

In this regard, there was a predictability about the game, especially in
a first half in which Porto’s technically superior group - Deco, Derlei,
Maniche and Capucho could not be denied that assessment - seemed capable
of causing a few scares among the seemingly interminable rows of Celtic
supporters occupying two-thirds of the great stadium.

But, having been frustrated by the attentive work of Balde, Johan
Mjallby and Joos Valgaeren - the big Belgian booked early for a foul on
Deco - and some admirable defensive midfield play from Neil Lennon and
Paul Lambert, the Portuguese themselves were turned from hunter to prey
as Celtic began to push forward with more conviction, and no little
threat.

There was no procession of surging thrusts towards Vitor Baia and no
relentless aggressiveness - nor would those have been expected against
opponents of genuine quality - but there were enough half-chances
created to cause the Porto defenders to have small doubts, especially
when their goalkeeper on occasion flapped at crosses he should either
have gathered or left alone, needlessly conceding corner kicks and
throw-ins.

It was Celtic’s slight misfortune that, during those periods of swarming
around Baia’s area, they did not seriously test the goalkeeper. They
were occasionally denied the opportunity by unkind bounces of the ball.
Larsson did force one save from Baia with a well-struck, low free kick
from outside the box on the left, but the goalkeeper flopped to his left
and held the ball.

It was a wonderful piece of skill that allowed Larsson to take the ball
out of the air and cause it to stick to his toe before feeding Agathe on
the right.

The wing-back’s centre missed Sutton’s head by inches in a moment that
offered the promise of good things from the Scottish champions.

Instead, it was Porto who took the lead, at a stroke dispelling whatever
uncertainty Celtic may have induced.

As Mjallby and Balde converged on the ball in the middle of their own
penalty area, Dmitri Alenichev was left isolated and, when Deco took
possession and chipped towards the Russian, he was looking straight at
Douglas.

The left-footed shot was low and true, but Douglas dived left to push
the ball wide of the goal. Derlei, as deadly in this tournament as
Larsson himself, met it with his right foot and, from an acute angle,
drove it over the line.

That Celtic should equalise so early in the second half, lose the lead
again soon after and restore parity as the Portuguese fans were still
celebrating was typical of the resilience they have shown throughout the
tournament.

The first of the great Swede’s goals was extraordinary by any standards,
including his own. Lennon rolled the ball to Agathe on the right and the
winger sent the cross high to the far side. When Larsson outjumped the
substitute, Ricardo Costa - he had replaced the injured Costinha after
only nine minutes - he appeared to have only one option, to head the
ball across to the waiting Sutton.

Instead, he confounded everyone in the stadium by directing the header,
from an impossible angle, against the far post and over the line for his
200th goal for Celtic.

It was Balde’s slack defensive work that led to Porto’s second, the weak
clearance leaving Deco in possession. The Brazilian-born midfielder
played Alenichev in with a perfect pass, allowing the latter to beat
Douglas in the chase and drive the ball low past the goalkeeper.

Larsson completed his double with the most orthodox of goals, meeting a
corner kick from Thompson on the right and, unchallenged, forcing the
header from eight yards past the right side of the vainly clawing Baia.

That pulsating burst of concentrated fire turned the match from shadow
boxing into the real thing.

Having spent most of the first 45 minutes indulging in what may be
termed a "searching" exercise, both sides suddenly appeared to have a
clear sight of the target and a ferocious urge to pepper it. That
ferocity spilled over as Valente was sent off for his second bookable
offence after a late tackle on Thompson.

The applause and the roars of acclaim which must have blistered the
hands and chafed the throats of the capacity crowd were testimony to the
efforts of two teams who made the UEFA Cup final an exhilarating
experience.

Celtic: Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren; Agathe, Petrov, Lambert,
Lennon, Thompson; Larsson, Sutton. Subs: Hedman, Sylla, McNamara,
Fernandez, Laursen, Maloney, Smith.

FC Porto: Baia; Ricardo Carvalho, Jorge Costa, Paulo Ferreira, Nuno
Valente; Maniche, Deco, Costinha; Alenichev; Capucho, Derlei. Subs:
Nuno, Pedro Emanuel, Ricardo Costa, Peixoto, Clayton, Tiago, Marco
Ferreira.

Referee: L Michel (Slvk). Attendance: 52,972

Celtic tested to limit

Glenn Gibbons at Parkhead
Sunday May 11, 2003
The Observer

Expectations of a classy, convincing victory turned to gratitude for success by a short head among Celtic fans desperate to close out a third successive championship. But for Alan Thompson's first-half penalty-kick conversion and some sweaty defending in stoppage time, Martin O'Neill's side might have sustained potentially irreparable damage, as opposed to taking a lead of three points and two goals over Rangers, who face Kilmarnock today.
Given Hearts' urgent need to finish third from top, thereby securing the last place in next season's Uefa Cup, Celtic were never likely to enjoy a trouble-free 90 minutes, far less the walk-over predicted in some quarters.

Indeed, the Tynecastle side would have been encouraged by the memory of their victory over the champions in Edinburgh three weeks ago, a match in which the result was the more meritorious for their having to come from behind to win. If nothing else, it will have cleansed their minds of the damaging preconception, common to those who challenge the Old Firm, that the Glasgow giants are invincible.

Craig Levein, their manager, brings a studied resolve to his work and his team reflect his own steely character, not easily intimidated or shrugged off. Even before Celtic took the lead, the visitors had made it clear that any rewards from this match would be thoroughly earned.

Javier Sanchez Broto in the home goal, in fact, had to make an important save to prevent Hearts from poaching an advantage before the champions began to exert and sustain pressure in the vicinity of Tepi Moilanen.

It was from a cross on the right that Kevin McKenna, the defender-cum-striker, played the ball from his right foot to his left, while turning to allow himself a look at goal. His quickly hit low drive would have counted but for Broto's intervention.

Celtic's unusually slow start would have caused at least mild anxiety among a home support who have seen them, in recent weeks, recover much of the verve that has taken them to the Uefa Cup final and back to the head of the Premier League.

Stilian Petrov's powerful 35-yard drive, whistling just wide, and Henrik Larsson's weakly hit drive from close range - Moilanen dived left to touch the ball wide - re-awakened their hopes and beliefs. But it was not until the period of ascendancy five minutes before Thompson's goal that they would have begun to feel a surge of confidence.

Even so, the Parkhead side encountered severe difficulties in creating openings and genuine scoring opportunities before the moment of indecision that brought them the penalty. After Thompson's free-kick from the left had been blocked back out to him by the defensive wall, the wing-back delivered again, this time straight to Chris Sutton.

As the big striker took the ball on his chest, Steven Pressley barged him from behind. The central defender made no protest as referee Mike McCurry pointed to the spot, and Thompson converted by clipping the ball left-footed high to the right of Moilanen.

That was a much-needed break, as Hearts, with Pressley, Alan Maybury, Robbie Neilson and, unusually, Scott Severin - converted from midfield - stood fast in defence, consistently foiling whatever plans Larsson, Sutton and Petrov tried to execute in pursuit of more goals.

Nor were the visitors unwilling to venture forward when the opportunity arose, although that did not happen with enough frequency to offer Bobo Balde, Johan Mjallby and Joos Valgaeren the kind of test that could have forced errors.

As a result, there was a pallor about much of the play, as if suffering from vitamin deficiency. Didier Agathe almost provided the most efficacious tonic of all when he came in from the right to collect Larsson's pass after the Swede had been supplied by Sutton. The French winger's drive was ferocious and rising, just enough to hit the underside of the bar and, somehow, stay out.

As for a home crowd who came to realise victory itself was the priority, as opposed to the margin, the colour would not return to their cheeks until the final whistle signalled the acquisition of another three precious points.

Bhoys back

 on top
Stephen Sullivan

Scottish Premierleague,Wednesday May 7, 2003, Fir Park, Motherwell MOTHERWELL… 0    CELTIC… 4

Petrov 36, 56, Lambert 61, 65 

For the first time in 2003, Celtic sit atop the Scottish Premierleague after they leapfrogged Rangers on goal difference with a resounding 4-0 victory at Fir Park.

It was, in the end, no more than Martin O’Neill’s rampant side deserved for rising above the approach of a Motherwell team which, at times, amounted to nothing short of thuggery.
Terry Butcher’s basement boys were, in fact, extremely fortunate to finish the match having seen red on just one occasion, although Stilian Petrov and Paul Lambert ensured they were justly punished in terms of the scoreline by bagging a brace-apiece for the Bhoys.
O’Neill’s side were indeed deserving of much credit because, while the game was played out at a frenetic pace throughout, there was plenty of decent football to admire, and almost all of it was produced by the men in green-and-white hoops. Celtic played with a purpose from the moment the first whistle was sounded and, after an enterprising opening, created their first decent goalscoring opportunity after eight minutes when one of Alan Thompson’s trademark daisy-cutting free-kicks skidded behind off the shins of a Motherwell defender.

Then, from the resultant corner - brilliantly swung in by Alan Thompson – the noisy Fir Park crowd witnessed what was, by Henrik Larsson’s high standards, a glaring miss. True, the Swede was stretching as he made contact with the ball at the back post, but there was little doubt that he should have done better than merely toe-poke the ball wide from a couple of yards.
Larsson persevered, however, and five minutes later he rose to knock down a tempting Didier Agathe cross for Paul Lambert, who in turn forced Stevie Woods into a brilliant reaction save with a well-struck right-foot drive. Celtic appeared to be edging ever closer to an opening goal at this stage and, with 20 minutes played, Larsson was involved again, delivering a cross which Stilian Petrov diverted no more than a foot or so over the crossbar.
Motherwell, meanwhile, had only a half-hearted effort from James McFadden to show for their efforts with half-an-hour played and, as tempers boiled over, Derek Adams further dented their hopes of springing a shock when he was ordered from the field after appearing to elbow Thompson in an off-the-ball incident.

However, Butcher’s side – who had earlier seen young David Cowan stretchered from the field with a broken leg – are nothing if not committed and, just seconds after Adams’ dismissal, they forced their best chance of the half when Martyn Corrigan forced a brilliant one-handed tip-over from Javier Sanchez Broto.
This represented little more than a gesture of defiance, though, from a side who were to fall behind just four minutes later. Predictably, the goal had Larsson at its heart, with the Swede slipping through an incisive pass for Petrov, who, spotting a gap at Woods’ near post, threaded the needle with a drilled right-foot shot. It was the Bulgarian’s third goal within the space of five days and, when he very nearly scored a carbon copy in first half injury time, it became clear that he didn’t intend resting on his laurels.
It was no great surprise, then, when he doubled his tally for the evening 10 minutes into the second half, firing emphatically past Woods after working an intelligent one-two with Larsson in the left channel. It was an excellent goal from a player who appears now to be returning to his best form after a decidedly indifferent spell, and it allowed Celtic to relax and stroke the ball around with ever-increasing confidence.
However, if Petrov had delusions of grandeur about being the only goalscoring midfielder on Celtic’s books, he was soon to be taught a lesson by none either than Paul Lambert. Yes, the Hoops skipper – not exactly renowned for his prowess in the penalty box – clearly didn’t fancy allowing his younger colleague to hog the morning’s headlines, and soon applied his own mark to proceedings

Indeed, it was just six minutes after Petrov had notched his and Celtic’s second goal of the evening that Lambert burst on to the scene, threading a pass wide to Maloney before continuing his run to accept and side-foot the youngster’s cross with the inside of his left boot. The Celtic end erupted, knowing only too well that their side only required one more goal to rise to the summit of the SPL for the first time this year. In truth, it appeared a mere formality and, sure enough, Lambert obliged with a truly sublime strike.
Once again, it was Maloney who – at the end of a tremendous team move - fed Lambert from the right side of the penalty area, and this time the Scotland captain bettered his earlier effort with a looping volley that sailed into the net over the stranded figure of Woods.  Website Man of the Match: PAUL LAMBERT 

MOTHERWELL (5-3-2): Woods; Corrigan, Partridge, Vaughan, Leitch, Hammell; Pearson, Cowan (Kinniburgh 19), Adams; Clarkson (Lehmann 77), McFadden (Offiong 70)Subs: Dubordeau, Lasley

CELTIC (3-5-2): Broto; McNamara, Balde, Laursen; Agathe (Sylla 82), Lennon, Lambert, Petrov, Thompson (Crainey 88); Larsson, Maloney (Smith 80)Subs: Marshall, Varga

Hoops cash in against Pars
Alison McConnell 

Saturday, 3 May 2003,
Scottish Premierleague
East End Park.

