Celtic thrash Kilmarnock to move closer to title

Celtic were successful afloat travel erstwhile Daizen Maeda headed their 2nd goal

Celtic are 7 points distant from retaining the Scottish Premiership aft a first-half extremity blitz against relegation-threatened Kilmarnock.

Liam Donnelly got 1 backmost astatine the extremity of a archetypal fractional that besides featured a missed a missed punishment by Kyogo, with neither broadside uncovering the nett aft the interval.

South Korea caput manager Jurgen Klinsmann was successful attendance astatine Rugby Park hoping to spot Oh Hyeon-Gyu and the striker replaced Kyogo astatine half-time.

Kilmarnock stay successful the relegation play-off spot, a constituent supra bottommost broadside Ross County and beneath Dundee United connected extremity difference.

Celtic re-establish a 12-point vantage implicit Rangers and, with a vastly superior extremity difference, Ange Postecoglou's broadside efficaciously request 2 much wins from six games to clinch back-to-back titles.

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After Fraser Murray conceded possession, Kyogo turned Joe Wright and raced wide connected the right. The striker turned backmost and, arsenic the Kilmarnock defence stood off, struck a debased changeable past Sam Walker for extremity fig 29 of the season. Great striker play but the league's apical scorer was afforded excessively overmuch space.

Celtic's 2nd was good worked. Sead Haksabanovic released Alistair Johnston successful the wrong close transmission and his spot was nodded backmost crossed extremity into the nett by Maeda.

There was nary let-up from the visitors arsenic O'Riley tested Walker astatine his left-hand post.

But the midfielder scored with his adjacent effort connected 18 minutes, receiving Greg Taylor's incisive walk and placing the shot debased into the nett with Killie again excessively passive.

Christian Doidge's foolish travel connected Taylor gave Kyogo the accidental to scope the 30 people from the spot, but the striker's effort came backmost disconnected the station and Maeda knocked the rebound wide.

The 4th was not agelong successful coming, though, arsenic Murray's sliced clearance went backwards into his ain container and Danny Armstrong's header presented the shot for O'Riley to power and finish.

Beleaguered location manager Derek McInnes took enactment with defender Jeriel Dorsett and midfielder Alan Power sent connected successful spot of midfielder Murray and striker Doidge, the alteration successful signifier yet stemming Celtic's flow.

And it was the visitors' crook to err successful first-half added clip arsenic skipper Callum McGregor was robbed by Donnelly wrong the box. The Northern Irishman's archetypal changeable was blocked by Joe Hart, truthful was Armstrong's but Donnelly retrieved and forced the shot successful to trim the hosts' arrears.

The 2nd play was acold little incident-packed than the first, but Kilmarnock did carve 1 fantabulous chance. Armstrong swung successful a superb transverse from the close and Luke Chambers' header was superbly blocked by Hart.

Oh was progressive successful beforehand of his planetary manager, trying his champion to get crossed defenders and uncovering the broadside netting connected 1 occasion. Team-mates Carl Starfelt, Tomoki Iwata and Johnston besides threatened.

Player of the lucifer - Matt O'Riley

A classy all-round show from the midfielder featuring 2 good finishes, his 2nd pictured here

Celtic extremity bare again astatine Rugby Park - analysis

When Celtic visited Rugby Park successful August, Celtic were a extremity up aft 7 minutes, 3 up by half-time and 5 successful beforehand by full-time. The commencement to this crippled was eerily acquainted for Kilmarnock, with basal errors and lacklustre defending ruling retired immoderate anticipation of gaining a foothold successful the match.

The hosts were ever immense underdogs but the easiness with which they were bowled implicit successful the opening half-hour was the past happening they request successful their conflict to debar the drop, peculiarly with rivals Dundee United having recovered signifier with 2 wins.

To their credit, Kilmarnock got overmuch person to their opponents and restricted abstraction successful the 2nd half. They present look six games which could specify their season.

Comfortable Celtic wins this play are thing new. Postecoglou's broadside person won 9-0, 6-1, 5-0, 5-1 and 4-0 this term, continually rejecting the footballing normal of getting successful beforehand and sitting connected a lead.

The league leaders request 9 much points to scope 100, having moved beyond a period of league goals to 102 for the run with this win.

What's next?

Kilmarnock sojourn St Mirren connected Saturday (15:00 BST), erstwhile Celtic volition beryllium astatine location to Motherwell.