Celts gain revenge by hammering Hibs

Celtic 6 Hibernian 0

Henrik Larsson became Celtic's third highest ever scorer while Chris Sutton and John Hartson both scored twice as Celtic hit 10-man Hibernian for six at Parkhead to move 11 points clear of Rangers at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some of referee Freeland’s decisions were beginning to get too much for Bobby Williamson and both sets of supporters.

And the Hibernian manager was out of the dugout again in the 42nd minute when Riordan was controversially shown a straight red card for a challenge on McNamara.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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