CELTIC…………….. 4(Larsson 21, Petrov 28, 32, Thompson 57 pen)

DUNFERMLINE……..1 (McNicol 80)

It might not be in their own hands, but Celtic ensured that Rangers felt
a little heat with a convincing win at East End Park that gives the
Ibrox side a nervous trip to Dens Park on Sunday afternoon.

There are just two points between the Old Firm at the top of the table,
with both teams having played exactly the same number of games. Rangers
play Dundee on Sunday and Celtic will play their game in hand against
Motherwell on Wednesday night, but there could be plenty of excitement
in between times.

It could yet be one of the most exhilerating campaigns of recent times,
with success on both domestic and European fronts tantalisingly close
and in any case there promises to be a thrilling finale to what has been
an intriguing campaign.

Three first-half goals relived Celtic of any apprehension they might
have been labouring under going into the game, and as the tension in the
Championship race intensifies it promises to be an intriguing final
weeks to the conclusion of the season.

With Celtic breathing down their necks Rangers can ill afford any
slip-ups and, judging by this display, Martin O’Neill’s side look well
prepared for any battle of nerves that might await.

Henrik Larsson scored his 41st goal this season to give Celtic the lead
just beyond the 20-minute mark, and within a ten minute period the Hoops
had all but taken the points and finished their afternoon’s work.

Stilian Petrov supplemented Larsson’s opener with two quick goals either
side of the half hour mark, and realistically from then on it was a case
of damage limitation for Dunfermline.

Barry Nicholson conceded a spot kick to allow Alan Thompson to convert
from the spot shortly before the hour mark but by then Celtic had
already relaxed somewhat.

O’Neill had been forced to re-jig his team somewhat with Chris Sutton
suspended and John Hartson struggling with a back injury, although both
Ulrik Laursen and Jackie McNamara retained their starting positions
after impressive displays at Ibrox.

Surprisingly it was Laursen who had the best chance when the game was
still in its infancy, but after finding himself in possession deep
inside Dunfermline’s penalty box the Danish defender took a step forward
before releasing a tame shot that was smothered by Marco Ruitenbeek.

In the early stages, however, the most eye-catching performer in Celtic
colours was Javier Sanchez Broto who was twice called upon to make
impressive stops as Dunfermline started the match reasonably brightly.

The Spaniard made a stunning stop from Gary Dempsey and followed that up
with an equally acrobatic stop from a Scott Walker header as he dived
full length to tip the ball around his right-hand post.

However, after failing to make anything of their early chances,
Dunfermline quickly fell out of the game and the pressure that Celtic
enjoyed in the early stages soon translated into a wide chasm between
the two teams.

One of the few worries to emerge from the game for O’Neill was what
appeared to be an injury to Joos Valgaeren. The Belgian was replaced
after just ten minutes by Paul Lambert and as a result McNamara was
pushed from midfield into the right side of Celtic’s familiar back
three.

It was McNamara who started the move that eventually led to Celtic’s
opener. His

long pass up-field was cut out by David Grondin, but as the ball was
hooked across to the right flank, Lambert collected, supplied Petrov and
the Bulgarian’s subsequent delivery was deftly volleyed into the net by
Larsson.

Within ten minutes Celtic had assured themselves of the points and
killed off Dunfermline with two quick goals from Petrov to ensure a
productive afternoon.

Celtic’s second and Petrov’s first arrived just two minutes before the
half hour mark when the Bulgarian capitalised on a clever one-two
between Bobo Balde and Larsson that unleashed him behind the Dunfermline
defence and from inside the box the midfielder seared his shot low into
the net.

Within minutes he had added his second with a diving header past Marco
Ruitenbeek. Larsson was the architect, opening things up for Shaun
Maloney who had sent the ball out towards Didier Agathe, and the
winger’s delivery was converted by the Bulgarian.

By the time Celtic had made it four from the spot, there understandably
wasn’t quite the same urgency about their play although there was always
the impression that more goals could follow.

David Fernandez arrived for Agathe as Celtic chased more goals to slash
the goal difference deficit at the top of the table, but it was
Dunfermline who pulled a consolation back with ten minutes to go when
substitute Scott McNicol beat Broto.


CELTIC (3-5-2): Broto; Laursen, Balde, Valgaeren; Thompson, Petrov,
Lennon (Smith 80), McNamara, Agathe (Fernandez 69); Larsson, Maloney.
Subs: Marshall, Lambert, Crainey.

DUNFERMLINE (4-4-2): Ruitenbeek; Dair, (MacPherson 46) Walker, Bullen,
Grondin (Hunt 46); Dempsey, Nicholson, Mason, Kilgannon; Crawford,
Brewster (McNicol 69). Subs: Murdoch, Campbell.

Bhoys back in the title hunt
Stephen Sullivan

Scottish Premierleague,
Sunday April 27, 2003,
Ibrox Stadium

RANGERS… 1
De Boer 58
CELTIC… 2
Thompson 28 pen, Hartson 43

The race for the Scottish title is once again wide open after Celtic
emerged from the final Old Firm derby of the season with three
precious, and thoroughly merited, points.

It was a match that Martin O'Neill's team knew they had to win and,
thanks to a battling performance which included goals from both Alan
Thompson and John Hartson, they did so to cap one of the most
memorable weeks in the club's recent history.

The fans had arrived at Ibrox in celebratory mood and, having
reminded everyone what they will be doing while their great rivals
watch the May 21st edition of `The Bill', the Seville-bound Celts
greeted the players' arrival with a barrage of beach balls, no less.

It all became serious very soon, however, and the mood of the Hoops
faithful wasn't improved any when Henrik Larsson failed to capitalise
on a promising two-on-one situation inside three minutes.

Indeed, the early signs did not appear promising for O'Neill's side.
Before 10 minutes had elapsed, in fact, the Celtic boss had watched
Claudio Caniggia lob narrowly wide, Lorenzo Amoruso head over from a
Fernando Ricksen corner and, perhaps most worryingly, Rab Douglas
hobble injured from the field.

It left O'Neill with no option but to thrust Javier Sanchez Broto
into his Old Firm debut and, had Ronald de Boer directed on target,
rather than hook wide, a shot from 10 yards, the former Livingston
keeper's first task would have been to pick the ball out of the net.

Yet, while Rangers had unquestionably dominated the early stages,
Celtic gradually established a foothold as the half wore on and, had
Larsson not continually wasted the good work of his team-mates, they
might have taken the lead earlier than they did.

As it was, the opening goal very nearly arrived in the most bizarre
of circumstances when a lofted free-kick from Jackie McNamara
bamboozled everyone, including Stefan Klos, before rebounding back
off the face of the post.

However, while this moment left O'Neill holding his head in his
hands, he would be leaping for joy before another two minutes had
passed. Celtic were awarded a penalty, and only the most ardent of
Rangers fans could have questioned that it was of the stonewall
variety after Amoruso had committed to a clumsy and ill-advised
challenge that left John Hartson sprawling inside the area.

And it was Alan Thompson, rather than Larsson or even Hartson
himself, who stepped up to coolly side-foot the ball beyond Stefan
Klos. Celtic were now very much in the ascendancy and, with 34
minutes played, their lead was almost doubled when only a vital touch
by Craig Moore prevented a goal-bound Larsson shot flying into the
top corner.

The pressure continued, though, and the Hoops got their reward with
two minutes of the first half remaining. It was the erstwhile Didier
Agathe who supplied the ammunition, skipping away from Lovenkrands
before delivering a low cross which, having been flicked on by
Larsson, was guided home by Hartson past the wrong-footed Klos.

It was a brilliant goal, and one which gave Celtic a commanding half-
time lead. Nevertheless, Rangers clearly weren't for giving up the
game quite yet and, following a period of sustained pressure, they
succeeded in halving their deficit in 58 minutes when Ronald de Boer
directed home a pinpoint cross from Arthur Numan.

What followed thereafter was an intensely nervous period for Celtic,
who were for a time merely content to protect their now-slender lead.
However, it wasn't long before the Hoops were once again on the
offensive and, as play raged, Larsson found himself presented with
two gilt-edged opportunities.

Both were fashioned by some brilliant set-up play by Sutton and,
while there wasn't a great deal to fault in either of the Swede's
efforts, Klos was found to be a worthy adversary. Nevertheless, while
Agathe also went close with a 20-yard drive which skidded marginally
wide in the closing minutes, it mattered not.

Celtic had won and, though Seville will continue to loom large on the
horizon, this victory did at least ensure a lasting interest in
domestic matters for the foreseeable future.

Website Man of the Match: JOOS VALGAEREN

RANGERS (4-3-3): Klos; Ricksen, Moore, Amoruso, Numan; Konterman
(Arteta 46), Ferguson, de Boer; Caniggia (McCann 72), Mols,
Lovenkrands (Thompson 84)
Subs: McGregor, Ross
CELTIC (4-4-2): Douglas (Broto 9); McNamara, Balde, Valgaeren,
Laursen; Agathe, Lennon, Sutton, Thompson; Larsson, Hartson (Petrov
70)
Subs: Maloney, Smith, Crainey

Hoop Hoop Hurrah!
Alison McConnell

UEFA Cup semi-final, second leg.
Thursday, 24 April 2003.
Estadio do Bessa

CELTIC.....1 (Larsson 78)
BOAVISTA...0
It was tense, it was anxious, and the four and half minutes of injury time
contained more heart stopping moments than the entire 180 minutes of
football that had gone before it, but when the whistle eventually went in
the Estadio do Bossa on Thursday night it sparked astonishing scenes of
celebration.
Henrik Larsson's 39th goal of the season with twelve minutes of the game
remaining ensured Celtic's name was put on the guest list for the UEFA Cup
Final in Seville on May 21st.
Prior to the goal it had been a stifling game with neither side truly
imposing themselves, and for all that Celtic had plenty of possession they
struggled to create genuine openings against a determined Boavista side.
Not that it mattered in the end. Larsson, so vital on too many occasions to
mention, made the one real chance that he got count when he collected the
ball, made use of the space that he had, and calmly slotted past Ricardo.
At times there was a scrappiness about the game as both sides, playing with
three at the back and two wingers, cancelled one another out and there was
little real space for either side to exploit.
It took Celtic nine minutes to fashion their first real opportunity on goal
when Alan Thompson launched a free-kick deep into the Boavista half. John
Hartson knocked the ball down to Larsson, but after breaking free the Swede
sclaffed his shot wide of the target.
Paul Lambert won Celtic's first corner of the evening when his intelligent
cross towards the back post was headed out of play by Martelinho, but Stan
Petrov's delivery from the set piece didn't make the most of the chance.
Pedrosa tried his luck at the other end of the pitch with a searing 30-yard
free-kick that sailed just over Rab Douglas' crossbar.
On the half hour mark Boavista carved open Celtic's back three, and although
the chance eventually came to nothing when Johan Mjallby was able to head
Martelinho's cross clear at the back post, it was an indication of how
potent the Portuguese could be.
Chris Sutton was introduced for Paul Lambert eleven minutes before the break
after the Celtic captain had sustained an early knock in a clash with Silva.
The Englishman didn't take long to get acquainted with the action, winning a
couple of free-kicks and then jostling with Filipe Anunciacao in the
Boavista box.
In between times Pedro Santos had come close beating Douglas minutes later
with a swirling drive from the edge of the box that whirled just past the
top left-hand corner.
The best chance of the evening, however, fell to Boavista three minutes
before the interval and it was down to Douglas to parry the danger with a
vital stop.
A sloppy touch from Joos Valgaeren allowed Santos to nick in, and the
midfielder beat Bobo Balde by sliding the ball past the defender and beating
him for pace before sending a looping ball across the face of the goal.
Silva met it with a header, and Douglas was forced to punch the danger away.
There were no changes at the interval for either side, but as the minutes of
the second period started to tick down there was a bit more urgency about
Celtic's play.
Valgaeren lost the ball in his own half, won it back, and embarked on a
surging forward run before conceding possession once more. Hartson, however,
won the ball back, sent it to Sutton and the striker almost succeeded in
sending Valgaeren through the Boavista defence.
As Celtic probed for openings, it was Boavista who almost took the lead when
Duda beat Valgaeren on the left, his cross eluded Douglas and was met by
Silva whose header was blocked by Mjallby.
For much of the game Celtic found themselves up against a team who showed
all commitment and team spirit and that has so often been the hallmark of O'
Neill's team. While Boavista might not be the best team Celtic have played
against in the UEFA Cup, they were certainly the most hard working.
Avalos was the first player into the book after a cynical foul from behind
on Larsson, while with 15 minutes to go O'Neill gambled by replacing
Valgaeren with Jamie Smith as Celtic tried to keep pushing.
It worked. Within minutes Celtic had grabbed the vital goal, a golden goal
12 minutes from time that orchestrated unrivalled celebrations in the Hoops
camp.
All three of Celtic's strikers played their part in the strike, Larsson,
Sutton and then Hartson combining before the Swede collected in the box and,
in what seemed to take an eternity, casually took a step forward before
sliding a left foot shot past Ricardo and into the net.
The final minutes were anxious ones for Celtic as Boavista put the Hoops
defence under enormous pressure, but when the whistle finally sounded the
scenes of celebration were astounding as Celtic booked their place in the
UEFA Cup Final.
For Celtic and Martin O'Neill, there's one more round to go.
CELTIC (3-5-2): Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren (Smith 75); Agathe,
Petrov, Lambert (Sutton 34), Lennon, Thompson; Hartson, Larsson. Subs:
Marshall, Maloney, Smith, Laursen, Sylla, McNamara.
BOAVISTA (4-4-2): Ricardo; Avalos, Eder, Pedrosa (Yuri 85); Martelinho,
Anunciacao, Santos, Erivan (Jocivalter 79), Loja Silva (Claudio 68), Duda.
Subs: Andem, Oscar, Bosingwa, Goulart.

