Dundee v Celtic

17th February 2002

SPL

Report - Football 365

Henrik Larsson handed Celtic a massive injury scare, hobbling out of the 3-0 win at Dundee with an apparent hamstring strain.

Paul Lambert also gave Celtic some concern by limping off in the second-half.

Johan Mjallby and John Hartson eased the pain, though, by securing the points which leaves Celtic needing just five wins from their last nine games to keep the championship trophy at Parkhead.

The day started out well for Martin O'Neill's men as they restricted the home side to long-range efforts.

Then referee Mike McCurry began to upset the home fans with some questionable decisions - and he stirred them up in the 15th minute by booking Massimo Beghetto for fouling Bobo Balde.

Their misery was compounded in the 20th minute when Celtic took the lead through Larsson, who sidefooted into an empty net.

Celtic then suffered their first blow in the 39th minute when Larsson hobbled off - he was replaced by Lubo Moravcik.

Larsson's departure lifted the home side, but that was short lived as Celtic doubled their lead three minutes before the break, Mjallby heading Moravcik's cross home from close range.

The home side came back into the game in the second half and should have reduced the deficit with two chances in the space of a minute.

First Milne squandered a glorious chance, heading just wide, before Douglas denied Dundee with a brave save from Kemas in the 71st minute.

Lambert then tackled Ketsbaia as the Georgian sized up to shoot into the empty net, but was hurt in the challenge and hobbled off to be replaced by Steve Guppy.

The champions refused to let that get to them and they killed off the home side in the 75th minute in great style.

Moravcik found Hartson with a wonderful ball and the Welshman controlled it, took his time and then chipped Speroni.

DUNDEE (4-4-2): Speroni; MacKay (Artero 46), Zhiyi, Del Rio, Smith; Romano, Rae, Ketsbaia, Beghetto; Caballero (Kemas 58), Milne (Sara 71)
Subs: Garrido, Robertson, Langfield

CELTIC (3-5-2): Douglas; Sutton, Balde, Mjallby; Agathe (Smith 78), Lambert (Guppy 74), Lennon, Petrov, Thompson; Larsson (Moravcik 38), Hartson
Subs: Gould, Crainey