Celtic thrashed Hearts 7-1 at Celtic Park on Sunday to move four points clear at the top of the Premiership after Rangers slipped up in Dundee.
The Hoops were two up inside 10 minutes thanks to goals from Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren, both from Mika Baur corners. Callum Osmand added a double before the break, with an own goal from Jamie McCart making it 5-1 at half-time. Camilo Duran scored early in the second half and Nygren completed the rout late on.
Hoops cruise as Jambos collapse
Unlike the final-day showdown at Parkhead in May, this was not tight or tense. It was a rout, with Celtic hitting five before the interval. Hearts posed the odd problem in attack but were woeful at the back against Martin O'Neill's lethal side.
Tierney nodded in from Liam Scales' flick for the opener, then Nygren buried after Dane Murray acrobatically kept the ball alive. Osmand headed in after Duran pounced on a slack pass from Sabri Guendouz, then headed home after the Colombian won possession and burst into the box.
Laurent Mendy curled in a cracker from the edge of the box, but it was 5-1 by the break when Baur ghosted into the box and his dink was kept out by Stephen Kingsley, only for the tame clearance to go in off pal McCart. Duran got the goal his display deserved four minutes into the second half when he swept in after Tierney's neat pass.
Wheels come off for Vrancken's men
With the game done, O'Neill handed Landon Emenalo a debut and Jota another run out, while Vrancken admitted defeat by resting his main men ahead of Europe this week. Nygren strolled in to slot his second and Celtic's seventh late on, but by that stage a fair few Jambos had already hit the road.
Hearts were straight on the team bus after the chaotic end to the title decider in May, but they would have been better off heading back to Edinburgh by half-time here after being smashed for seven by the champions. Celtic may have suffered in Europe, but they had a fun day back on home soil to leave the Jambos crushed again.
Talking points from Parkhead
This was much more like it from Celtic, with far more balance in the side with Duran through the middle. The Colombian had to wait until number six to hit the net but was in the thick of it for several other goals, and Celts look a far more functional outfit with him up top. Hassiem Hassan and Osmand were dangerous down the flanks, and the midfield were allowed to take the ball to feet rather than see long balls lumped into Kasper Hogh.
Hearts arrived at Parkhead as the most lethal side in the Premiership this season, but their defending was abysmal. They slumped to their worst ever defeat at Celtic Park, undone by Sunday league style defending. Vrancken got his game plan wrong, but the goals conceded had to be seen to be believed and will have had the manager in despair.
Celts have struggled for left wingers this season, but Osmand sparkled again here after impressing from the bench against Benfica. Set piece coach Ross Grant, a summer arrival from Hearts, saw his new club go two up inside 10 minutes from set pieces. And fans finally got a look at loan signing Emenalo, with the Chelsea kid getting a run out from the bench.
