HENRIK Larsson's last-gasp winner may have been celebrated with a rousing rendition of the theme from 'The Magnificent Seven' but a quick blast of 'The Great Escape' would have been more appropriate after Celtic somehow claimed round one in this Battle of Britain.

For Blackburn Rovers, the conquerors of current English champions Arsenal five days ago, almost completed a quick-fire double by adding the kings of Scotland to their growing list of scalps following an incredible display of guts in one of the most hostile arenas in world football.

But whereas lady luck was with them at Highbury on Saturday, she totally deserted them here as Larsson's late strike got Celtic off the hook after they had spent most of the previous 85 minutes living in Rovers' shadow.

It was a bitter pill for the visitors to swallow after they had previously contributed so much on a magical night for British football.

But while they might have lost the battle, manager Graeme Souness has every reason to believe his players can still win the war when the two sides square up for round two at Ewood in a fortnight's time.

As far as adverts for the Premiership go, Rovers were a credit to the league for the way they diligently set about their task and the only thing missing from their game on the night was the illusive away goal much of their enterprising approach play merited.

Nevertheless, there was enough to suggest this tie is far from over yet after Celtic were made to look distinctly ordinary until Larsson's dramatic intervention.

The Swedish international, normally so prolific in the Scottish Premier League, had barely had a sniff before that such was the extent of Rovers' domination.

But like all good strikers, when the visiting defence momentarily went to sleep with the clock showing 85 minutes, he was alive to the opportunity, gobbling up his 19th goal of the season to give Celtic a crucial first leg advantage just as the home fans were finally giving up hope.

"I'm gutted," said David Thompson, so often the source of inspiration for Rovers in midfield.

"After creating so many chances but not taking them, I thought 'okay, let's settle for a draw' but then they hit us with the sucker punch and put one in the back of the net which didn't give us much time to get back in the game.

"So it's a bit of a killer blow, really, after we'd outplayed them for long spells.

"They had a spell of their own in the second half for 15 or 20 minutes, but other than that, that's all they had in the whole game.

"We dominated possession, created a few chances, and were desperately unlucky not to score, particularly in the first half when I had a good chance myself.

"But it's far from over. We still believe we can beat them at Ewood."

Whatever the outcome of that second leg, the whole experience of playing Celtic has already proved to be a fantastic journey of discovery for Souness and his young players.

Two burning issues had dominated the political agenda in the build-up to kick-off; the first focused on how the Old Firm might fare if they were ever admitted to the Premier League, while the second centered around Rovers' capacity to cope with the levels of intimidation Souness's return to Glasgow would inevitably create.

Off the pitch, there's no doubt Celtic are ready for the Premiership because Parkhead and it's magnificent supporters deserves to be hosting bigger clubs than Motherwell and Kilmarnock.

But on it, Martin O'Neill's team clearly still has some way to go before they can start mixing it regularly with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United because Rovers were streets ahead in a footballing sense.

Technically, the visitors were superior in every department, from the cool composure of Martin Taylor at the back to the subtle skills of Dwight Yorke up front, who once held the ball up magnificently.

It was in midfield, though, where Rovers really flexed their muscle. Tugay oozed calm assurance, the typically tenacious Garry Flitcroft provided a protective shield for the men behind him, and in Thompson and Damien Duff, the visitors had the game's two most creative forces.

All Celtic could offer in reply was the occasional threat from set-pieces.

There was certainly no question of Rovers being overawed by the occasion but if they needed any tips in how to handle the intimidating atmosphere then it came from the manager himself.

When the team bus had rolled up at the ground 90 minutes before kick-off, around 400 Celtic fans had gathered to give the former Rangers boss an official 'welcome' back to Glasgow.

Typically, however, Souness remained undaunted, making sure he was the first off the bus to meet his detractors head on, almost as if the new sheriff had rolled into town.

From then on, his players never looked back and such was their dominance in the first half that it was Rovers who often looked more like the home side.

Thompson fired an early warning with a rasping drive from distance which flew inches wide of the far post.

But Highbury hero Brad Friedel then had to make a wonderful save from Stilian Petrov after the Hoops midfielder looked odds on to score with a free header from a Didier Agathe cross.

After that, it was all Rovers for the rest of the half with Thompson at the heart of all of their best work.

Desperate to put on a show for Sven Goran Eriksson, the England man forced a fine save out of Rob Douglas with a left-foot drive from the edge of the box after more slick approach play involving the hugely impressive Lucas Neill and Egil Ostenstad.

Then, his exquisite turn and cross Dennis Bergkamp-style put another chance on a plate for Yorke but the striker's effort was blocked by the outstretched boot of a defender.

Rovers continued to boss proceedings after the break courtesy of their superior passing and movement as Celtic became increasingly desperate.

In one last throw of the dice, O'Neill went for broke and threw on John Hartson who up front and it had the desired effect.

With five minutes remaining, the Hoops won a corner over on the right which Hartson met with a thumping free header and, although Friedel made an incredible save, that man Larsson was on hand to pocket the rebound in a flash.

Rovers were heartbroken. After performing so heroically for 85 minutes, one defensive mistake ended up costing them dearly again.

But although they were down, they are certainly not out.

CELTIC 1 ROVERS 0

Larsson 85

Picture special of the Rovers v Celtic clash... click here.