Manchester Utd 3 Celtic 2: The obvious gulf in resources and expectations between these clubs shrank to victory by the slenderest margins.
Even if Manchester United had the greater number of chances, the frustration that Celtic took away from Old Trafford showed how well they had competed with the Premiership leaders.
Gordon Strachan's side opened the scoring and then squared the score at 2-2. They were, however, stunningly prone to self-destruction. Thomas Gravesen's distribution was too often error-strewn in his own half and, in an incident teetering on farce, the Celtic substitute Paul Telfer would have notched an 85th-minute own goal with a whiplash header had it not been for a magnificent reaction from his goalkeeper, Artur Boruc.
The sharp Louis Saha, who scored twice and might well have had his hat-trick, epitomised the cosmopolitan tone of the game. Attempts to bill a match like this as a battle of Britain are as misplaced as they are clichéd. The flood of foreign signings may have been crucial to irrigate the sporting landscape of the country, but it has also diluted historic rivalries.
Alex Ferguson pledged United would not lapse into the vapidity that ruined their Champions League programme last season, but the problems of these fixtures were unaltered. Realising how Lille and Villarreal had drawn here, Celtic were just as keen to pass the ball methodically and check the opposition's impetus.
Strachan's side, however, altered the character of the evening by taking the lead in the 21st minute. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink brought down a Boruc kick-out, turned Rio Ferdinand, broke into the area and ripped a low drive past Edwin van der Sar.
United had actually needed to be provoked into naked aggression. With Wayne Rooney making a muted start on his return from suspension, there was too little devilment from United at first. The zest flooded back in the search for the equaliser, but Celtic were rash in allowing United to pull level in the 30th minute. Ryan Giggs had burst beyond Gary Caldwell and though he was so wide it made no sense for Boruc to charge out to him, the goalkeeper is impulsive. While the contact on the winger was slight it was natural Giggs should go down. Saha converted the penalty.
The misgivings about Celtic's defensive qualities are profound. When Gravesen lost possession in the 40th minute it was all too simple for Paul Scholes to feed through the ball that Saha, moving away from Mark Wilson, clipped home.
The uneven quality of Celtic does not stop them from being very refined on occasion. When Wes Brown brought down Jiri Jarosik after 43 minutes, there was a mood of anticipation among the visiting fans. United should have known what Shunsuke Nakamura can do with a free-kick. This time, he floated the ball over the wall and into the corner of the net. By then, Giggs had gone off injured, to be replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The major flaw that led to Ferguson's team recovering the lead would have left Strachan aghast. It is a coup for Celtic to have signed Gravesen from Real Madrid, but it cannot have felt like that in the 47th minute. The Dane mis-hit a pass to Scholes. He threaded the ball to Saha and while his attempt was saved the Frenchman forced possession across the six-yard line, where Solskjaer pounced.
United's defects were highlighted as they have not yet been in the Premiership. The substitute Kenny Miller, for instance, tore away on the right and an anxious Ferdinand had to shovel the cross over his bar as Vennegoor of Hesselink menaced.
Saha called for an athletic save by Boruc to keep out his header. Another opportunity for the hat-trick should have come in the 63rd minute, but the referee, Lubos Michel, deemed Stephen McManus had not pulled back Saha in the box. Boruc soon had to deny Rooney following another blunder in Celtic's midfield and the climb in his work-rate proved United were in command. For all that, the lead was slight and this had been a far from desolate evening for Strachan.
Guardian Services
MAN UTD: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Fletcher, Scholes (O'Shea 79), Carrick, Giggs (Solskjaer 32), Rooney (Richardson 86), Saha. Subs not used: Kuszczak, Evra, Smith, Vidic. Booked: Silvestre. Goals: Saha 30 pen, 40, Solskjaer 47.
CELTIC: Boruc, Wilson (Telfer 51), Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Lennon, Nakamura, Gravesen, Jarosik (Miller 55), McGeady (Maloney 69), Vennegoor of Hesselink. Subs not used: Marshall, Balde, Zurawski, Sno. Booked: Boruc, Miller. Goals: Vennegoor of Hesselink 21, Nakamura 43.
Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).
