| Match Pictures | Matches: 2000 – 2001 | 2000-2001 Pictures |
Trivia
- Eyal Berkovic was not the only Celtic player interesting Graeme Souness at Blackburn Rovers. He also enquired as to the availability of John Mjallby who was not a first pick for O’Neill but was still considered part of his first team plans.
- The Celtic Trust put forward two resolutions at the AGM which were not accepted by the Board, the first calling for a fan’s seat on the Board. A relatively calm AGM took place with an acknowledgement of Allan MacDonald’s achievements in his second and final AGM, after announcing he would retire earlier at the end of the season. Chairman Brian Quinn did acknowledge the Trust’s questions but said, in what would become a well worn mantra that ‘….many of the directors were fans’. Another issue raised which would be heard time and time again was the quality of the PA in Celtic Park. The main focus though was on moves towards taking Celtic into a European League and how the club would not undersell the media rights.
- With the Celtic Trust’s thrust for a fan on the Board, Brian Dempsey had been buying up shares at an alarming rate. He launched into a scathing attack on Allan MacDonald through the pages of the Sunday Mail. This gave the lie to where he was coming from and Celtic supporters were wary of the phoney philanthropist.
Review
A tough game away with some dodgy penalties at both ends but Larsson came up trumps to pull the Bhoys back to the top of the table.
Teams
Dunfermline:
Ruitenbeek, Nicholson, Skerla, Skinner, Doesburg, Matthaei (Boyle 88), Ferguson, S. Thomson, Bullen, Crawford, Mendes (Dair 71).
Subs Not Used: Reid, S. Thomson, McGarty.
Goals: Crawford 60 pen.
Booked: Ferguson. (Dunfermiline)
Celtic:
Gould, McNamara, Boyd, Valgaeren, Mahe (Moravcik 67), Petrov, Mjallby, Lambert, Thompson, Larsson, Sutton.
Subs Not Used: Stubbs, Kerr, Burchill, Riseth.
Goals: Larsson 62 pen, 85.
Booked: Thompson, Valgaeren, Petrov, Gould, Sutton. (Celtic)
Referee: W Young (Scotland).
Attendance: 9,493
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Stats
| Dunfermiline | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 1 | 5 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Fouls | 18 | 16 |
| Shots on Target | 1 | 4 |
| Corners | 3 | 8 |
| Offside | 0 | 2 |
Larsson leaves it late to rescue Celtic
The Scotsman 19/09/2000
Jonathan Coates
Dunfermline 1 Celtic 2
CELTIC maintained their winning run with a late Henrik Larsson goal to add to his earlier penalty to break the hearts of a plucky Dunfermline side at East End Park last night.
Dunfermline had taken the lead with a Steve Crawford penalty early in the second half, but Larsson equalised immediately and then secured a win that never looked likely until the Swede rounded Marco Ruitenbeek and passed the ball into the net to cause despondency in a previously water-tight home defence and end an eventful and even game.
Dunfermline, with Junior Mendes impressing, directed much of the first half though Celtic had the better chances. After ten games under Martin O'Neill, Celtic arrived at East End Park having scored 35 goals and conceded just six in an unrelenting sequence of victories.
Dunfermline had yet to be beaten in the SPL at home, but only four goals this season told their own story. Swedish utility player Johan Mjallby kept his place ahead of Alan Stubbs for Celtic after an excellent performance against Helsinki in the 2-0 midweek European victory, while Vidar Riseth claimed a place on the bench ahead of Eyal Berkovic.
The travelling Celtic fans were up off their seats early lambasting a linesman for flagging Chris Sutton and then taunting former Rangers enemy Ian Ferguson over a misplaced pass. After the first corner was only partially cleared, Jackie McNamara crossed from the right for Larsson whose head flick inadvertently carried the ball beyond the waiting Sutton. But Dunfermline soon relaxed and a cute one-two between Mendes and Barry Nicholson showed they had a degree of confidence.
But in 11 minutes it was Celtic who came close to scoring, new signing Alan Thompson striking a tight shot from the left that Ruitenbeek's feet deflected on to a post. Paul Lambert then went close from a Larsson lay-off and Celtic seemed to be taking control, but a crude two-footed tackle by Thompson on Rob Matthaei shook the hosts into action and they enjoyed a period of dominance. First, a long ball from Andrius Skerla was received by Lee Bullen on his chest and he was denied running through on goal only by a sliding tackle from Mjallby.
Dunfermline were now in charge and displaying genuine attacking intent, but Mjallby came to Celtic's rescue by cutting out two dangerous crosses from Mendes.
Celtic regained the initiative near the end of the half, but there was much for O'Neill to work on at the interval with their passes and crosses not finding hooped shirts.
Celtic's best early effort of the second half fell to Thompson who picked himself up after being upended following a one-two with Larsson only to blast his free-kick over the crossbar. The visitors should have gone ahead near the hour mark when former Dunfermline player McNamara stole the ball from Justin Skinner and sprinted through on goal. It looked for all the world to be 1-0, but the defender slid a regulation shot wide of the left-hand post.
