Hartson happy in hero's role

John Hartson was a happy man after going from villain to hero in the space of four days.

The Celtic striker missed a penalty as Martin O'Neill's men lost the League Cup final to Rangers at Hampden Park on Saturday.

But last night the Wales international marksman sealed Celtic's 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield - and a 3-1 UEFA Cup quarter-final aggregate win with a well-struck shot in the second half.

And he said: "I supported Liverpool as a kid so it's great to get a goal at Anfield."

Describing the victory as "our best performance in Europe without a shadow of a doubt," he said afterwards. "We started well and were on the front foot early on.

"We limited Emile Heskey and Michael Owen - who are two of the best in Europe - but we limited them to very few chances tonight. I thought the back four were superb.

"I missed an important penalty on Sunday and was devastated for the fans - I hope tonight makes up for it a little bit.

Hartson's goal came after Alan Thompson had given the Bhoys the lead on the stroke of half-time with a free-kick.

"You probably hit just one of two of those in your career," Hartson added.

An ecstatic Celtic manager Martin O'Neill said it had been a great night for the club, its supporters and Scottish football.

"They pegged us back in the second half, but we withstood that and John Hartson came up with a great, great goal," he said.

Meanwhile, after Porto defeated Panathinaikos 2-0 in Athens last night, coach Jose Mourinho said: "Tonight we made history for two reasons.

"First, we're the first team to come here and win against Panathinaikos. Secondly this is the first time we have reached the semi-finals. I'm delighted, we are having a great period at the moment on top of the league and in the last four of the UEFA Cup.

Mourinho added he never doubted his players would turn the tie around after their first leg home defeat. "We remained confident, we know what kind of team we are building here."