Title hopes come unstuck
Alison McConnell 

Saturday, 19th April 2003,
Tynecastle,
Scottish Premierleague

CELTIC……….1 (Larsson 59)
HEARTS………2 (Stamp 72, McCann 90)

A 2-1 defeat at Tynecastle leaves Celtic’s Championship hopes in tatters
after Hearts came back from a goal down to take three vital points.

Before the game Martin O’Neill had admitted there was little margin for
error, and realistically the scoreline takes the title race well out of
Celtic’s hands. The Hoops need to not only win every one of their
remaining six games, but also now rely on Rangers dropping points
elsewhere if they are to win a third successive Championship.

It was a scrappy, frustrating game for the most part, but when Celtic
did get themselves ahead on the hour mark when Henrik Larsson converted
a dazzling Didier Agathe run, it ought to have been the impetus for the
visitors to impose themselves and hold onto the lead.

Instead, Hearts refused to become dispirited. They stuck to their task,
got back on level terms and as Celtic threw everything forward in search
of a winner in the frantic final minutes, Hearts exploited the space at
the back.

Austin McCann struck a glorious goal when his 20-yard strike from the
right beat Douglas, bounced off the inside of the post and curled into
the back of the net to win the game for the hosts and signal what sounds
like a death knell to Celtic’s title aspirations.

O’Neill stuck with the same starting eleven who beat Kilmarnock last
Sunday afternoon, although there was a place on the bench for Scotland
under-21 defender John Kennedy.

It was a scrappy opening affair, with tackles and passes misjudged while
neither side fashioned any genuine openings in the tense early minutes
that characterised the early exchanges.

Alan Thompson was the victim of a crunching tackle when the game was
still in its infancy, but after receiving treatment the midfielder
returned to the fray and was at the centre of Celtic’s first real
opportunity when he tried his luck with a free-kick from the edge of the
box.

His attempt escaped through the clutches of the wall but posed little
problems for Hearts keeper Tepi Moilanen who collected the trundling
ball with ease.

Mark De Vries ought to have opened the scoring midway through the
opening period when he found himself in Celtic’s six-yard box, but the
colossal striker lifted his shot high over Rab Douglas’ bar.

Johan Mjallby was forced to intercept another of attack from the hosts
immediately afterwards as Celtic struggled to impose themselves on the
Tynecastle side.

It was Thompson however who almost got the goal that Celtic’s nerves
demanded on the cusp of the half hour mark when a slack mistake from
Steven Pressley gifted possession to Henrik Larsson deep inside the
Hearts box.

The Swede strode forward before flicking the ball out to the left for
Thompson to collect and the Geordie’s first time shot was parried by
Moilanen. Minutes later the keeper got down sharply to his left hand
side to thwart a Thompson free-kick.

Next up was John Hartson who hit the side-netting after Didier Agathe
had collected the ball in the middle of the park and slipped the ball
outside to the Welshman, but in truth the striker might have been better
served hitting it across the face of the goal where Larsson awaited
rather than taking the shot.
Hartson tested Moilanen again ten minutes before the break when he tried
to turn and curl the ball round the keeper and into the net in a
cluttered six-yard box, but the stopper turned it around his post for a
corner kick that eventually came to nothing.

Celtic found the second period equally frustrating, and although there
were a couple of half chances for Larsson and Hartson it was Hearts who
almost snatched the lead.

Play was allowed to go on after referee John Rowbotham failed to punish
what appeared to be a foul on Larsson after the Swede was taken down
from the back, and from the resultant move Craig Levein’s side almost
forged ahead.

De Vries laid the ball off to Phil Stamp who was eventually foiled by a
superb block from Bobo Balde, while seconds later Douglas was forced
into a breathtaking stop from Alan Maybury.

The midfielder unleashed a ferocious drive from the edge of the box that
the Scotland keeper palmed over the crossbar with an acrobatic
one-handed stop that kept the scoreline blank.

Within minutes Celtic had opened the scoring. Larsson, inevitably, was
the man who put the ball in the back of the net – the 21st time he has
done so against Hearts in his Celtic career – but Agathe deserved a huge
chunk of the credit for his role in the strike.

The winger not only forged his way down the right flank at speed, but
did so while holding off a number of Hearts challenges before cutting
the ball across the goaline for Larsson to convert.

The lead lasted just 13 minutes, however, before Hearts levelled. A
Hearts corner wasn’t properly dealt with and Phil Stamp was allowed to
ghost in front of Hartson and bury the ball behind Douglas.

It could have got worse. Within minutes Hearts had hit the crossbar and
had a shot cleared off the line as Celtic toiled to recompose
themselves.

Jamie Smith replaced Stan Petrov with eleven minutes remaining, with the
winger stepping onto the left flank and Thompson moving inside before he
was joined on the field by Shaun Maloney at the expense of Paul Lambert.

Celtic strived for a winner, but almost on the final whistle McCann
struck a glorious strike to seal Celtic’s fate.

With Thursday’s semi-final against Boavista looming, Celtic have it all
to do if they are to avoid finishing the season empty handed.

CELTIC (3-5-2): Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren; Agathe, Lambert
(Maloney 83), Lennon, Petrov (Smith 79), Thompson; Hartson, Larsson.
Subs: Broto, Kennedy, McNamara.

HEARTS (4-4-2): Moilanen; Maybury, Pressley, Webster, McCann; Stamp,
MacFarlane (Boyack 82), Severin, Valois (Kirk 88), De Vries, Weir (Wales
83);. Subs: McKenzie, McKenna.

Hoops sink Killie
Alison McConnell
Scottish Premierleague,
Sunday, 13th April 2003,
Celtic Park.

CELTIC……………..2 (Larsson 20, Petrov 71)
KILMARNOCK…….0

After jostling for a place in the Final of the UEFA Cup on Thursday
night, Celtic turned their attention to the home front with a necessary
win over Kilmarnock.

With seven games remaining between now and the end of the season, there
is little question that Celtic will need all the resolve and commitment
that has been the hallmark of Martin O’Neill’s time in charge of the
club if they are to overhaul Rangers and retain the league Championship.

With games in hand to be played at Fir Park and Tynecastle, as well as
the final Old Firm match of the season three days after the second leg
of the UEFA Cup semi-final in Oporto, the Hoops remain poised between
extremes; a major trophy or an empty cabinet.

There were times on Sunday afternoon when Celtic appeared oblivious to
any such pressure with some fluent football in the opening half, however
the longer the game went on at just 1-0, the more Kilmarnock grew in
confidence and the greater Celtic’s – and the crowd’s – anxiety became.

It took Stan Petrov to slam a Larsson back-heel into the back of the net
to ease the tension and allow Celtic to relax after getting the cushion
they needed.

O’Neill stuck to the same starting eleven who took to the field against
Boavista, and in the early minutes of the game Neil Lennon received the
vocal backing of the Hoops crowd after the controversy of Thursday
evening.

Predictably, Celtic dominated the opening exchanges but their
territorial advantage took 20 minutes to translate into an opener when
John Hartson and Larsson combined to beat Gordon Marshall in the Killie
goal.

Alan Thompson started the move on the left flank with a long diagonal
ball into the feet of Hartson, and while the Welshman appeared to have
wasted too much time to take a shot, instead he flicked the ball across
goal for Larsson to sink into the net.

Prior to this Thompson had a ferocious drive tipped over the bar from
Marshall, while Rab Douglas had been forced into an equally impressive
stop from Gary McDonald.

Celtic had a decent claim for a penalty waved away by referee Alan
Freeland five minutes from the break when Didier Agathe looked to have
the feet taken from him inside the box, much to the fury of the Hoops
players.

Gary Locke had already gone into the book midway through the opening
half after a cynical foul on the winger after he skipped his way clear.

Agathe, playing his second game since returning from a hamstring injury
sustained in the last Old Firm league game at the beginning of March,
appeared to have recovered some of his confidence as well as his
fitness.

The winger has been criticised this season for failing to exploit his
pace to full effect, while the quality of his crossing has also been
questioned throughout the campaign.

The 27-year-old was the architect of a number of genuine opportunities,
and would even had got his name on the scoresheet had Marshall not
parried away his volley deep in the first period. Minutes later he took
a chance at goal again after a corner was cleared only so far as the
edge of the box, but his shot blazed over the bar.

For all that Celtic controlled the game, a 1-0 lead is always tenuous
and O’Neill would have preferred to go into the break with a more
comfortable cushion. Hartson ought to have given Celtic the second goal
their play craved when he beat the offside flag to break behind the
Killie defence, but instead of squaring to Larsson, the striker took the
shot and was denied by a decent stop from Marshall.

While Kilmarnock didn’t create too many opportunities in front of goal,
they did look capable of getting forward and on the left flank Peter
Canero in particular put in a lively performance.

Gary McDonald had to be replaced by Barry McLaughlin four minutes after
the break after the midfielder injured himself while jostling with
Thompson. McDonald was booked for the foul, a tackle that incensed
Thompson who was clearly irked by its irresponsible nature.

Larsson had two decent second half chances to add to the scoring, but
instead it was Petrov who added the second when he capitalised in a
skilful back heel from the Swede before beating Marshall with a fierce
drive.

Joos Valgaeren could have added the third after a neat one-two between
the defender and Larsson, but after going through on goal the Belgian
hit his shot off Marshall’s legs.

Jamie Smith and Shaun Maloney were introduced with seven minutes
remaining for Agathe and Petrov, with the former immediately embarking
an a glorious run and feeding Hartson inside the box, but the striker’s
attempt was too high and too wide to make an impact.

CELTIC (3-5-2): Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren; Agathe (Maloney 83),
Lambert, Lennon, Petrov (Smith 83), Thompson; Hartson, Larsson. Subs:
Broto, Crainey, McNamara.

