16th December 2000. Martin O’Neil’s maiden season with the Hoops and on the charge to his Treble, took Aberdeen for 6 on a cold night at Celtic Park.
It was Neil Lennon’s debut after making his £6m switch from Leicester City and the Bhoys were rampant as they notched up four of the goals in the last quarter of an hour of the match. There was another debutant that night, the Swiss international defender Ramon Vega had joined from Tottenham the Friday before and came on as a sub for Tom Boyd. The big man famously scored a tap in and a powering header from a set piece on a debut he will never forget.
The other goals were scored by none other than Henrik Larsson, who notched a hat trick scoring early on the 4th minute with Lennon involved in the build up. The Swede added to his tally on the 76th minute and two minutes later, Henrick sealed his hat trick with a clever angled finish. Jamie Smith scored the sixth after a cute through ball from a free kick by Lennon, his second in two appearances for the Hoops.
Celtic went on that season to win a famous Treble beating Kilmarnock 3-0 in the League Cup and Himernian by the same score line in the Scottish Cup. The Hoops were rampant in the Premier League finishing a massive fifteen points ahead of their closest rivals. That season Martin O’Neil became Celtic’s third manager to win a domestic treble in their history.
You can watch all the goals here.