The match then exploded into drama when Dunfermline were awarded what seemed like a soft penalty. Sutton was adjudged to have handled when Skerla was sizing up a header and the striker was booked in the ensuing aftermath. Jonathan Gould was also yellow-carded for delaying the kick by which time Crawford had already decided where his kick was going and the finish was emphatic.
However, Celtic stormed back and Lambert was shoved by Scott Thomson in the box to allow Larsson to level from the spot. The award left the Dunfermline skipper Ferguson fuming afterwards. "I've seen the incident on Sky and think when Paul sees it he'll be embarrassed because there was clearly no contact. I'm disappointed with the way he went down."
Buoyed by that lucky break, Celtic threw everything at Dunfermline in search of a winner, though they resorted more to the route one tactic the longer the game went on, in contrast to the home side whose passing remained the more intelligent. Dunfermline had their chances to regain the lead, the best falling to Bullen whose header from a Crawford cross drifted wide.
They were to pay for their profligacy, though, when Larsson executed the winning strike. Latching on to a Thompson lay-off, he skated past the home goalkeeper to regain Celtic's five-point advantage over Rangers and haul them again above Hibs, by two points. A relieved O'Neill said: "I don't think we played very well at all, but I thought the two lads at the back Valgaeran and Mjallby were outstanding and Larsson's finishing was brilliant."
- Manager Interview
Martin O’Neill post match:
“Dunfermline were excellent and I knew they would be up for the game. We were second to the ball and didn't get our passing movements going. Still, I was delighted that we came from behind because that showed a bit of character."
Dunfermline 1 Celtic 2 By Lisa Gray, PA Sport
A late goal from Henrik Larsson was enough to maintain Martin O'Neill's 100% record as Celtic manager and reclaim the team's place at the top of the Scottish Premier League table.
Dunfermline looked like holding on for the draw after an explosive two-minute period in the second half.
Chris Sutton was judged to have handled in the area and Steve Crawford converted from the spot to give Pars the lead.
But just one minute later Larsson levelled from the spot after Justin Skinner brought down Paul Lambert.
And Larsson's cool clincher four minutes from time capped the comeback for O'Neill's men at East End Park.
Dunfermline had also enjoyed a great start to their league campaign but it took Jackie McNamara just four minutes to break down the Pars' defence when he pin-pointed Larsson in the box but the Swede failed to connect properly and nodded the ball wide.
Alan Thompson had settled into the Celtic side quickly and he burst into the box four minutes later – but his shot from a tight angle smacked off the near post.
For the opening period of the game Celtic enjoyed the best of the goal-scoring opportunities and in 20 minutes Paul Lambert came close when he rifled a shot wide from 20 yards.
Just seconds later team-mate Thompson became the first player of the night to find himself in referee Willie Young's for a nasty challenge on Rob Matthaei.
Undeterred Matthaei almost set up Dunfermline's opener just four minutes later when he sent a great pass through to Lee Bullen who was running in on goal, but was blocked by the vigilant Johan Mjallby.
Ten minutes before the break Chris Sutton almost found the net for Celtic when he met a Larsson cross but blasted the ball wide of the mark.
On 41 minutes the pressure seemed to be getting to former Rangers star Ian Ferguson, who was booked for a challenge on McNamara.
The game erupted after the interval when Joos Valgaeren was booked for a challenge on Matthaei on 56 minutes. Minutes later Stilian Petrov was booked for diving.
And just two minutes later Sutton joined his team-mates when he was ruled to have handled the ball in the area.
Goalkeeper Jonathan Gould was also cautioned for dissent but Crawford coolly stepped up to slot home the spot-kick.
But Dunfermline's lead was short-lived when Justin Skinner brought down Lambert inside the box and Larsson stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way from the spot.
Celtic were desperate for the second and pushed everyone forward in the last 10 minutes, but were finding it difficult to break down the Dunfermline defence.
But Larsson struck just four minutes from time with the clincher when he met a Sutton pass and skipped around the goalkeeper, before slotting in from close range.
In the dying seconds of the game Sutton almost added the third, but again the former Chelsea man sent the ball wide.
Teams:
Dunfermline: Ruitenbeek, Nicholson, Skerla, Skinner, Doesburg, Matthaei (Boyle 88), Ferguson, S. Thomson, Bullen, Crawford,Mendes (Dair 71).
Subs Not Used: Reid, S. Thomson, McGarty.
Booked: Ferguson.
Goals: Crawford 60 pen.
Celtic: Gould, McNamara, Valgaeren, Boyd, Mahe (Moravcik 67), Petrov, Mjallby, Lambert, Thompson, Sutton, Larsson.
Subs Not Used: Stubbs, Kerr, Burchill, Riseth.
Booked: Thompson, Valgaeren, Petrov, Gould, Sutton.
Goals: Larsson 62 pen, 85.
Att: 9,493
Ref: W Young (Scotland).