KILMARNOCK (4-4-2): Marshall; Canero, Shields, Innes, Fowler; Locke,
Fulton, McDonald (McLaughlin 50), Mahood; McLaren (Boyd 76), McSwegan.
Subs: Stewart, Mclaughlin, Dindeleux, Hay.

REFEREE: Alan Freeland

WEBSITE MAN OF THE MATCH: Alan Thompson

Celtic ground down but not out

Celtic 1 - 1 Boavista

Kevin McCarra at Celtic Park
Friday April 11, 2003
The Guardian

To Celtic's disappointment the first leg of the semi-final was all too much
in keeping with their stirring Uefa Cup run. Having nursed hopes of a
decisive victory over Boavista they once again find that they will have to
excel in a return match. Their scorer Henrik Larsson also missed a penalty
that would have beaten the visitors but domination had never been achieved
and the Scottish champions had briefly been 1-0 down.
"I feel exactly the same way as I did against Liverpool," the Celtic manager
Martin O'Neill said in response to this setback. "We are capable of scoring
in Portugal and I believe we will." All the same, replicating the 2-0
triumph at Anfield may prove far more tricky against the astute Portuguese
side.
The Boavista coach Jaime Pacheco excused his pragmatic tactics on the
grounds that he was up against a "great" club. It would have been more
candid to say that he doubted Celtic's creativity. His devotion to defence
was so comprehensive that there was no place even on the bench for his best
forward Silva, who is one booking away from suspension.
The centre-half Paulo Turra will be ruled out of the next game but he may
have served his purpose. Better teams than Boavista have come to Glasgow
this season but Boavista were the most resolute. So abrasive were they that
Celtic were often ground down in midfield, reduced to making the most
conservative of passes.
The demonstrative O'Neill used some of his gestures to indicate that the
crowd should be patient. Boavista have committed so many offences that the
team could appear on a "Wanted" poster. Before this tie they had collected
26 yellow cards and two red, incurring seven suspensions. Perhaps their
commitment touches blood-curdling level now and again but even in their own
city they live in the shadows of Porto, 4-1 victors over Lazio in the other
semi-final first leg last night, and appreciate how underdogs must act.
It was only appeals for penalties that made them tremble and there was no
favourable response from the Belgian referee Frank de Bleeckere until the
second half. Anunciacao, harassed by the pace of Didier Agathe, tumbled in
the eighth minute and seemed to scoop the ball away with his hand while on
the turf. Later Martelinho appeared to block a shot by Larsson with his arm.
Yet Celtic's frustration did not stem purely from the official's
indifference to those claims. Boavista isolated Larsson and John Hartson
from the midfielders who should have been flooding towards them. Celtic
looked static. Boavista could have opened the scoring much earlier than they
did if Duda had not been so sloppy in his finishing after 17 minutes.
The character of the contest was worrisome to Celtic but the manner in which
it altered in the 49th minute could have left them distraught. Erivan dodged
away from Neil Lennon and sprayed a pass to Luiz Claudio on the right. The
cross he whipped low to the near post was so treacherous that Joos Valgaeren
knocked the ball into his own net.
Boavista's celebrations were understandably extravagant yet they may have
sacrificed con centration in the process. For virtually the first time in
the evening they let the Celtic midfield make inroads and conceded an
equaliser within a minute. Lennon clipped the ball in from the left and a
cushioned lay-off by Stilian Petrov invited Larsson to hold off a defender
and stroke the ball home.
Still Celtic had to fight for every inch of territory. The contest was
attritional and, when Hartson aimed a half-hit attempt that the goalkeeper
Ricardo blocked it was only because the strapping Bobo Balde had been able
to force a free-kick in his direction.
Celtic cared nothing for aesthetics and it was clear that in as grinding a
tie as this they needed to make the most of any piece of fortune. After 75
minutes the referee at last responded to a penalty appeal, ruling harshly
that Eder had chosen to handle an Alan Thompson free-kick that had deflected
towards him.
Larsson's contact from the spot was fairly good but the ball rose slightly
and Ricardo was able to make an excellent save as he leapt to his right.
Later the goalkeeper would drop a cross from the substitute Momo Sylla but
Turra blocked Hartson's attempt to stab the loose ball into the net.
Celtic know how hard it will be to make the breakthrough in Portugal now
required if they are to smash their way into the final.
Celtic (3-5-2): Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren; Agathe (Sylla, 74),
Lambert, Lennon, Petrov (Fernandez, 78), Thompson; Larsson, Hartson.
Booked: Lennon, Balde.
Boavista (3-5-2): Ricardo; Turra, Eder, Avalos; Martelinho, Anunciacao,
Pedrosa, Erivan, Loja; Duda, Claudio (Cafu, h-t; Bosingwa, 81).
Booked: Duda, Avalos, Martelinho, Turra.
Referee: F de Bleeckere (Belgium).

Celtic paint the town red

GLENN GIBBONS AT ANFIELD


Liverpool 0
Celtic 2
Celtic win 3-1 on aggregate

THE suspicion that Martin O'Neill was born to make history for Celtic began
to harden into conviction last night, when his extraordinary team added
Liverpool to the growing list of illustrious opponents they have ousted from
the UEFA Cup to reach the semi-finals.

The Irishman's unshakeable will seemed to coarse through his players during
a presentation of spirit that was quite moving. If Alan Thompson's opening
goal just before half-time was the taster, John Hartson's ferocious
right-foot drive high to the left of Jerzy Dudek after playing a one-two
with Henrik Larsson was the coup de grace. You'll Never Walk Alone was,
predictably, sung loudly at the finish but it was a lament for the Kop, a
hymn for praise for the huddle of Celtic supporters who faced them from the
other end of the famous stadium.

That goal from Thompson was hardly needed to confirm the resilience of O'
Neill's side, whose capacity for producing the improbable has been evidenced
often enough throughout the tournament.

But it was required to induce ecstasy in the 2,700 Celtic supporters who had
been promised just such a reward with some of their team's earlier,
threatening attempts on Dudek's net. It was when Djimi Traore fouled Larsson
around 28 yards from goal that the free kick was given.

Larsson ran over the ball, the Liverpool defensive wall seemed bemused and
Thompson rifled the ball low with his left foot far to the left of Dudek,
who appeared to realise from the moment the ball left the midfielder's foot
that he could do nothing to prevent the ball from crossing the line.

If there was no obligation on Liverpool to score, they did not allow that
relative luxury to disrupt their dedication to winning, while Celtic's
quest, determined by the 1-1 draw in the home leg, ensured that the centre
circle, for most of the night, would be a traffic-free zone.

Not many games are played either at one end or the other and this was a
thrilling example of the rarity. If there was a discomfiting suspicion among
the visiting support that the home side were generally quicker and more
accurate in slicing their way through midfield, it would be countered by the
menace which Celtic themselves presented around Dudek on enough occasions to
cause similar anxiety on the Kop.

Indeed, even before Thompson gave Celtic the lead, Dudek had been forced to
make more crucial saves than Robert Douglas. His first came from a terrific
free kick from Larsson after Traore had taken Stilian Petrov from behind as
the Bulgarian received a through pass from Neil Lennon.

Larsson's right-footed effort from 25 yards was sailing into Dudek's
right-hand corner when the goalkeeper leapt to push the ball away for a
corner. He had to dive lower soon after to get the merest touch on another
net-bound drive from Momo Sylla when the right wing-back suddenly spurted
through the middle of the home defence.

Liverpool's most dangerous equivalent to Celtic's shooting during that
period came from Dietmar Hamann. A corner kick from Danny Murphy on the left
was rolled out beyond the 18-yard line and dummied to the in-rushing Hamann,
the German's powerfully-hit drive skimming marginally wide.

Douglas's most effective piece of work was prompted by the extraordinary
volley produced by Steven Gerrard after a long throw had been headed out to
him. From around 25 yards, Gerrard's beautifully-controlled shot had Douglas
flying to his right to punch the ball out of harm's way.

It was after Neil Lennon had taken advantage of an over-hit pass from Sami
Hyppia and supplied him on the right that Sylla ended his diagonal run with
a delicate chip forward to Larsson. The Swede slipped Traore and seemed to
wait an age for the ball to drop to his right foot.

It was enough time for Dudek to leave his line and appear odds-on to gather,
but Larsson suddenly stuck out his right foot and dinked the ball past the
goalkeeper and wide of the latter's right post.

But Liverpool's ferocious attempts to regain parity would be the least
surprising aspect of the second half and some slack play in midfield allowed
Michael Owen to create an opportunity that seemed certain to produce the
equaliser. The striker's precise through ball found Gerrard running clear,
but Douglas sprang from his line to block the shot before the ball had
travelled two yards.

Gerard Houllier's mounting anxiety appeared to manifest itself when he
replaced the disappointing Vladimir Smicer with Milan Baros, the French
manager clearly cognisant of the general lack of menace from the Czech.

Baros did not take long to declare his own threat, bolting into the penalty
area on the right and drive the ball low across the six-yard box, but with
no receivers alert to the possibilities.

Grand National-winning jockeys have been known to claim that the experience
is better than sex; there would be those at Anfield last night who would
know what they meant.

Liverpool: Dudek; Carragher, Hyppia, Traore, Riise; Smicer, Murphy, Gerrard,
Hamann; Heskey, Owen. Subs: Arphexad, Baros, Berger, Diao, Biscan, Cheyrou,
Mellor.

Celtic: Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren; Sylla, Petrov, Lambert, Lennon,
Thompson; Hartson, Larsson. Subs: Marshall, McNamara, Laursen, Maloney,
Guppy, Smith, Crainey.

Celtic:

UEFA Cup quarter-finals, second leg

Boavista L, Malaga L; Besiktas 1, Lazio 2 (agg: 1-3); Liverpool 0, Celtic 2
(agg: 1-3); Panathinaikos 0, Porto 2 (aet, agg: 1-2).

Liverpool rain on Larsson's parade
GRAHAM SPIERS
Celtic 1 - Liverpool 1

Scorers: Celtic - Larsson (3); Liverpool - Heskey (17)


No-one need remind Celtic about the harsh rigours of these all-British
affairs in the UEFA Cup. Much like Blackburn Rovers' visit here in October,
Celtic for long periods had to delve deep into their character to survive a
severe interrogation from Liverpool in this quarter-final, first-leg at
Parkhead. Just as with Blackburn, too, the tie remains deliciously poised.

Celtic, though, unlike that affair, have suffered the wound of conceding at
home, a result of Emile Heskey's quick feet and despatched shot which left
Rab Douglas sprawling in the early throes of the opening half.

It proved a game in which Celtic, while never letting up on their visitors,
did not quite provoke the anxiety they would have wished. The whole plot of
this match, though, threatened to be lost in the dizzying events of the
opening minutes.

Never let anyone ever again, certainly not any uninformed buffoon from the
media, try to second-guess Martin O'Neill's courage or Henrik Larsson's
healing powers. It was a mere 32 days yesterday, as slim a time as any
surgeon would allow, since Larsson had his jaw impacted with titanium, not
to one, but two fractures. Fat chance, then, of the Swede returning here.

Larsson answered those of us who doubted him within two minutes of play,
with a goal as crucial and scruffy as any he is likely to get. It was just
as well, too, because this became an immensely difficult evening for Celtic.

Unless your heart has walls of stone, it was a European football night to
savour in Glasgow. Much had been made of these two clubs' affinity, their
shared cultural roots and the empathy of their supporters but, until you
witness such a spectacle at Parkhead, much like indulgences of the flesh,
the mere theory seems bland. Celtic Park resonated to the great football
hymn of You'll Never Walk Alone, but much more to Celtic's immediate concern
was how to shackle Michael Owen.

There was apprehension all around this crater in Glasgow's east end whenever
Liverpool's whippet of a striker seized possession. Bobo Baldé, in
particular, has been as unyielding as granite for Celtic in Europe this
season, but at times you had to shield the eyes from the sight of Owen
buzzing around the great monolith of a defender.

To be fair to Baldé, he also had Heskey to contend with and, on at least
four occasions, made the most timely interventions. Baldé, in fact, has
become a remarkable performer for Celtic in the European arena.

