'Absolutely unbelievable' - Celtic icon remembers Liverpool clash that 'defied logic'

John Hartson is the latest Celtic icon to reflect on his career in green and white and highlight the best match he has ever played in. In episode eight of 'My Greatest Game' for Celtic TV, the former striker and Wales international took fans back to Merseyside, when the Hoops locked horns with Liverpool back in 2003.

Celtic travelled to Anfield for the second leg of the UEFA Cup quarter-final. After a 1-1 draw the first time out, the Hoops emerged with an emphatic 2-0 win on Liverpool soil, with Hartson getting on the scoresheet to net a memorable goal in the final minutes.

"When we drew Liverpool, it was very exciting. Not many people will know this, but I was a big Liverpool fan," Hartson reflected.

"It was similar to Celtic Park the week before. There were Celtic fans everywhere. They were in the Kop, they were in the main stand. It was all red, green, and white. You could hear the fans, you could hear the singing. You could hear 'You’ll Never Walk Alone.' It was just absolutely unbelievable."

Alan Thompson opened the scoring at Anfield with a clever free-kick to pile the pressure on a Liverpool side featuring the likes of Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen. Hartson's stunning strike confirmed the victory for Celtic and their place in the semi-finals.

The Welshman described the moment as 'the most important goal of my life'. The Hoops went on to beat Boavista in the semis before facing Porto in the grand final but they fell agonisingly short as the Portuguese giants edged the game 3-2 to lift the trophy.

Reflecting on his goal for 'My Greatest Game', Hartson said: "I just let it go — to me, I just defied logic. I hardly ever scored goals from outside the box. All my goals were using my strength. The whole occasion, with my mother being behind the goal and Celtic fans all over, the way everything just came together was incredible."