Celtic extend lead at top of William Hill Premiership after thrashing Hearts

Callum Osmand was on target again as Celtic inflicted more misery on Hearts with a 7-1 thrashing at Parkhead.

Osmand netted twice in two first-half minutes in the first meeting of the teams since his goal sealed Celtic’s last-gasp title success at the expense of the Edinburgh side.

The Hoops were two up inside 10 minutes after Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren both scored from Mika Baur corners, and the latter had the William Hill Premiership champions 5-1 up at the interval after forcing an own goal from Jamie McCart.

Camilo Duran piled on the agony with a goal four minutes after the restart, and Nygren rounded off the scoring to send Martin O’Neill’s side four points clear of Rangers.

Hearts had arrived in Glasgow as the division’s top goalscorers and with the opportunity to move two points behind the leaders.

They produced 20 shots at goal, one of which found the net from Laurent Mendy, but Celtic were far superior in the final third and benefited from some extremely slack defending.

Wouter Vrancken’s side were always up against it after the hosts capitalised on Baur’s seventh-minute corner.

The champions recruited set-piece specialist Ross Grant from the Tynecastle coaching team in the summer after Hearts led the way in the league with 23 goals from dead-ball situations. Celtic were in the bottom half of the table with 10.

That emphasis appeared to pay dividends as Liam Scales glanced Baur’s delivery into the goalmouth, where the unmarked Tierney nodded home.

Hearts got first contact on Baur’s next corner, but Dane Murray hooked the second ball into the path of Nygren, who cushioned a volley in off a post.

Both sides had chances for the third goal. Home goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo saved from Sabri Guendouz and Claudio Braga, while McCart’s free header drifted just wide.

Celtic winger Haissem Hassan hit a post and set up Nygren, who was denied by Beau Reus, before Osmand netted his first goal of the season in the 36th minute. Duran set up the 20-year-old to slot home after collecting a slack pass from Guendouz.

Osmand’s second goal came from Duran’s pressing on the halfway line and the Colombian scooped the ball up for the former Fulham player to nod over the line after his own shot was saved.

Some Hearts fans headed for the exit and missed Mendy sweeping the ball into the corner of the net from 20 yards in the 41st minute after being teed up by Josh McPake, who was generally marshalled superbly by Colby Donovan.

Duran came close before Baur rounded off an incredible first half when he ghosted past two players and dinked the ball over Reus. Stephen Kingsley could only knock the ball in off team-mate McCart.

Celtic opened their visitors up again just after the interval when Tierney ran unchallenged to set up Duran to finish first time.

The tempo dipped, but the home fans were treated to some virtuoso wing play from half-time substitute Jota before the Magnificent Seven theme tune got another Celtic Park airing in the 83rd minute.

Substitute Kasper Hogh fed the run of Nygren, who finished high into the net.