Larsson? Pray God, said some Celtic supporters, let the Swede be unleashed.
Yet just four weeks and four days after his fracture of the jaw, few could
have expected as dramatic an entry as this. Before trouble and anxiety had
time to invade the match for Celtic, their supporters were in
Larsson-induced raptures.

If Celtic's opening seemed a good omen, the game would prove to have no end
of eccentric aspects. For a start, following Larsson's mesmerising opener,
Liverpool would be level inside 20 minutes through Heskey, and went on, for
all that Celtic's opening had been bright, to muzzle the opening half.
Liverpool, in fact, in midfield embodied the calm pragmatism that is so
often the making of O'Neill's Celtic.

Celtic's cause wasn't helped by injury to Alan Thompson, caught in an
accidental tangle with Steven Gerrard, and occasional nerves being suffered
by Jamie Smith, who found it a tall order negotiating John Arne Riise.
Thompson was forced to make way for Steve Guppy after 26 minutes, while
Smith, after a breezy start, seemed to stall two or three times on the ball.
Slowly but surely, the young winger clawed his way into the match, but not
to the extent of posing a genuine threat.

No script would have so bluntly produced Celtic's opening salvoes: a Hartson
shot after 12 seconds which bounced off Jerzy Dudek's bar, and Larsson's
lithe reaction a couple of minutes later to put Celtic ahead. The latter
might not be remembered as one of the Swede's more golden moments, but
following Thompson's cut-back, Larsson somehow wedged himself between the
pillars of Liverpool's defence to knee the ball over the line.

To think that Larsson might have notched a second for Celtic within the
hour. Celtic were experiencing no end of interrogation from Liverpool, but
in a swift breakaway, Hartson's barging run towards the box was marred by a
slightly over-hit pass to Larsson. Much like his opening goal at Ewood Park,
the striker attempted a golfer's wedge-shot over Dudek, but the goalkeeper's
firm arms parried the ball away.

Celtic's strength of character was obvious, but Liverpool were never too
elaborate not to be able to produce goal threats themselves. After 16
minutes they were rewarded by one such incision, when Riise's swift run
carried Liverpool into the Celtic box, before the lay-off to Heskey allowed
the striker to rifle his shot low past Douglas and inside his left post. The
goal was no more than the visitors deserved.

Heskey, in fact, should have scored a second after 62 minutes when, released
by El-Hadji Diouf with a clever pass, the England striker blasted the ball
high over Douglas' bar. Had that goal gone in, the task facing Celtic might
then have seemed too arduous.

Liverpool enjoyed the best chance of the second half when Heskey's swift
turn and reverse pass put Owen in the clear behind Baldé. From the acute
angle, Douglas clearly got a left paw to Owen's thunderous whack, though a
goal-kick was awarded.

As it was, this match never failed to wind its way from end to end over the
90 minutes, and it was a pity that such a fine night of good-spirited
competition should have been marred by Diouf, who spat into the home fans
near the end, and is likely to miss the return leg once UEFA view the
incident.

----------------------------------
Advantage Houllier as O'Neill's outside bet just fails to deliver
EWING GRAHAME

When Martin O'Neill took over at Parkhead in the summer of 2000 his aim was
to make the famous old stadium a fortress again and he has certainly
succeeded. Celtic have emerged victorious from 44 of their last 47 home
matches, with the other three being drawn.

Liverpool last night managed to avoid defeat - the only club apart from
Rangers who can make that claim after a visit to the east end of Glasgow in
the last 19 months - and that at least keeps the second leg, at Anfield six
days' hence, alive.

The Scottish champions have, under the Blessed Martin, strong-armed their
way past opposition at home and abroad but, in the men from Merseyside,
found opponents who could match them for height, width and triceps. The
result made for compelling, if not exactly exhilarating, viewing.

Perhaps the major criticism applied to O'Neill - and, as the manager during
the club's most successful period since Jock Stein provided the club with
it's golden era, he hasn't had to duck too many brickbats - is that his team
selections tend to err on the side of caution. That line of argument can no
longer apply.

Earlier in the season club captain Paul Lambert had been dropped against
Blackburn Rovers. At the time, many assumed the veteran midfielder's
usefulness at the highest level was coming to an end.

His subsequent return to form gave the lie to that notion and his composed
display during Saturday's victory over Rangers suggested the 33-year-old, a
European Cup winner with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, would have been a
mainstay for the club's biggest tie since 1980.

The presence of Larsson in the starting line-up - to the sound, one assumes,
of trilbies being munched in some quarters - was by no means the biggest
surprise unveiled by the Irishman. That would have been the inclusion of
Jamie Smith, to the exclusion of Lambert. Smith, at 22, had previously never
started a major European tie or even an Old Firm game but, given the
enforced absence of Didier Agathe, Lambert was sacrificed in the hope that
his replacement would tie up John Arne Riise on the opposition's left flank.

Most people unused to the vagaries and tribulations which accompany gambling
are best advised to keep their sporadic wagers on the small side: the Celtic
manager may now be wishing he had stuck to his instincts and gone with
experience.

While Larsson's appearance, and the immediate impact he made by forcing home
Alan Thompson's driven cross in the second minute - John Hartson had already
hit the crossbar by then - was hardly surprising, nor was the struggle Smith
faced to make the step up in class.

Wide players are, by definition, peripheral to the action but that hardly
means they are bit-part players. Smith has, in his rare outings against the
Premierleague's lesser lights, shown promise but this young man,
inexplicably capped by Berti Vogts against the Republic of Ireland last
month, has a way to go yet.

Many observers believed beforehand that, given the circumstances and
O'Neill's inherent wariness, Jackie McNamara would have been the ideal
player to curb Riise's potential to inflict damage on the flanks.

When Riise burst forward for Liverpool's goal in 17 minutes, Smith was, in
trademark rookie fashion, caught ball-watching. The left-back cut inside his
marker with unexpected ease before sending Emile Heskey through to fire,
left to right, beyond the unprotected Rab Douglas.

This is hardly a criticism of Smith, who was heading into uncharted
territory, but too often he seemed unsure whether to stick or twist,
hesitating between making positive runs and attending to the defensive
duties Agathe now performs by second nature. His crossing, on the other
hand, was woeful.

Celtic's early ascendancy was soon forgotten, then, as Liverpool took
control of proceedings: the home side, by contrast, too often appeared to
operate on a hit-and-hope basis. Their supporters, unaccustomed to their
favourites being starved of possession, were understandably frustrated with
the proceedings but there were comforts to be had, particularly in the way
Bobo Baldé, Celtic's most improved player this season, coped intelligently
with the constant threat of Michael Owen.

His predecessor in the heart of Celtic's defence, Olivier Tébily, earned the
nickname Bomb Scare, but Baldé was strictly bomb disposal last night, making
telling interceptions when not muscling the England striker into areas where
his capacity to inflict damage was minimal.

Equally reassuring was Celtic's ability to create something from nothing and
only a poor touch from Larsson, attributable to ring-rustiness, allowed
Jerzy Dudek to block his shot from Hartson's knock-on. Gérard Houllier's
men, for all their possession, didn't open up their hosts.

Given that their strength is founded on their parsimonious defence, one
wonders just how important Liverpool's away goal may prove to be.
---------------------------------
Heskey and Balde left standing tall
ROB ROBERTSON

FOR a man well known for lacking confidence both as a person and as a
player, scoring early last night was always going to help Emile Heskey.

Up until now, the man Martin O'Neill sold to Liverpool for £11m when he was
manager at Leicester City, has spent most of his time in the shadow of his
diminutive striking partner Michael Owen.

While Owen is the Liverpool and England darling, Heskey is the workhorse
whose fragile self-esteem isn't helped by those who believe he doesn't put
himself about enough.

He's so sensitive to criticism he never reads newspapers in case something
bad is written about him, while Gérard Houllier refers to him as his
"sleeping giant". Always defended by the Liverpool coach, the man who signed
him, Houllier believes playing Heskey up front beside Owen is the perfect
striking partnership. Even Sven-Göran Eriksson, the England coach, agrees.

Why, then, are they still a frustrating pair to watch, as it turned out last
night? If you were picking holes in their partnership it would be the fact
that neither are very good at holding the ball up and lose too much
possession, not a good trait in away UEFA Cup ties. On the plus side, Owen
in particular is lightning-fast, while together they can't be left alone for
a second. Bobo Baldé, Johan Mjällby and Joos Valgaeren, who was usually the
extra man, were given the job of closing down the pair.

Mjällby was left for dead in 16 minutes when Heskey turned him to score
before an isolated Baldé could get across to close him down.

His critics say the Liverpool striker has plenty of power but lacks
refinement or commitment. That may be the case in some games but he showed
last night his sheer size can intimidate even the most experienced players.

However, even the biggest boys can get scared now and again. The way Heskey
flicked the ball away quickly with Baldé bearing down on him just before his
goal suggested his fragile confidence may have been about to crash. But once
he scored he was a different player altogether and he nearly scored a second
just after the hour mark.

But what of Owen? His goal at Parkhead five and a half years ago in the UEFA
Cup at Parkhead propelled him into the domestic spotlight and his great goal
against Argentina in the World Cup brought him international acclaim.

Last night he was lively once again but didn't get many chances to add to
his club-equalling record of 20 European goals, which he shares with Ian
Rush - who now works on finishing with both Owen and Heskey at Anfield.

Owen's best chance came 15 minutes from time when a Heskey cross picked him
out but the England internationalist hit the side net from an acute angle
with only Rab Douglas to beat.

The Celtic back three had a reasonable evening marking the Liverpool front
two with the pick of the bunch being big Baldé, who had an outstanding first
half.

It's easy to forget that the man from Guinea was 25 before he made his name
at Toulouse before joining Celtic two years later. If one incident showed
his class and importance on the night it came four minutes into the second
half when he dispossessed Owen, who was bearing down on goal, before
stroking the ball to safety.

His single-minded pursuit of winning the ball at all costs makes for great
entertainment, as long as you aren't the player who is in his line of
vision.

It can also cause him problems, as happened last night when he was so busy
watching the flight of a Liverpool free-kick he let it hit his hand in the
penalty area and was lucky not to concede a spot-kick.

"Playing in Europe is like meeting Rangers and you can feel the atmosphere,"
said Baldé, who stands 6 ft 3in tall and weighs in at 14 stone, and never
gets tired of telling you how much he enjoys playing foreign opposition.

Clearly he relished the occasion last night and kept the Liverpool front two
in check for most of the game. He is slowly losing the tag of a man who
relies on strength and little else to get him through a game and has grown
in stature since he marked John Carew of Valencia out of the game at
Parkhead in the UEFA Cup last term.

Valgaeren and Mjällby - the Swede had marked Owen out of the game on at
least two occasions in matches against England - proved good back up for
Baldé and they looked a solid unit.

However, the winners on the night were Heskey for his goal and Baldé for his
overall performance. When the pair meet at Anfield in the return leg next
week, expect a similar battle.

----------------------------------------
Wheecht along on night of schmaltz
JOHN TRAYNOR

I WAS intoxicated with anticipation and, somewhere inside my cluttered
sensorium, Bodhrans, fiddles and flutes were upping their dideley-dideley
tempo and I was wheecht away on the swirl of a Celtic Hootenanny.

Unfortunately, some schmaltzy kitsch from Carousel gatecrashed the
shenanigans, to be sure.

"Let your dreams be tossed and blown, Walk on, Walk on," the Celtic and
Liverpool fans sang along with Gerry Marsden, who obviously is in better
health these days since there was no need for a pacemaker.

I can't believe I wrote that. Anyhow, one had to wonder if Rodgers and
Hammerstein knew, six decades ago, that You'll Never Walk Alone would be
guaranteed to make many a Scot and Scouser shed a salty tear in a football
stadium. But it was karaoke night at Celtic Park and oh how they sang.

Meanwhile, how anyone from central or eastern Europe, Scandinavian or
African could have understood any of it, let alone figure out why opposing
fans should be singing the same song is a mystery.

Nevertheless, both teams got on with their jobs.

