Celtic thank safe Douglas

Celtic 2 Dundee

The verdict that Martin O'Neill is most concerned with is still six months away, so at the end of a very trying week the Celtic manager must have been glad that his side finally produced a case for the defence of their title.

O'Neill will have to wait until March before learning if police will prosecute the three Celtic players arrested, but not charged, in connection with an alleged incident involving a photographer at their Christmas night out in Newcastle on Tuesday. It will be May, however, when the Scottish Premier League judgement is handed down. With five points spilled in the last fortnight since losing the latest Old Firm derby, Celtic required a victory to soothe their nerves.

John Hartson and Henrik Larsson delivered with two stylish goals, but there was no doubting the villain. When a reproduction of the tabloid newspaper which branded O'Neill's players as "thugs and thieves'' was flashed on to Parkhead's giant screens at half-time, the object of the crowd's hostility was clear.

Dundee, who spoiled Celtic's unblemished home record two seasons ago, possessed the capability of heaping further misery on O'Neill. That they did not, was down to Robert Douglas, their former goalkeeper, who snuffed out the two pivotal moments of danger with his giant hands when the visitors threatened to break the first-half deadlock. Steve Lovell looked certain to score when he was released by a sublime pass in the 18th minute by Fabian Caballero, but Douglas beat the striker in the one-on-one to parry Lovell's shot.

Douglas eclipsed that save in the 32nd minute when Bobo Baldé foolishly clipped Lovell when the ball was going out. The Scotland goalkeeper's reputation as a penalty specialist was underlined as Caballero followed in the wake of Luis Figo last month in seeing Douglas save his kick.

Celtic celebrated being let off the hook by inflicting punishment on Dundee five minutes later. Julien Speroni had just denied Hartson with an acrobatic touch to push the Welsh striker's header over the bar, but, from Alan Thompson's corner, the keeper's punch was seized on by Larsson, who knocked the ball back across the box for Hartson to strike a stunning overhead kick into the roof of the net for his 14th goal of the season.

Larsson sealed the victory in the 54th minute with his 27th goal of the season. Celtic's patient build-up eventually saw Hartson spread the ball wide to Didier Agathe, whose cross to the back post was met by the Swede, who glanced a perfect header past Speroni.