SNS GroupCeltic fans were treated to a top class display of attacking football in the Ayrshire sunshine as the Scottish champions continued their perfect start to the season with a 5-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
The Hoops scored two overhead kicks, a spectacular 30-yard strike and had five different goal scorers, including two defenders, in what was an emphatic victory over the newly promoted side.
First half goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota and Moritz Jenz put the game beyond the home side before strikes from Carl Starfelt and Giorgios Giakoumakis in the second 45 completed the route.
SNS GroupAnge Postecoglou named the same team that started their 3-1 win over Ross County last weekend with Kyogo, Jota and Daizen Maeda leading the line.
Celtic showed their attacking intent straight from the start and they didn’t have to wait long for the opener when Kyogo Furuhashi put the ball into the Kilmarnock net and the visitors 1-0 up on the seventh minute.
The Japan forward scored his second goal in consecutive games after international team mate Maeda put it on a plate with a cut back that was turned past Sam Walker with ease.
Both teams stopped for a water break midway through the first half as temperatures in Kilmarnock reached around 25C.
It was mostly one-way traffic for the rest of the first half and the lead would be doubled on the half hour mark when Jota fired a spectacular long-range effort into Walker’s top corner from around 30 yards out.
The former Benfica star then used his celebration to pay tribute to Portugal legend Fernando Chalana who died last week and also played for the Lisbon club.
And the Portuguese winger nearly made it three around five minutes later when he latched on to an inch-perfect through ball by Kyogo but Walker done well to keep it out.
With Jota causing all kinds of problems for Kilmarnock, Celtic looked hungry for the third before half-time and they got it in first half injury-time when Moritz Jenz scored an overhead kick from close range for his second goal in as many games since signing from Lorient.
The big defender got on the end of a deflected McGregor shot and turned his acrobatic effort into the bottom corner to all but secure the three points.
SNS GroupThe second half continued in much the same fashion with Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart reduced to the role of a spectator as the home struggled to get any kind of foothold of the game.
Postecoglou made changes with Aaron Mooy, Carl Starfelt, Liel Abada and Giorgios Giakoumakis all making an appearance.
And it was Swedish defender Starfelt who made it four from a rebound a when the ball fell to him after Walker saved a Carter-Vickers header.
Walker saved his first effort but was unable to keep a second rebound out as the 27-year-old got his first Celtic goal.
And the goals kept coming when last season’s Premiership top scorer made it six with the second overhead kick of the game.
The Greece forward, who has had to be content with a place on the bench for the last three games, scored 17 goals across all competitions last time around and opened his account for this season in spectacular style with ten minutes remaining.
SNS GroupThe win puts Celtic back to the top of the league on goal difference following on from Rangers 4-0 win against St Johnstone on Saturday.
Postecoglou’s men now host Hearts in Glasgow next Sunday as they look to keep their winning run going.
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