Talking of which, Five's Jonathan Pearce got on with his from his Parkhead
perch and let me tell you something about him: he is the tubby little pest
we all knew, the one who wanted to be Johan Cruyff in every after school
kickabout but got put in goal in exchange for his pocket-money and football
stickers.

No liniment in his nostrils, no dubbin under his fingernails and no
substance. But know what, this seriously annoying talking head could get
Tony Blair off the hook with the UN, daft as that may seem.

The PM should pump the volume on recordings of the chubby duffer's
commentaries from the outskirts of Baghdad, day and night, and Saddam would
surely come out with his hands up. Easy Peasy. Besides, Operation Pearce
Prattle has a catchy ring to it, don't you think?

Perhaps not, but Pearce must have bust a blood vessel when Henrik Larsson
satisfied the Celtic fans need when he kneed the opening goal in just two
minutes.

"He's Hans Christian Andersen," Kenny Dalglish said, but prior to that he
came up with a useful information, courtesy of this nugget. "He's a strong
boy, strong physically and mentally. But if he gets a bang on the jaw, that
could be a problem."

The man has just recovered from a broken jaw and I don't need a weatherman
to say which way the wind blows, Kenny. Talking to the television in Bob
Dylan-speak is a habit I'm trying to break.

One habit I'm happy to mosey along with, however, is telling it as it is
and, let's face it, Liverpool should have had a penalty shortly after the
break when big Bobo Baldé handled a high ball inside the box.

Ray Houghton, Pearce's co-commentator, thought so and he said during the
replay of the incident: "You can see Baldé hitting it with his hand, I don't
know how the referee could have missed it."

Nor do I, but that aside, listening to Houghton was quite interesting. For
did you not notice that he has the same whisky-fuelled nasal tone as Willie
Nelson.

In fact, I thought it was the good ol' country boy himself until he appeared
on the screen with the fat fella at half-time.

But if Houghton sounds like Nelson, then Five's resident Lilliputian, Pat
Nevin, is beginning to look more and more like Gobbo, the naughty goblin of
Toytown who causes Noddy no end of bother.

Walk on, Walk on, etc etc!
-------------------------
Liverpool will walk alone into the semis
KAREN GILES: ENGLISH VIEW

Same old song, same old story. You'll never walk alone, but you can forget
the Uefa Cup. Liverpool have this quarter-final all but wrapped up after
weathering the Parkhead storm whipped up by Celtic's Premiership exiles.

Not enough was made beforehand of the players in the Celtic ranks with a
vested interest in rubbing red noses in the Parkhead turf. Three years ago,
Alan Thompson slipped off the English radar, crossing the border, signing
for Celtic, surrendering all rights to be taken seriously.

A natural leftie, a player who has made a career out of charging up and down
the flanks, delivering crosses with his left boot. But has Sven-Göran
Eriksson, the England coach, so much as cast a sideways glance in Thompson's
direction?

Such is the fate of those who cross the great divide. Chris Sutton, back to
his prolific best in the green and white hoops after going off the boil at
Chelsea, will never play for England again. And judging by the way in which
he set about Liverpool last night, a vision of scarcely disguised contempt,
he will not lose sleep over his lack of caps. England's loss is Celtic's
gain. Along with John Hartson, Sutton could not have wished for a better
opportunity to prove his 'English' detractors wrong.

Or so it seemed in the first few seconds, as the anti-England brigade ripped
through the heart of the Liverpool defence. First Hartson clipped the
crossbar, from a searching Thompson cross. Then the belligerent-looking
Welshman headed the ball back across goal, for Thompson to swipe at and
Larsen to convert, with his knee, between the legs of Jerzy Dudek. Cold and
clinical, you feared for Liverpool's safety. Ruud van Nistelrooy and co were
pussycats compared with these steely-eyed assassins.

Aerial firepower versus speed off the blocks, the Premierleague versus the
Premiership, but what about Michael Owen? The little chap with super-charged
boots, who scored his first ever European goal on this pitch five and a half
years ago, had been expected to strike fear and dread in Celtic's back
three. Having upset Manchester United in the Worthington Cup final a
fortnight ago, with a deftly-taken strike on the counter-attack, this was
supposed to be Owen's night. And he barely got a look in.

Instead it was Emile Heskey, the player Liverpool fans love to hate, who
scored the goal away from home that could yet seal Celtic's fate. And how
fitting that one of O'Neill's former pupils at Leicester should provide the
inspiration for Liverpool's recovery. Anxious to please, as he was at
Filbert Street, the England striker showed no sign of the hamstring injury
that threatened his participation last night. It was a peach of a left-foot
finish.

Five years ago Gérard Houllier snubbed Celtic in favour of his beloved
Liverpool, the club he supported as a young man. This week, he did it again.
"When I came here the facilities were not great. When I looked at Celtic
they were not good either. How are they now? Still not good at Celtic. At
Liverpool we have changed it around, we have made a lot of progress on and
off the field." Four trophies, including the Uefa Cup two years ago.

And the Celtic hurricane blew itself out, as we half-suspected it would.

No-one could keep up that sort of pressure for long, all that bloody-minded
force and fury. Once the element of surprise had been negated, Larsson's
characteristic strike of impudence cancelled out by Heskey's measured
finish, it all became rather predictable. Even without his partner in crime,
Stéphane Henchoz, Sami Hyypiä soon got the measure of the lofted ball.
Steven Gerrard, speechless at the start, found his voice and his range.

Celtic's double penalty claim early in the second half was a nonsense, as
the Norwegian referee confirmed, with a dismissive flourish of his hand. Far
more deserving were Liverpool, after Bobo Baldé's handball in the opposite
box. Curiously, not a single red shirt appealed for the spot kick. It made
you wonder whether Liverpool had taken all the pre-match 'bosom buddy
business' a bit too seriously. All those testimonials and sharing of a theme
tune. At times, Liverpool seemed a bit too squidgy.

-March 14th

Scottish Premier League,
Saturday March 8, 2003,
Celtic Park
CELTIC. 1
Hartson 57
RANGERS. 0
Before this match, all the paper talk had been of white flags and surrender.
However, if this was indeed a must-win game - as Martin O'Neill seemed to
suggest it was - then Celtic served a reminder to everyone that the only
flag they intend hoisting over Paradise is another championship one.

This wasn't a classic Old Firm derby by any stretch of the imagination, but
at the close of play no-one could question that the Hoops thoroughly merited
the three points secured by John Hartson's 57th minute strike.

Celtic had taken the field with the pre-match words of their manager ringing
in their ears, knowing that the challenge was to win - or see their title
hope evaporate. Rangers, meanwhile, were chasing their first victory at
Celtic Park in almost three years and, during a predictably scrappy opening
10 minutes, it was the Ibrox side who made most of the running.

Noteworthy opportunities for either side were conspicuous by their absence
at this stage, however, and, for all the din being created by those within
Celtic Park, it took until the 15-minute mark for either set of supporters
to be given anything in the way of encouragement.
It was then that, from a re-taken Stilian Petrov corner, the ball flashed
across Stefan Klos' goal and, with the Rangers defence statuesque, Hartson
failed to react quick enough and merely sliced his shot harmlessly wide of
the right-hand post.

It was the type of opportunity Celtic could ill afford to let slip, although
O'Neill's men did appear to be establishing a stranglehold on proceedings as
the half wore on. Indeed, both Fernando Ricksen and Craig Moore found their
way into referee Mike McCurry's book inside the opening 20 minutes as
Rangers resorted to illegal means to prevent their hosts carving out any
further clear-cut chances.

Alex McLeish's men weren't entirely without attacking bite themselves,
though, and they very nearly snatched an opening goal against the run of
play in 28 minutes when Mikel Arteta pounced on some negligent defending by
Stilian Petrov to smash a vicious left-foot drive inches wide of Douglas'
right-hand post.

The battle between Petrov and Arteta, the sides' most creatively-minded
midfielders, was a particularly intriguing one, and Celtic's talented young
Bulgarian very nearly made up for his moment of casualness when he cracked
in a long-range drive of his own, only to see it deflected wide off Lorenzo
Amoruso.

This incident typified the frustration O'Neill's side were enduring at this
juncture, and their cause was dealt a further blow on 35 minutes when Didier
Agathe was withdrawn with an injury which could yet keep him out of the club
's forthcoming European and League Cup matches. They also watched as Alan
Thompson was denied what appeared to be a legitimate penalty when the
Geordie midfielder crumpled under the challenge of Craig Moore as he headed
for the by-line.

It had been a dreadful first half in all truth, though, and Celtic fans
demanded better when heir side emerged for the start of the second half. And
better they got, certainly in an opening 10-minute period which offered more
entertainment than the previous 45 put together.

Indeed, Celtic should have broken the deadlock inside five minutes of the
match re-starting when Thompson sought out Hartson with one of his pinpoint
crosses only to see the big Welshman somehow contrive to direct his header
wide from six yards. Yet, while the miss was glaring in the extreme, Hartson
wasted little time in making amends because, just seven minutes later, he
fired the Hoops into the lead.

And what a goal it was. Thompson, picking up the ball just inside the
Rangers half, lofted a diagonal pass towards Sutton at the far corner of the
area and, when the former Blackburn man cushioned the ball on his head,
Hartson was on hand to control it on his thigh before lashing a right-foot
volley beyond the helpless Klos.
It was a terrific goal, and one which bore testament to the burly striker's
composure and technique as well as his renowned power. It also gave Celtic
the initiative in this match and, rather than protecting their slender lead,
the Hoops set about extending it.

Indeed, on the hour mark, a killer second nearly arrived from an unlikely
source when Neil Lennon emerged from midfield to fire a well struck volley a
matter of inches wide of Klos' left-hand post. Celtic's domination was
complete and, recognising this, Alex McLeish threw on both Stephen Thompson
and Claudio Caniggia - increasing the number of Rangers strikers on display
to five.

But it was to no avail. Celtic could, and perhaps even should, have made the
final 10 minutes a little less nervy for their supporters when Sutton failed
to find an unmarked Paul Lambert in the centre when he had space and time on
his side. It mattered little, though, when the final whistle brought down
the curtain on a vital Old Firm victory.
Website Man of the Match: PAUL LAMBERT
CELTIC (3-5-2): Douglas; Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren; Agathe (Sylla 35),
Lambert, Lennon, Petrov (McNamara 84), Thompson; Sutton, Hartson
Subs: Broto, Maloney, Crainey
RANGERS (4-3-3): Klos; Ross (Konterman 84), Moore, Amoruso, Bonnissel
(Thompson 68); Ricksen, Ferguson, Arteta (Caniggia 74); McCann, Lovenkrands,
Arveladze
Subs: McGregor, Malcolm

Celtic 3 Hibernian 2
By Lisa Gray, PA Sport

Johan Mjallby grabbed an injury time winner to keep Celtic's Scottish
Premier League title hopes on course after they had been hauled back to
level terms by Hibernian.

The Hoops enjoyed a dream start to the game when John Hartson opened the
scoring after just one minute, before grabbing a second goal midway
through the first half.

Two goals from Tom McManus cancelled out Hartson's brace but Mjallby
ensured the points would be staying at Parkhead when he nodded home in
injury time.

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill decided to make changes to his squad for
today's game against Hibernian following Thursday's UEFA Cup clash with
Stuttgart.

The most notable omission for the game at Parkhead was goalkeeper Robert
Douglas - a goalkeeping crisis meant he had been forced to return to
action early from a hernia operation to ensure Celtic's progression in
the UEFA Cup in Germany.

He was given the chance to rest ahead of the impending double-headers
against Rangers and Liverpool and was replaced by reserve goalkeeper
Javier Sanchez Broto, who had been ineligible to play in the European
tie.

Also missing from the starting line-up to face Hibs were Bobo Balde,
Ulrik Laursen and Chris Sutton, who were replaced by Johan Mjallby,
Stephen Crainey and Shaun Maloney.

Injury meant Hibs boss Bobby Williamson was also forced replace first
choice keeper Nick Colgan with Daniel Andersson, while Alen Orman, John
O'Neil and Mixu Paatelainen were replaced by Paul Fenwick, Derek
Townsley and Garry O'Connor.




