'That's why he was the king' - reliving Larsson's famous derby dink
Ask any Celtic fan which goal is their favourite from the past 30 years and one strike will likely dominate the responses. When Henrik Larsson brilliantly chipped the ball over Stefan Klos to put Celtic 4-1 up in August 2000, it was a seismic moment for both player and club. The occasion was loaded with significance.
It was Martin O'Neill's first Old Firm game in charge of Celtic and the 6-2 victory set the tone for an era of dominance. The ease with which Larsson cut through the Rangers defence after a flick-on from Chris Sutton around the halfway line, before having the audacity to even attempt his dink, lives long in the memory of supporters. No one had a better view of that goal than Sutton, who after nudging it into space for Larsson could marvel from just a few yards away as he created one of the most iconic moments in Celtic history.
Speaking to BBC Scotland for the new series of Icons of Football , with episode one focusing on Larsson , Sutton takes us step by step through the famous lob. "My role when the ball was coming along was to always try and flick things on for Henrik, or in this case, I knew Henrik was in and around the halfway line somewhere," Sutton says. "I chested it down into an area and he was sharp in his awareness of where it was gonna go.
"Then he starts to drive at the Rangers defence and a little nutmeg on Bert Konterman and then he's one-on-one with Stefan Klos. "But this is what sets Henrik apart from everybody else I've played with. In that moment where he goes to finish, most normal strikers like myself wouldn't be thinking of scooping it over Klos in the Rangers goal because of the margin of error.
"The skill level was so incredible. I'd have probably tried to slide it past Klos, but Henrik had that arrogance, confidence, whatever you want to call it, impetuousness, to just in that moment nonchalantly scoop the ball over Klos. "It was absolute genius from him, that's why he was the king.