Rangers finished the game with ten-men as Celtic avoided going 13 points behind the leaders after a vintage Old Firm display at Parkhead.
Lubo Moravcik fired the champions ahead after eleven minutes with a stunning strike and there was no way back for Gers once Scott Wilson was given his marching orders a in the 22nd minute for a late challenge on Moravcik.
Gers surived until the break but the floodgates opened up in the second half once Moravcik claimed his second in the 49th minute. Swede Henrik Larsson bagged two more goals in the 51st and 57th minutes and Mark Burchill a minute from time completed the rout. Giovanni Van Bronckhorst's free-kick was a mere consolation goal.
The result was Celtic biggest margin of victory over Rangers since 1966: Celtic head coach Jozef Venglos said: "The players enjoyed themselves today with good spirit and passion for the game, there was a determination to win combined with quality play. "Rangers are a strong team, but we deserved to win as I thought every player contributed. I now hope this will be a turning point for us. We have had possibilities efore, but now I think the players will be believing."
Rangers manager Dick Advocaat took defeat on the chin: "We will come back there is no doubt about that. It was an important game for us, but perhaps more important for Celtic and we have seen that." "We lost an early goal then Scott Wilson was sent off and from that moment it was difficult for us to come into the game and we gave goals away at the start of the second-half."

August 10th v Jeunesse d'Esch

Lubo Moravcik celebrated his return to the Celtic side as he grabbed two goals as the Bhoys all but secured a place in the UEFA Cup.
The Slovakian international opened the scoring, sliding a shot past goalkeeper John van Risswisck in the 37th minutes to give the Bhoys the lead and doubled their advantage on 58 minutes.
That Martin O'Neill's side had not broken the deadlock before the veteran's first strike was a compliment to van Risswisck as the Luxembourg stopper made a string of fine stops.
The big stopper bravely denied Bobby Petta, Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson, making his first European appearance since badly breaking his leg in the UEFA Cup against Lyon last October.
Larsson, however, looked like a man on a mission and deservedly got on the scoresheet as he Swede continued his promising partnership with Sutton. The pair linked on the edge of the penalty area for Larsson to cap his return to the big stage with a neat left-footed finish.
Petta, whose adventurous performance as wing-back must have impressed manager O'Neill, completed the scoring with nine minutes to go, beating two defenders before unleashing a ferocious shot into the top corner and all but book the Bhoys into the UEFA Cup first round.

August 13th versus Kilmarnock

Celtic came from a goal down to continue their perfect start to the season under Martin O'Neill.
Tommy Johnson scored the winning goal 18 minutes from time, slotting home after a raking throughball from Henrik Larsson. However, for the first 45 minutes, it had all looked very different, thanks to rejuvenated Kilmarnock winger Andy McLaren.
When McLaren was thrown out of Reading on drugs charges, many thought that his career would be over. However, Kilmarnock gave him a chance and, just three games in, he has already repaid their faith. McLaren followed his brace against Rangers last week with another goal against Old Firm rivals Celtic, after 17 minutes. His curling, swirling 25-yarder flew into the top corner of the net to put Kilmarnock ahead, giving Jonathon Gould no chance.
The lead should really have lasted less than a minute, but Stilian Petrov's finishing let him down and he blazed high over the bar after Johnson had sent him through on goal.
Martin O'Neill kept Bobby Petta in the side following his adventurous performance in Luxembourg in midweek and more roving runs by the Dutch wing-back almost led to an equaliser. Gordon Marshall spilled his cross, but with Chris Sutton suspended, there was no-one to sweep home the rebound.
Gould twice came to the Bhoys rescue, saving bravely at Alan Mahood's feet and acrobatically following Gus MacPherson's ferocious shot.
However, Henrik Larsson soon proved that he is close to getting back to his best, hitting an equaliser five minutes after the break. Played through by a delightful Paul Lambert pass, the Swede drew Marshall before slipping the ball past him.
Johnson made his bid for a first-team place, hitting the winner, before Martin Baker saw red a minute from time for his second bookable offence as Killie blew a lead against an Old Firm time for the second time in a week.

August 19th versus Hearts

Chris Sutton made a sensational return to Celtic side to grab two brilliant goals and Henrik Larsson and Lubo Moravick added one apiece another to blow away Hearts with an impressive display at Tynecastle.
Scott Severin and Juanjo pulled goals back for the home side, but with no wins in four attempts these are worrying times down Gorgie Road.
In wet, heavy conditions the visitors had the ball in the net in the 18th minute when Sutton played in Larsson, who took the ball around Niemi before slotting the ball into the empty net, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Shortly after Gary McSwegan had drawn a fine stop from Jonathan Gould, Bobby Petta found space wide on the left and Sutton dived to head home his swinging cross into the bottom corner.
Gould again denied Scott Severin, before Petta and Sutton combined to double the lead. The Dutchman's corner found the former Chelsea man in acres of space, and his head did the rest. Petta curled a left-footed corner into the area and Sutton was given acres of room to head home from close-range with Niemi stranded.
The third goal duly arrived after the home defence failed to clear and Petta's cross came out to Paul Lambert, who fired the ball back into the area, and Larsson deflected the ball into the bottom corner.
However, Alan Stubbs was carried off with a leg injury and he was replaced by Johan Mjallby at the heart of defence.
Larsson lashed a penalty high over the bar after Severin was adjudged to have pulled back Sutton. Severin did manage to reap some reward for his endeavours when Lee Makel touched a 20-yard free-kick to him, and he found the Celtic wall wanting and the ball skidded past Gould.
But no sooner had Hearts lifted the home support, than Lubo Moravick got the fourth for Martin O'Neill's men from close range.
Juanjo came off the bench to pull another goal back, but time ran out for Jim Jefferies men.

                  

August 24th versus Jeunesse d'Esch

Mark Burchill hit a hat-trick inside three first-half minutes as Celtic strolled into the First Round proper of the UEFA Cup.
The young striker, who is on the transfer list at Parkhead after failing to secure a first-team place, will certainly have impressed any scouts in the crowd as he opened the scoring in the 12th minute and had completed his treble by the 15 minute-mark. His first was a marvellous diving header, nodding Colin Healy's right-wing cross powerfully past goalkeeper John Van Rijswick.
That whetted his appetite and two minutes later, he controlled Olivier Tebily's long ball before driving a fierce shot into the bottom corner. He completed his remarkable hat-trick another minute afterwards firing home after a Eyal Berkovic cross from the left.
It was a wonderful performance by the youngster in front of a 40,282 crowd – good for a tie that was already over. The Bhoys may have had qualification secured, but Martin O'Neill's side, with many first-team starts rested, continued to pile on the pressure.
Their Luxembourg opponents lost all heart and their defence sadly gave way. Berkovic was fouled on the edge of the penalty area by David Borbiconi and picked himself up to knock home the free-kick although Van Rijswick may feel that he could have done better.
Jeunesse have not scored in a European competition for 13 years and almost hit a consolation strike through Claude Meylender's header, but Healy was on hand to clear off the line.
Berkovic added his second – Celtic's fifth – a minute after half-time as Van Rijswick somehow let the Israeli's shot loop over him, while Vidar Riseth's deflected shot made it six.
Bulgarian Stilian Petrov completed the rout 19 minutes from time drilling home a right-footed shot as Martin O'Neill's side warmed up for the Old Firm derby with Rangers in confident style.
The only negative point for the Bhoys came when in-form wing-back Bobby Petta limped off with a leg strain and may miss the Parkhead clash.