CELTIC 4 KILMARNOCK 0
CELTIC pulverised a mesmerised Killie side as they fired a clear message to the rest of the Premiership: We’re at the pinnacle to stay.
The Ayrshire side were simply swept aside by an awesome Hoops performance that saw the goals distributed among four players, Reo Hatate, Liam Scales, Nicolas Kuhn and Anthony Ralston.
How the name Kyogo Furuhashi is not among them will remain a mystery.
The Japanese ace was lively throughout, had a goal ruled out in an extremely tight offside decision, was denied a stick-on penalty-kick and knocked one wide when it looked easier to score.
REO THE FIRST…Japanese ace Hatate celebrates scoring Celtic’s opening goal of the new season.
Brendan Rodgers will be happy with the attitude and approach from his players who took the game to their opponents right from the off.
The honour of scoring Celtic’s first goal of the season fell to Hatate in the 17th minute after the Killie rearguard had survived a few early scares.
Just 52 seconds earlier, Kyogo had left Lewis Mayo standing with a quick change of feet to get through on goal, but the outrushing Robbie McCrorie managed to deflect his shot into the air.
It was dropping towards the inviting net until a defender scrambled the ball clear yards from the line.
But there was no such escape when Hatate struck with the crucial breakthrough strike to send the packed and noisy audience into raptures.
The chance opened up for the Japanese playmaker when Greg Taylor stabbed a pass in from the left.
Hatate, just inside the 18-yard box, allowed the ball to run to his right foot before sweeping a delightful low drive wide of the sprawling McCrorie to his right.
NUMBER ONE…Reo Hatate prepares to fire in a low right-foot drive.
NUMBER TWO…Liam Scales thumps in an unstoppable header.
NUMBER THREE…Nicolas Kuhn (extreme right) turns away after his deflected drive beat Robbie McCrorie.
NUMBER FOUR…Anthony Ralston rattles in an angled drive to complete the scoring.
That goal got the party started and only the desperate fingertips of the keeper prevented Kuhn from doubling the hosts’ advantage.
Kyogo created panic when he attempted to fashion an opening and the ball broke to the German winger. He didn’t hesitate as he whipped a low shot towards the left-hand corner of the net.
McCrorie reacted well to get down and parry the effort, but the ball swirled back to the Celt.
He tried again, but didn’t get enough purchase on the attempt and the Killie No.1 threw up a hand to get the merest of touches to send the ball flicking onto the crossbar and over.
But the second goal was only delayed five minutes before Scales thumped in a glorious header from an O’Riley outswinging corner from the left.
The Republic of Ireland international defender’s timing was impeccable as he rose above the despairing Mayo to make perfect contact and his 10-yard effort thundered past McCrorie at his left.
The second-half was only 13 minutes old when the hosts claimed a third after Kyogo majestically swept a first-time pass into the tracks of Kuhn on the right.
The tricky touchline operator immediately took off in the direction of goal, carried the ball and cut in past three challenges as he lined up a shot from the edge of the box.
His left-drive took a nick off Mayo on its way past McCrorie into the net.
The Hoops could have had No.3 only minutes beforehand when a low shot was booted off the line by Mayo after Scales had walloped in a first-time effort following a corner-kick.
In the 63rd minute, Rodgers made his first changes with Ralston and Luis Palma coming on for Johnston and Kuhn with James Forrest switching to the right to accommodate the Honduran on the left.
Twelve minutes later, the evergreen Celt made way for Yang Hyun-jun and then it was Odin Holm’s turn to join the action as he took over from Hatate in the 82nd minute.
In between the changes, Kyogo had sped through the tired Killie rearguard to bring down a Scales probing long ball with the greatest of ease before whipping it low past the advancing keeper.
THAT’S MY BHOY…Matt O’Riley congratulates Anthony Ralston after the fourth goal.
Referee Don Robertson ruled it out and VAR backed up the match officials. Pictures showed the Japanese striker must have been offside by the length of a toenail.
It just wasn’t Kyogo’s day and in the 85th minute he was clattered by McCrorie as he moved quickly onto a deft flick from O’Riley at a free-kick.
It was a blatant foul by the netminder who got all of his opponent and none of the ball with a wayward challenge that, astoundingly, went unpunished.
We have all got to hope that crazy decision is not a forerunner for what we might expect from VAR during the entire season. It was a howler from Robertson and Greg Aitekn in the technical studios.
The champions, though, had the final say in stoppage-time when Ralston rattled in No.4 from a tight angle after the Killie keeper had pushed out a low attempt from Kyogo at his left.
The curtain is up and the performers are in place.
This was not a bad way to get the show on the road.
TEAM: Schmeichel; A Johnston (sub: Ralston 63), Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; O’Riley, McGregor, Hatate (sub: Holm 82); Kuhn (sub: Palma 63), Kyogo and Forrest (sub: Yang 75).
