Celtic blow Kilmarnock away to move within one win of another Premiership title

Celtic could be crowned William Hill Premiership champions on Sunday following a 5-1 hammering of Kilmarnock at Parkhead.

Boss Brendan Rodgers demanded better from his players following the shock 1-0 defeat at bottom side St Johnstone last weekend and with only 11 minutes played his side were two goals to the good through a terrific strike from midfielder Reo Hatate and a tap-in by striker Daizen Maeda.

The hungry Hoops soon added further goals from defender Cameron Carter-Vickers and Hatate again before Danny Armstrong pulled a goal back for the rocked Rugby Park outfit just before the half-hour mark.

But a last-gasp strike by substitute Anthony Ralston at the end of a less dynamic second half restored Celtic’s four-goal margin.

Celtic finished the afternoon 16 points ahead of Rangers who play Aberdeen at Pittodrie tomorrow.

Should the Ibrox side lose, they will have only 15 points left to play for, which means Celtic will be crowned champions for the fourth successive season and the 13th time in 14 years, although there is little doubt that the Parkhead side will eventually get there in the end.

Derek McInnes’ side were simply blown away in the first half and will have to fight in their final five fixtures to stay clear of relegation.

Rodgers promised changes next summer in the wake of the McDiarmid Park performance which prevented a possible title-winning game against Kilmarnock.

The Northern Irishman made more immediate alterations to his side with veteran winger James Forrest, defenders Liam Scales and Greg Taylor and attacker Adam Idah back in the side.

Celtic came flying out and the startled visitors soon found themselves a goal down.

Japan midfielder Hatate played a bounce pass with Taylor and from 25 yards curled an unstoppable shot past Killie goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara.

Kilmarnock were still coming to terms with the early set-back when Hoops midfielder Arne Engels played in overlapping right-back Alistair Johnston, whose cross got past defender Lewis Mayo on the line and fell to Maeda and he simply tapped into an empty net for his 31st Celtic goal this season.

O’Hara saved a Scales thunderbolt from distance before fellow centre-back Carter-Vickers, in acres of space in the 21st minute, powered in a drive from 25 yards high past O’Hara.

Johnston set up Hatate for his second with another cut-back from the right four minutes later, the Hoops playmaker taking a touch before sliding the ball into the corner from 12 yards with the Kilmarnock defence all over the place.

The shell-shocked visitors reduced the deficit when Armstrong turned on to his left foot on the right side and flighted the ball high over Hoops keeper Viljami Sinisalo, albeit it could have been more of a cross than a shot.

Back came Celtic and when O’Hara blocked a close-range shot from Hatate, Maeda was on hand to slam the ball into the net from eight yards but this time the VAR ruled offside.

There was a lull in the game before Engels clipped the bar in the 77th minute and then deep into three minutes of added time, Ralston, on for Johnston, scored with an angled-drive with Celtic now on the brink of yet another title success.