Dunfermline Ath 0-4 Celtic

Petrov happy to stay Leishman rues new injury blow

Celtic returned to form with a fine win over a benevolent Dunfermline side at East End Park.

Maciej Zurawski scored his first goal for the club after five minutes - a low drive past Bryn Halliwell.

John Hartson took advantage of a poor Halliwell clearance to double the lead before Artur Boruc saved Mark Burchill's penalty.

Shunsuke Nakamura tapped in his first Celtic goal before Zurawski scored again with a neat finish from 12 yards.

Dunfermline applied good early pressure to the Celtic goal, but the visitors opened the scoring with their first foray upfield.

Zurawski, restored to the starting line-up, picked the ball up on the left wing and drove into the box before unleashing a low drive past Halliwell at his near post.

If the keeper was disappointed with his contribution to that goal, he would have been devastated at his role in the second, which arrived five minutes later.

Scott Thomson gave him an awkward passback to deal with, and Halliwell simply knocked the ball into the path of Hartson who gleefully sidefooted the ball into the net from the edge of the box.

Dunfermline might have been expected to collapse having lost two goals so early in the game, but they took the game to Celtic again and their persistence won them a penalty after 25 minutes.

John Hartson could not believe his good fortune

Burchill was barged over by Adam Virgo and the former Celtic striker took the spot kick himself. But Boruc preserved his side's two-goal lead with a fine save low to his left.

Boruc continued to look a solid performer in the Celtic goal as he dealt comfortably with a well-struck Darren Young volley just after half-time.

Hartson saw a close-range shot well saved by Halliwell after 57 minutes, but the keeper was helpless as Nakamura scored Celtic's third a minute later.

Zurawski showed quick feet to get away from Thomson on the left and he waited for the Japanese midfielder to dart into the six-yard box before releasing the pass that allowed Nakamura a tap-in.

Zurawski was at last showing the type of form that led Gordon Strachan to spend £2m on him in the summer and he might have scored a fourth with a nimble turn in the box, only to fire over, and moments later he had a headed goal disallowed for offside.

Boruc again did well to deny Bartosz Tarachulski after the striker had bustled his way through the Celtic defence.

But Dunfermline gifted Celtic another goal when Thomson failed to deal with a Hartson head-flick and Zurawski was able to slot the ball past Halliwell.

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Dunfermline: Halliwell, Tod, Scott Wilson, Thomson (Horsted 77), Ross, Mason (Derek Young 20), Darren Young, Makel, Campbell, Tarachulski, Burchill (Hunt 73).

Subs Not Used: Murdoch, Donnelly, Craig Wilson, Phinn.

Booked: Campbell.

Celtic: Boruc, McManus, Virgo (Lawson 59), Balde, Telfer, Petrov, Nakamura, Camara, Zurawski (McGeady 90), Hartson, Beattie.

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Pearson, Wallace, Varga, O'Dea.

Goals: Zurawski 5, Hartson 10, Nakamura 58, Zurawski 74.

Att: 9,244

Ref: K Clark