GLASGOW (AFP) - A Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink double handed Celtic a 2-1 win over Aberdeen in their final Scottish Premier League home game of the season.

The Dutch international striker's two goals, either side of Darren Mackie's equaliser, meant the Dons must win at Pittodrie against Rangers in the final day of the season to ensure they pip Hearts to third place and qualification for next season's UEFA Cup.

And the victory meant the Parkhead club's captain Neil Lennon could enjoy the acclaim of the fans when he was substituted with two minutes to go in his final match at Celtic Park.

Elsewhere in the SPL Dunfermline were relegated to the First Division after they lost 2-1 at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Jim McIntyre had put the Pars ahead before the break but Caley equalised through Canadian Richard Hastings with 13 minutes remaining and Dunfermline's French defender Souleymane Bamba scored an own goal to condemn Stephen Kenny's team to the drop.

With Celtic manager Gordon Strachan recovering from a hip operation, stand-in boss Tommy Burns spoke after the match in Parkhead about his satisfaction with the victory.

He said: "The boys played better today than have been in recent weeks.

"We played a lot of good stuff, created lots of chances and our goalkeeper made some fantastic saves at important times.

"Paul Hartley had probably his best game for us since joining from Hearts, John Kennedy got another game in his road back to fitness and it was a memorable way for Neil Lennon to finish, so overall it was very pleasing."

Celtic had opened the scoring in the 33rd minute.

Cameroon full-back Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe played a great pass into the path of Kenny Miller who squared for Derek Riordan.

The former Hibernian player's deflected shot was parried by Aberdeen goalkeeper Jamie Langfield and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink had the simplest of tasks to side-foot the ball home from close range.

In the 40th minute former Celt Jamie Smith had a penalty saved by Celtic's Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc, after Kennedy was penalised for tugging Stephen Lovell's jersey.

However, the equaliser was only delayed by a minute.

As the Dons continued to push Celtic back the ball broke to Mackie 16-yards from goal and he smashed a low drive into the bottom corner of the net.

Celtic, though, restored their lead in the 49th minute.

Hartley caught Japanese international Shunsuke Nakamura's pass on the byline and pulled it back across the six-yard box where Vennegoor of Hesselink, facing away from goal, sent an audacious back-heel past Langfield into the net.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood did not believe his team deserved to lose.

He said: "I'm happy with the players as they were twice behind but kept battling away.

"I can't remember the last time we came to Celtic Park and created so many chances and still lost but that's football."

In the other SPL games St Mirren came from two goals down to win 3-2 away to Motherwell - but both sets of fans were celebrating at the end when they heard they were safe from relegation thanks to Caley's defeat of the Pars.

Ross McCormack had scored a double either side of half-time but John Sutton's brace, sandwiching Billy Mehmet's equaliser, handed the Saints victory.

Earlier in the day Hearts won 2-0 at home to Hibernian, with goals from Czech forward Michal Pospisil and Andrew Driver, to move to within a point of Aberdeen.

In the final SPL match on Saturday Falkirk won 2-0 at home to Dundee United with goals from Trinidad and Tobago veteran Russell Latapy and Alan Gow.