2nd Feb 2003 Partick Thistle 0 Celtic 2 (Scottish Premier League - game 26)

matches:2002-03: ← 34game 3536 →

Match Information

61y, 11m, 0d			John Lambie		Martin O'Neill
Kenny Milne
Ian Ross
					Chris Sutton (0-1, 7 mins); Chris Sutton (0-2, 33 mins)
Alan Archibald					Stiliyan Petrov
Scott Paterson (Paul Walker, 70 mins); Kenny Milne (Jamie Buchan, 78 mins); Martin Hardie (Andy S. Gibson, 82 mins)					Neil Lennon (Colin Healy, 87 mins)
24y, 1m, 26d			Kenny Arthur		Magnus Hedman
25y, 3m, 2d			David Lilley		Bobo Balde
25y, 1m, 20d			Alan Archibald		Joos Valgaeren
26y, 3m, 4d			Stephen Craigan		Jackie McNamara future Jag
30y, 8m, 20d			Scott Paterson		Ulrik Laursen
23y, 5m, 7d			Kenny Milne		Didier Agathe
29y, 5m, 29d			Alex Burns		Neil Lennon
26y, 9m, 11d			Martin Hardie		Jamie Smith
32y, 3m, 13d			Gerry Britton		Stiliyan Petrov
26y, 4m, 19d			David Rowson		Chris Sutton
33y, 1m, 17d			Kevin McGowne		Henrik Larsson
27y, 6m, 19d
28y, 4m, 17d			Kevin Budinauckas		Francisco Javier Sánchez Broto
25y, 9m, 30d			Jamie Buchan		Stephen Crainey
20y, 11m, 0d			Andy S. Gibson		Shaun Maloney
21y, 11m, 29d			Ricky Waddell		Colin Healy
25y, 5m, 13d			Paul Walker		Steve Guppy

Match Report

TTA report

“Celtic stoked the ball around with unflustered authority” (GH) and two goals (7 and 33) put them well ahead. Thistle had a few chances in the first half and the best in the 2nd was a Milne lob from 45-yards that landed on the roof of the net. They were dogged but a shock was never on the cards.

Media report

02-Feb-2003, bbc.com

SUTTON DOUBLE BLUNTS THISTLE. Chris Sutton marked his return to the Celtic attack with a clinical first-half double that ensured victory in Sunday's Glasgow derby at Firhill. Victory restored Celtic's three-point deficit with league leaders Rangers, who had defeated Aberdeen on Saturday. Sutton has spent much of the season in midfield as manager Martin O'Neill made room for Welsh international striker John Hartson. But, with Hartson out injured, Sutton went some way to proving that he remains the best foil for Henrik Larsson up front with two goals that effectively ended Partick Thistle's challenge within 33 minutes. Hartson had failed to recover from a knee injury as O'Neill made three changes from the side that defeated Dundee United in midweek. Johan Mjallby has been ruled out for a month after his midweek injury, so Jackie McNamara and Ulrik Laursen came in. Northern Ireland midfielder Neil Lennon made his first start for the champions since suffering a knee injury against Celtic Vigo on 12 December and replaced Scotland international Paul Lambert. Partick manager John Lambie made just one change from the team that lost at home to Livingston in midweek, with new signing Ian Ross missing out through injury and being replaced by Kenny Milne.

Thistle were under siege early on and Celtic had claims for a penalty rejected by Kenny Clark when Sutton went down in the box under the challenge of Kevin McGowne. But the visitors took the lead when Larsson's shot was blocked, McNamara drilled the ball through a crowded goalmouth and Sutton stretched to divert the ball into the roof of the net from six yards. Celtic goalkeeper Magnus Hedman looked far from convincing when put under pressure, but the Sweden international was alert in the 20th minute to save David Rowson's 25-yard drive low to his right before Archibald fired just wide. Thistle contributed to their own problems and David Lilley's poor clearance fell straight to Sutton, who coolly curled the ball into the bottom corner for the second goal after 33 minutes. Larsson was inches away from making it three moments later when he fired a right-foot free-kick just past the post from 23 yards.

Sutton should have completed his hat-trick in the 55th minute, when Larsson dummied Lennon's pass but the English striker spooned the ball over from eight yards. Milne almost gave the home side some hope two minutes later, when he spotted Hedman off his line only for his audacious lob to land on the roof of the net.

Scrapbook

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The Scotsman, 3rd February, 2003

Video Highlights

(credits: Irvine Bhoy / BBC Scotland )

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Stats Watch

ongoing sequences:

● 7 League games without a win; 14th Dec 2002 to date. (Longest run since: 7 games; 11th Sep 2002 to 26th Oct 2002. Club-record: 26 games; 28th Nov 1908 to 2nd Oct 1909.)

● 8 competitive games without a win, 14th Dec 2002 to date. (Longest run since: 8 games, 8th May 1999 to 21st Aug 1999. Club-record: 26 games, 28th Nov 1908 to 28th Aug 1909.)

● 45 consecutive competitive appearances for Scott Paterson, 9th Feb 2002 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Stephen Craigan - 58 games, 8th Aug 2000 to 10th Nov 2001. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games, 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

Stats Watch adheres to our stated definitions of League, League Max, Major Competitive, Competitive or All Games. Where there is no written qualification, you should presume that the Stat in question is compiled from the All Games criteria.

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