Hartson's double lifts Celtic

Inverness CT 1 - Celtic 3

John Hartson kept his head yesterday at Pittodrie as others were losing theirs to restore Celtic to the top of the Scottish Premier League with a double that killed off vibrant Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

John Hartson kept his head yesterday at Pittodrie as others were losing theirs to restore Celtic to the top of the Scottish Premier League with a double that killed off vibrant Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

However, the newly-promoted club's supporters will believe they were the victims of an injustice after their striker, Juanjo, was sent off after just 17 minutes for an alleged headbutt on Neil Lennon.

The Celtic midfielder was hounded by the home fans for making the most of an incident the referee, Dougie McDonald, never saw but Juanjo was given a red card on the evidence of the fourth official, Alan Freeland.

John Robertson, the Caley Thistle manager, disputed that evidence. After watching television pictures, Robertson later proclaimed: "It was handbags stuff but what the fourth official told me happened is simply not on the tape."

Once Juanjo left the pitch, Celtic quickly took advantage when Hartson put them in front after 25 minutes as he rose to meet Didier Agathe's cross with a fine downward header.

However, Caley Thistle levelled two minutes before the interval. Bobo Balde was harshly judged to have kept out Grant Munro's shot with his arm and Barry Wilson sent David Marshall the wrong way.

Celtic's pressure brought a penalty in the 67th minute when Stuart Golabek handled Ross Wallace's cross but Mark Brown beat out Stilian Petrov's effort.

Yet, from the resulting Wallace corner, the ball fell to Petrov and he thumped a venomous volley beyond the stunned Brown. Hartson then killed the game in 76 minutes when he pounced after Brown had parried Joos Valgaeren's cross.

Goals: Hartson (25) 0-1; Wilson pen (43) 1-1;Petrov (68) 1-2; Hartson (76) 1-3.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle (4-4-2): M Brown; Tokely, McCaffrey, Munro, Golabek; Wilson (Prunty, 70), Hart, Keogh, McBain (Black, 82); Bayne (Hislop, 65), Juanjo. Substitutes not used: Fraser (gk), Dods, Duncan, Proctor.

Celtic (4-4-2): Marshall; Agathe, Balde (Laursen, 84), Varga, Valgaeren; Petrov (Pearson, 80), Lennon, Thompson, Wallace (Lambert, 80); Hartson, Camara. Substitutes not used: Douglas (gk), McManus, McGeady, Cuthbert.

Referee: D MacDonald.

Booked: Inverness: Tokely, McBain, Hart.

Sent off: Inverness: Juanjo.

Attendance: 8,736.