CELTIC have a 100 per cent record after their first three games of the new campaign.
The champions have dominated all of the encounters in eye-catching fashion, thumped in nine goals, are back where they belong at the Premiership pinnacle and in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports League Cup.
Some fans are already talking in terms of a second domestic treble in three years.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, however, is not entirely satisfied.
The central defender admits it was “definitely annoying” to allow Hibs to score in the Hoops’ 3-1 triumph over the Edinburgh visitors in the League Cup outing at the weekend.
OOPS…Cameron Carter-Vickers (extreme left) watches as Mykola Kuharevich’s header soars past the stranded Kasper Schmeichel for Hibs’ consolation goal in their 3-1 loss at Parkhead.
Brendan Rodgers’ side were already 2-0 up following Daizen Maeda’s deadly double inside 17 minutes, but the defence took their collective eye off the ball 10 minutes before the interval when Martin Boyle curled over a free-kick from the right.
Mykola Kuharevich was allowed to get in front of his markers to send an angled header swirling over the stranded and helpless Kasper Schmeichel as the Great Dane conceded his first competitive goal in his third match.
The strike offered brief hope to the Easter Road club, but an opportunist’s goal from Nicolas Kuhn 11 minutes after the restart meant the Hoops were safely heading through to the last eight where they will meet Championship opposition in Falkirk at Parkhead next month.
Looking at the back-four’s momentary lapse, Carter-Vickers said: “I was disappointed to concede the goal, but, apart from that, I thought it was pretty good.
“Yeah, it is annoying to concede. Maybe Hibs had a few half-chances, but I don’t think they had too much from open play. It’s definitely annoying to concede from a set-piece, but again, it’s something we can look at.
WELCOME BACK…Adam Idah is smiles better after his £9.5million arrival.
“I think normally set-pieces are easily corrected, so it’s something we can definitely look at and improve on.”
Celtic have come out of the blocks in a rapid-fire manner with their first goals against Hibs in the back-to-back league and Cup meetings coming in the third minute through Kuhn in Edinburgh and 60 seconds later from Maeda in the east end of Glasgow.
On Flag Day, Kilmarnock held out until the 17th minute before Reo Hatate rifled a low drive beyond the diving Robby McCrorie as Rodgers’ men roared to a 4-0 victory.
Carter-Vickers also welcomed the return of Adam Idah following the frontman’s £9.5million switch from Norwich City while applauding the arrival of Schmeichel as Joe Hart’s successor.
The USA international stopper, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “Yeah, we are really happy Adam is back. He was a big player for us last year, he’s a good guy as well, everyone gets on with him.
“A lot of the boys are pleased to see him back and happy to be playing with him again. With Daizen, every time he’s on the pitch he’s a threat.
“The runs he makes off the ball, and his pace and his directness always causes players problems, and he did the same against Hibs.”
BIG IMPRESSION…Kasper Schmeichel has settled in right away at Celtic.
Carter-Vickers added: “Kasper’s been really good. I think from the minute he came in, you saw his quality.
“I think it’s clear to see he can play with the ball at his feet. “He probably hasn’t had to make many big saves yet in the league or the Cup game, but I think you saw in pre-season some of the saves he made were unbelievable.
“So, I’m definitely enjoying playing in front of him.”
Next up for Carter-Vickers and Co is the midday showdown with St Mirren on Sunday in Paisley, a venue where the visitors won twice last season with a 5-0 aggregate.
