Chris Sutton returned to his preferred position up front for Celtic to hit a brace as Celtic closed the gap on league leaders Rangers to three points with a 2-0 win over Partick at Firhill this afternoon. Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has been using the Englishman in midfield to accommodate John Hartson in attack, a move which attracted recent criticism.
And those claims appeared justified today as Sutton moved forward to replace the injured Welshman and quickly rediscovered his lethal partnership with Henrik Larsson.
It was no coincidence either that the Glasgow giants also looked more like their former selves upon the return of Neil Lennon, who had not played since suffering a knee injury in December and contributed a calming influence in midfield.
Celtic did not even miss the absence of Johan Mjallby, who has been ruled out for a month with a pulled thigh, in defence with Ulrik Laursen standing in.
Sutton’s first came from a Stilian Petrov's corner which was flicked on by Joos Valgaeren before Larsson's shot was blocked. McNamara, however, was on hand to drill the ball through a crowded goalmouth and Sutton stretched to divert the ball into the roof of the net from six yards.
Partick were adding to their own problems by making mistakes in defence and it was David Lilley's failure to clear the ball which cost them the second in the 33rd minute. The ball came to him in the box after Agathe had ghosted past Archibald and Milne, but his clearance went straight to Sutton and he coolly curled the ball into the bottom corner to ensure a comfortable second half for O’Neill’s men.
Elsewhere, Dundee and Hibernian's SPL fixture fell foul of the weather when a heavy flurry of snow descended on Dens Park, making it impossible to continue. The home side were leading 1-0 courtesy of a wonderful 13th-minute goal from Fabian Caballero after a slick interchange of passing between the Argentinian, Garry Brady and Nacho Novo. However, referee Alan Freeland was left with no choice but to abandon the match as the game approached the half-hour mark.
Filed by Johnny Proby