Celtic could not have asked for a better start to the game when they
took the lead after just one minute.

Alan Thompson spotted John Hartson unmarked on the corner of the
six-yard box and picked out the big striker with the cross, the Welshman
gratefully nodding his 21st goal of the season past stunned Hibernian
goalkeeper Daniel Andersson.

The Easter Road side thought they had levelled seven minutes later when
Tam McManus shrugged off Johan Mjallby to pounce on a long ball into the
area. He nodded past Javier Sanchez Broto from just a few yards out but
the assistant referee's flag was already raised for offside.

Celtic had a great chance to add to their lead after 12 minutes when
Mjallby played a short pass to Shaun Maloney and he tried to squeeze the
ball home from 12 yards, but pulled the effort just wide of the post
instead.

Maloney had the opportunity to make amends a few minutes later when he
met Thompson's cross before trying his luck from the edge of the
six-yard box but this time was denied by Andersson.


A free kick 35 yards out gave Maloney another chance to add his name to
the scoresheet but the set-piece was easily held by the Hibs goalkeeper.

Maloney had to settle for being the provider for Hartson's second goal
of the day.

His corner was met by Hartson at the near post and the big striker left
Andersson with no chance when he bulleted a header home from close range
to extend Celtic's lead after 23 minutes.

Despite the setback, Hibs continued to push forward and they were
rewarded seven minutes before the break when they pulled a goal back.

Garry O'Connor played the ball into the area and the cross should have
been easily held by Broto but he fumbled the ball under pressure from
McManus, allowing the young striker to round him before slotting home
from close range.

Celtic tried to respond quickly and Hartson could have grabbed his
hat-trick a couple of minutes later but his header smacked off the
crossbar under close marking from Ian Murray.

HT: Celtic 2 Hibernian 1

Neither manager decided to take advantage of the half-time interval to
make changes and both sides had chances to find the back of the net
shortly after the restart.

Maloney once again presided over a long-range free-kick but, like his
previous attempt, the 30-yard shot was weak and easily cleared by the
Hibs defence.

The action switched to the other end of the park and the Easter Road
side were unlucky not to level after 49 minutes. Craig James' corner
kick had been cleared by Mjallby but the ball broke to Murray who
unleashed an impressive drive only to be denied by Broto, who turned the
effort past the post.

Hibs were beginning to grow in confidence and Derek Townsley had a
couple of decent chances to find the back of the net.

He met a James cross after 55 minutes only to see his header easily
blocked by Broto and the Spanish goalkeeper was called into action again
three minutes later - this time to block Townsley's diving header from a
Grant Brebner cross.

Brebner did manage to set up Hibs' second goal but the plaudits went to
McManus again when he produced a dazzling 25-yard drive to cannon the
ball past Broto after 59 minutes.

As the game entered the final 15 minutes, only the heroics of the
Hibernian goalkeeper prevented Hartson from clinching his hat-trick, and
reclaiming Celtic's lead, when Andersson somehow managed to block his
shot from six yards.

Celtic continued to push forward in a desperate attempt to secure the
three points but they found themselves frustrated by the Hibs defence.

But, with only injury time remaining, Mjallby secured all three points
when he met a corner kick to head home the winner at the far post from
just a couple of yards.

FT: Celtic 3 Hibernian 2

Dream start keeps Celtic on path to European glory

Stuttgart 3 - 2 Celtic 2
Celtic win 5-4 on aggregate

Graham Clark
Friday February 28, 2003
The Guardian

It has taken Celtic 23 years to remain in Europe beyond Christmas but the
Scottish champions have clearly taken a liking to this hitherto unchartered
territory.
Martin O'Neill's team are now in the Uefa Cup quarter-finals, following a
first-leg win in Glasgow, and a narrow Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium defeat
against Stuttgart completed an impressive 5-4 aggregate victory.
In recent months Celtic have inflicted defeats on sides from Spain's La Liga
in the shape of Celta Vigo, Blackburn Rovers from the Premiership and now
Stuttgart from the Bundesliga in Germany. Their European credentials can no
longer be questioned. O'Neill declared as much when he said: "We're through
and that is what matters. We also deserve to be in the quarter-finals.
"This was another marvellous effort and although it became more nervous than
necessary for us late on I felt we were in command by and large.
"The start was excellent and exactly what we wanted and from there we should
probably have won the game. But Stuttgart are a quality team. They are third
in the Bundesliga and showed why in the latter stages. We have achieved
another excellent result."
The start had gone far better than manager and players had dared hope as
they weathered the home team's early storm and then struck with deadly
effect not just once, but twice in the opening quarter of an hour. Stuttgart
were caught with sucker-punches that not just laid them low but ultimately
proved to knock them out.
The Germans had started brightly enough. Andreas Hinkel went close and
Steffen Dangelmayr, with a free header after seven minutes from a Krassimir
Balakov corner, should certainly have done better than head wide as well.
Yet Celtic defended stoutly in that vital spell and having soaked up the
Stuttgart pressure they grabbed the opening goal after just 12 minutes when
a brilliant Didier Agathe run and cross, and a header on from John Hartson,
allowed Alan Thompson in to nod past Hildebrand.
It was the ideal start for the Scots and it quickly became perfect when just
three minutes later Celtic added a second through Chris Sutton after more
excellent work from Agathe on the right. That was effectively that as Celtic
held a 5-1 aggregate lead and Stuttgart, even if their pride dictated
otherwise, knew so.
They struggled until it was too late to show any of the form that has taken
them to third in the Bundesliga, although Hinkel might have had a penalty
when he was tripped by Thompson after 31 minutes.
The Englishman was fortunate then but not so lucky seven minutes later when
he was injured as the home side pulled a goal back. Heiko Gerber did well on
the left and when he spotted Christian Tiffert in the area vacated by the
absent Thompson he flighted the cross over and the youngster sent a simple
header past Rab Douglas.
The remarkable first half rendered the second 45 minutes largely redundant
although Stuttgart served notice of their intent when they re-started with
striker Viorel Ganea in place of the central defender Dangelmayr, and while
it was a gamble that never looked like paying the full dividend they gained
some reward.
The Stuttgart manager Felix Magath tried another switch after 64 minutes
when Michael Mutzel went on for Tiffert but the Germans were in disarray by
then and Celtic's huge travelling support weren't slow to remind the locals
of the fact.
Yet there was one last push to come from Stuttgart - desperate to avoid the
humilia tion of a home defeat. Aliaksander Helb burst through after 75
minutes to equalise and while it was no cause for Scottish concern when the
same player hit the post with a searing drive shortly after nerves began to
jangle a little.
They were positively rattling, in fact, when after Shaun Maloney and Jackie
McNamara replaced Lambert and Sutton substitute Mutzel gave his side the
winning lead in the 87th minute.
Stuttgart (4-1-3-2): Hildebrand; Hinkel, Dangelmayr (Ganea, 46), Wenzel,
Gerber (Seitz, 80); Soldo; Hleb, Balakov, Tiffert (Mutzel, 65); Kuranyi,
Amanatidis.
Celtic (3-5-2): Douglas; Valgaeren, Balde, Laursen; Agathe, Lennon, Lambert
(Maloney, 82), Petrov, Thompson; Hartson, Sutton (McNamara, 87).
Referee: J Wegereef (Holland).

Celtic punish 10-man Stuttgart

Celtic 3 - 1 VfB Stuttgart

Kevin McCarra
Friday February 21, 2003

Celtic had one of their finest results in modern times despite the
unpromising circumstances of this Uefa Cup fourth-round tie. As eviction
from the Champions League by Basle showed, a 3-1 lead from the home leg is
not always sufficient but the players can pause to cherish this eventful
win.
Martin O'Neill's men, disadvantaged by injuries and the suspension of John
Hartson, prayed for some rogue event that would tilt the balance back
towards them. They got it, too, with Marcelo Bordon, Stuttgart's Brazilian
centre-back, sent off for a professional foul after 19 minutes.
The red card was a challenge to take command of the game, if not the tie,
but Celtic could not meet it immediately.
The visitors, a man down, were soon a goal ahead and it was an unexpected
achievement for Celtic to gain the lead by the interval. Their character
shone through even in the absence of some of their talent.
Celtic had not been at this modestly advanced stage of a European
competition for 23 years and there were real questions about their merits in
such a context. This was not the ideal juncture for Celtic to field awkward
inquiries.
Once Henrik Larsson had been ruled out with a broken jaw, there was never
any threat to Pierluigi Collina's status as the glitziest figure on the
pitch. As far as Celtic were concerned, the referee was welcome to his
celebrity because this was no night for glamour from the Scottish champions.
They are a pragmatic bunch and tumultuous aggression was the pronounced
element of their repertoire here.
Lacking the enterprise of Larsson, manager O'Neill placed a marked emphasis
on experience as he sought a line-up that could stand its ground against a
currently potent Bundesliga side.
The captain Paul Lambert is often left on the bench at the start of the most
trying fixtures but he was reinstated this time. The long-serving Jackie
McNamara was accommodated as well, even if that meant pushing the midfielder
back into defence.
There was no rhythm to the team at the start and the visitors' attackers
looked predatory. The nature of the struggle changed, all the same, when
Shaun Maloney, Larsson's understudy, sent Stilian Petrov on a run that was
halted coarsely by Bordon 30 yards out. Other Stuttgart players were
hurtling back, but the centre-half had been the last man and Collina had no
reason to excuse him.
Steffen Dangelmayr's introduction as a replacement for the centre-half meant
that Ioannis Amanatidis, one of the forwards, had to be removed. Despite
that reduction in firepower, Stuttgart broke through in the 26th minute when
Kevin Kuranyi headed in a chip from Krassimir Balakov.
The setback dispelled Celtic's inhibitions and, with Didier Agathe dynamic,
they played with the zest of men who had nothing left to lose. Their goal,
in the 39th minute, was thoughtfully constructed as Petrov chested down a
McNamara cross and Lambert slanted a controlled drive into the corner of the
net.
Felix Magath's men were apprehensive and six minutes later Dangelmayr proved
a sorry deputy for Bordon, bungling a through ball by Alan Thompson which
put Maloney in position to accept his opportunity sharply.
That was a piercing blow to Stuttgart but this is a hardened, fit side and
energy only trickled out of them instead of gushing away as Celtic hoped.
Still, Celtic maintained a high tempo and the patterns of their play grew
more marked. Lambert, 34, was restored now as the orchestrator of the
build-up. The captain needed treatment for a foul that left him in a heap
but there was no chance that he would let himself be withdrawn from this
occasion easily.
It was Lambert who delivered a shrewd pass for his side's third goal in the
68th minute. It picked out the run of Petrov and, drilling the ball in from
close to the byline on the right, he beat the goalkeeper Timo Hilderbrand at
the near post.
That finish confounded geometry just as, to Celtic's joy, the night was
defying logic.
Celtic (3-5-2): Douglas; McNamara, Balde (Laursen, 88), Valgaeren; Agathe,
Lambert, Lennon, Petrov, Thompson (Smith, 69); Maloney, Sutton.
VfB Stuttgart (4-3-1-2): Hildebrand; Hinkel, Meira, Bordon, Gerber; Meissner
(Aundio, 76), Soldo, Hleb (Carnell, 52); Balakov; Amanatidis (Dangelmayr,
19), Kuranyi.
Sent off: Bordon.
Booked: Meira, Meissner.
Referee: P Collina (Italy).

