Celtic 3 Hibernian 0

December 1st 2001
Scottish Premier League
Attendance:

Scorers:
Hibernian: .
Celtic: Hartson (2), Lennon.

This is a copy of a report of the game as it appeared in the Scotland on Sunday on Sunday 2nd December 2001

Celtic win battle of Hartson minds

MASTERY can quickly become mundane. Celtic, while never requiring to extend themselves, collected yet three more points yesterday to add another star to a sequence of results that, were they to take the form of a school report card, would belong to the all-time dux.

A first-half double from John Hartson was added to by a second-half strike from Neil Lennon that brought the Northern Ireland
international only his second net-bulging moment in Celtic colours since his £5.75m move from Leicester City exactly one year ago this week.

As a spectacle, to put it bluntly, it wasn't one. It is not Celtic's fault that they have an ability to win games - week in, week out - in a manner not seen in more than 30 years in Scottish football. But the fact that victories, especially within their own environs, have become so matter of fact, does not exactly send the blood coursing through the veins for
those looking on at such lopsided contests.

It is not entirely Hibernian's fault either that they are so obviously operating on a different plane from Martin O'Neill's men. Although it is not so very long ago – April in fact – since they came to Celtic Park and left with a point. Harvesting anything from away games has this season become an arduous task for the Easter Road men, who have won only once in their travels, and indeed claimed only five victories from 16 SPL encounters this season. They genuinely were of the mighty variety in claiming third place last season. They genuinely have fallen a hell of a long way, despite the midweek CIS Cup quarter-final victory over Dundee United. "You could see we'd gained confidence from the cup win," McLeish venutred afterwards. "We had a good spell at 2-0 and 1-0 and if we'd scored at either of those times we might have been able to ask Celtic a few questions. We're not kidding ourselves on that we are a match for them, though."

O'Neill's side, as we keep hearing, are not the scintillating force they were. In itself, this has had no adverse affect on their ability to retain a mammoth advantage over second-placed Rangers that now stands at 12 points. The Ibrox side themselves were sent away from Celtic Park with their tails between their legs, courtesy of the home side's 2-1 victory in last Sunday's Old Firm game. Rangers retain the ability to test and stretch Celtic, if not actually deprive them of any points. Only Livingston, with a draw in Almondvale in
August, have been able to slow down the relentless march of Celtic through their league opponents and now, a third of the campaign in, the title 'race' is in danger of becoming as about as exciting as an evening with Iain Duncan Smith.

The downside for O'Neill this week is that both the result and performance against Hibs yesterday would give him no indication of whether he has a team equipped to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Thursday's Celtic Park return leg leg of the Scottish champions' third-round UEFA Cup tie.

To this end, encouraging to the Irishman will have been Hartson's double, which demonstrated that an ugly duckling of a player can have his swan-like moments, and the return of Chris Sutton, who
appeared in a three-man defence after missing recent games because of his baby son James' serious illness. With the visitors creating little in attack he was gently eased back in but Celtic themselves made a relatively
explosive start with a goal inside 11 minutes. A Momo Sylla throw-in made its way to Paul Lambert and his drifting cross to the far post was met by the Welshman, who plopped a header over the uncertain Tony Caig in the Easter Road side's goal.

Hartson, who can have his
moments where he is not an aesthetically pleasing footballer to say the least, had one of those eight minutes later when he struck the outside of the upright with the goal gaping after being released by Henrik Larsson. But as if to prove he'll not be easily pigeonholed, the 26-year-old striker made certainthe three points would remain at Celtic Park with a 40th-minute strike deserving of the term exquisite.

Played inside by Johan Mjallby, Hartson breezed forward as if ready to cut inside his marker, before surprising all with the most perfectly executed chip, weight and direction perfect as it arced over the head of Caig to raucous cheers from a subdued crowd. "I'd have to say that's one of me best goals ever, " the chunky forward gleefully commented afterwards.

To be fair, the respective form of both sides gave no end of pointers to the fact that Celtic would win at a canter, Hibs would again bear absolutely no
resemblance to the side that so impressed as Scotland's third force last season and, in consequence, the encounter wouldn't be a thrill-a-minute. Hibs weren't all bad, though. "I'd give my players 10 out of 10 for application," McLeish reflected. In the half hour between losing a first and second goal, they tried to compete, tried to come up with that spark which is proving more elusive to them than it ever did to Stone Age man. Tom McManus and Paco Luna manfully beavered away upfront, but it was to little effect with the Spaniard only able to head straight at Robert
Douglas after a fine centre from Alen Orman midway through the first half, while his Scottish strike partner could not trouble the Celtic keeper in the early stages of the second period, Douglas smothering a second attempt after McManus had sent in a tame effort on slicing a path through the home back line.

It was left to Lennon to show the visitors how it should be done
with 18 minutes remaining, the midfielder exchanging passes with Hartson before making the truest contact to sidefoot a thumping, rising effort past the goalkeeper from 22 yards out.

Another victory safely bagged, Celtic had numerous opportunities to make McLeish's side feel mortally embarrassed about their afternoon's efforts. Maybe it
was simply out of pity that they squandered them all.

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