Maloney can be silver lining as Larsson cloud falls on Celtic Stand-in shows he is ready to take over, writes GRAHAM SPIERS
Celtic 2 - Livingston 1
Scorers: Celtic - Sylla (77), Sutton (85); Livingston - Zarate (52).
There was nothing routine about this desperate Celtic victory yesterday,
save for a reminder once more for Martin O'Neill that, in Shaun Maloney, he
has in his possession a little gem of a footballer. For a more garish
reason, though, there is at Parkhead today a terrible sense of trauma.
The loss of Henrik Larsson, who departed after 13 minutes with a
double-fracture of the jaw, is surely still too horrible to contemplate for
O'Neill. Larsson, who was immediately whisked off to hospital and operated
on last night, will be out for as long as two months, landing a savage blow
on Celtic's domestic and European ambitions.
If there is a shaft of light at all for Celtic, it surely surrounds little
Maloney. Replacing Larsson yesterday, he gradually unravelled a gutsy and
skilful Livingston side and, more pertinently, cracked in two sumptuous
free-kicks, neither of which Alan Main or his Livingston team-mates were
capable of coping with. It was as a direct result of these two devilish
Maloney efforts, in the 77th and 84th minutes, that Celtic finally grabbed
the points.
At 5ft 5in there is nothing physically intimidating about Maloney, but this
wasn't the first time that either O'Neill or the rest of us were presented
with his array of talents. Not only is his dead-ball aptitude an appliance
of art, but he can run with the ball at pace and spread dizziness among
def-enders.
While Larsson's loss is shocking to Celtic, Maloney did nothing but
emphasize to O'Neill that there need be no debate about the Swede's
replacement to play beside either Chris Sutton or John Hartson.
"I thought Shaun was sensational, utterly magnificent," said O'Neill of the
striker whom he rushed to warmly embrace at the final whistle. "Before he
inflicted his blows we were beginning to think it might not be our day." On
an afternoon of various festering issues for O'Neill, he was entitled to a
huge sigh of relief.
This outcome, while being critical to the SPL still having a championship
race to speak of, still seemed a bit of a brutal injustice to Livingston.
The West Lothian side had been tactically excellent under Jim Leishman and
Davie Hay, with Francisco Quino and Stuart Lovell, in particular, both
regularly grasping the play in midfield. Prior to their opening goal after
53 minutes, indeed, Livingston might well have been ahead, and it was only
in the final six minutes that Celtic could feel assured of plucking all
three points.
It is hard to know what to make of this Livi team, a colourful brigade of
Spaniards and South Americans who seem utterly out of kilter in sleepy West
Lothian. Even more remarkable at Parkhead yesterday was the re-appearance of
Eugene Dadi, the great non-specialist in the art of scoring goals, whose
January of hawking himself around some of the clubs of the Gulf States was
so unproductive, and doubtless so goalless, that he has wound up back where
he started - with Livingston.
Amid this list of characters and more, a man such as Dominic Keane, the Livi
chairman, has been nothing if not creative and original in building his
football club. It has, though, had a disorientating effect on those of us
who were used to Scotland's smaller clubs being packed with Rabs and Bobs.
Rolando Zarate, though, looked a sterling striker. He had already whacked in
a screaming free-kick which Magnus Hedman acrobatically tipped round a post
before grabbing Livi their lead after 53 minutes. The goal followed some
shambolic Celtic defending, during which the home side twice failed to clear
the ball properly, resulting in Joos Valgaeren being horribly short with a
pass-back, which allowed Zarate to round Hedman and prod the ball home.
With John Hartson dropped by O'Neill, Celtic could have done without the
misfortune of Larsson's loss. The incident was felt all the more by the
Celtic manager, given that Larsson and Sutton, restored beside each other in
Celtic's attack, had seemed to be enjoying all their old understanding
together. The cross from Sutton, indeed, from which Larsson was injured
while attempting his header, was the third such manoeuvre concocted between
the two in those brief opening minutes.
While Livingston were astute in their play, Celtic, through Maloney in
particular, slowly turned the screw. After 77 minutes Sutton was upended,
following which Maloney shooed away anyone who showed an interest in the
dead-ball before licking a shot which crashed back off Main's right post.
The rebound slammed down into the path of the on-rushing Momo Sylla -
himself no slouch for Celtic - who bundled the ball home.
Seven minutes later Celtic secured their heart-felt win. This time it was
Valgaeren, sprinting forward and rather cleverly inviting a challenge in
order to win a free-kick in Maloney's range, who crashed to earth amid a
thicket of Livi defenders. Again, Maloney stood over the ball while Main
constructed his wall. Seconds later, another free-kick zipped towards the
Livi goalkeeper, who this time slapped it back into the path of Sutton, who
shot into the net.
Celtic ended the match by playing for time in the corners, with two
substitutes, Paul Lambert and Steve Guppy, using their old pros' cynicism
and cunning to make sure the game was killed. It was a mere symptom of how
much this was a salvage job for Celtic.
-Feb 10th

Balde double gives Celtic the final word

Graham Clark at Hampden Park
Friday February 7, 2003
The Guardian

Bobo Balde proved an unlikely hero, Henrik Larsson a predictable one, as
Celtic made sure of another Old Firm fixture in the shape of the CIS
Insurance Cup final on March 16.
Celtic against Rangers will surprise no one, yet this semi-final scoreline
was in some ways astonishing. Dundee United, displaying new character and
commitment under their recently appointed manager Ian McCall, did not
deserve to lose by three goals.
The Tannadice team, in fact, had the better of the first-half chances, Derek
Lilley being twice denied by Joos Valgaeren and Ulrik Laursen, but their
brave challenge evaporated in the face of Balde's opener after 52 minutes
and the sending-off of Jim Lauchlan for a wild tackle on Larsson four
minutes later.
The prolific Swede, with a good finish on 80 minutes, and Balde, with an
injury-time header, completed the picture but Celtic's manager Martin
O'Neill was left afterwards to deny again speculation linking him with
Liverpool rather than celebrating victory.
"This is embarrassing," he said. "I don't know how many times we have to go
through this. It is simply not true." He went on: "We were a bit sloppy in
the first half but came through. We have a lot to look forward to now." That
includes two Old Firm matches in eight days next month, with the possibility
of a Uefa Cup tie between.
There is no such glamour for McCall, who had no argument over Lauchlan's red
card, which was part of a litany of indiscipline that saw Charlie Miller and
Jim McIntyre from his own team booked as well as Jamie Smith, Paul Lambert
and John Hartson.
Celtic (3-5-2): Hedman; Valgaeren, Balde, Laursen; Agathe (Sylla, 81),
Lambert, Lennon, Sutton, Smith (Fernandez, 72); Hartson (Thompson, 72),
Larsson.
Booked: Lambert, Hartson, Smith.
Dundee United (3-5-2): Combe; Wilson, Lauchlan, McCracken; Duff, Miller
(O'Donnell, 73), Easton, McIntyre, Paterson (McCunnie, 69); Lilley, Dodds
(Hamilton, 62).
Booked: McIntyre, Miller.
Sent off : Lauchlan.
Referee: S Dougal.

Sunday 2nd February 2003

CELTIC.........2 (Sutton 7, 33)
PARTICK THISTLE...0
A first-half brace from Chris Sutton ensured that the biting cold at Firhill had little effect on the Hoops as Martin O'Neill's side kept the heat turned
up on Rangers.
With the Ibrox side taking all three points from their encounter with Aberdeen almost 24 hours earlier, it was imperative that Celtic claimed victory in Maryhill. Neil Lennon made his first senior appearance in almost eight weeks after recovering from a torn hamstring, while Ulrik Laursen
stepped into the injured Johan Mjallby's shoes. There were also starting places for Jackie McNamara and Jamie Smith, while John Hartson and Paul Lambert were both rested.
Hartson sustained a knock in the Lisbon Lions benefit game against Feyenoord, and although he played and scored against Dundee United midweek, the injury was causing him a little pain.
With a blizzard coinciding with kick-off it was the kind of afternoon when football often becomes a bystander, but it was to the Hoops' credit that
they started the game full of energy and commitment, despite the torrid underfoot conditions.
Within seven minutes Sutton had found the net for the first time in the game. Immediately prior to the goal the striker had an appeal for a penalty
turned away by referee Kenny Clark as he tumbled under a Kevin McGowne challenge. No spot-kick was given, and instead the whistler sounded for a corner. Stan Petrov swung a deep ball from the right into the back post where Larsson got a touch before the ball was partially cleared to Jackie McNamara at the edge of the box.
The midfielder hit a fierce shot that Sutton, cleverly beating the offside trap, pounced on to turn high into the net and beyond the despairing arms of Thistle keeper Kenny Arthur. It was the start that Celtic had aimed for, and although Thistle tried to force themselves into the game as the minutes ticked by the resolve of O'Neill's side was firm.
Magnus Hedman was forced into two decent stops in three minutes from David Rowson and Alan Archibald midway through the opening period, while Petrov
was the first name into the book on the brink of the half hour mark when he was found guilty of a late challenge on David Lilley. Although Thistle restricted Celtic to limited chances inside the box, Sutton's second goal 12 minutes before the break was a critical strike and from which is was difficult to envisage Thistle overturning.
Lennon shuffled the ball out to Didier Agathe on the right flank and the winger's forward dash followed by a low cross across the face of the goal wasn't properly dealt with by the Thistle defence. The ball fell into Sutton's path and the striker slipped the ball under Arthur and into the bottom right-hand corner.
It could have got worse for Thistle before the break. Larsson struck a free-kick that dipped narrowly wide of the left-hand post, while the Swede also scorned a chance to add to the scoreline after he was out through by Sutton.
The Englishman ought to have secured his hat-trick just before the hour mark when Lennon's ball escaped through a ruck of legs and fell to the striker, but from eight yards out he blazed his shot high over the bar. Kenny Milne almost grabbed a sensational goal back for the hosts when he tried to lob Hedman from deep inside the Celtic half, but although his attempt ballooned over the keeper it fell onto the roof of the net and the Swede's blushes were saved.
Celtic could have added to their tally as the game wore on with Smith, enjoying chances in front of goal, but despite the missed opportunities there was plenty of satisfaction with another three points.
CELTIC (3-5-2): Hedman; Valgaeren, Balde, Laursen; Agathe, McNamara, Petrov,
Lennon (Healy 86), Smith; Larsson, Sutton.
Subs: Broto, Maloney, Crainey, Guppy.
PARTICK (4-4-2): Arthur; Lilley, Craigan, McGowne, Archibald; Rowson,
Paterson (Walker 68), Hardie (Gibson 81), Milne (Buchan 78); Britton, Burns.
Subs: Budinauckas, Waddell.
WEBSITE MAN OF THE MATCH: Chris Sutton
ATTENDANCE: 7,119

Wednesday 29th January 2003

Routine for Celtic's deadly duo Panache not required as poor United are
dispatched, writes EWING GRAHAME
Celtic 2 - Dundee United 0
Celtic's continued success on their own midden is in danger of becoming a
bore. Prior to last night, they had gone 40 matches unbeaten at Parkhead
against domestic and continental opposition, scoring on each occasion.
Promisingly enough for the few neutral observers present, they struggled for
long periods here to impersonate a potent force but eventually their
quality - and, it should be said, the lack of same from United - told.
Martin O'Neill's side had looked sluggish enough in dispatching St Mirren at
the weekend and, as Hearts found out at Brockville, rust never sleeps. Of
course, the gulf in class between these two sides was such that betting on
anything other than a home win was always going to be the preserve of David
Icke and his turquoise-bedecked ilk.
These are dark times for those who follow United. Two decades have passed
since their only championship success but that achievement must seem as far
away as the reign of Queen Victoria to the unfortunate schoolchildren born
too late to witness it.
The pale shadows who filled (barely) the tangerine jerseys here did their
best. That, in itself, is sad enough. For a club who once considered leaving
Parkhead with a draw as a bad result, this two-goal defeat was a moral
victory. Celtic could have done with them what they wished and a landslide
appeared on the cards. As it was, it took 25 minutes of largely undignified
huffing and puffing here before the champions were able to move out of
neutral and finally take the lead against the SPL's most ineffectual side.
Jamie Smith, keeping his place in the starting eleven ahead of Steve Guppy,
was the architect with a tempting cross which John Hartson, escaping the
attentions of new signing Gary Bollan, headed firmly behind Paul Gallacher
from six yards.
Referee John Underhill might as well have drawn proceedings to a close right
there. In most leagues, matches which are abandoned - or not even started -
due to a team not having the required amount of players tend to be awarded
to the opposition by a 3-0 scoreline.
United certainly fielded the requisite number of players but whether they
constituted a team is another matter entirely; their resistance was low and
their quality lower.
Ian McCall, the Falkirk manage