Ruthless Celtic hit seven past title rivals Hearts in emphatic win

Celtic cruised to victory against title rivals Hearts to move four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Hearts returned to Parkhead for the first time since their trophy heartbreak in May, hoping to exact some revenge, only for Celtic to pile on the misery.

The Hoops raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening 10 minutes, with both goals coming from Mika Baur corners. Kieran Tierney headed home the opener before Benjamin Nygren's deflected volley doubled Celtic's advantage.

• As it happened | Teams | Stats
• Watch FREE Scottish Prem highlights | Latest Scottish Prem news | Latest scores
• Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream the Scottish Prem with no contract

Callum Osmand, who secured Celtic's title five months ago, marked his first start for the club with a quickfire double. He capitalised on a terrible pass from Sabri Guendouz to slot home before heading in the rebound after Camilo Duran was denied.

Laurent Mendy pulled a goal back for Hearts, but their hopes of a comeback took another hit before the break when Stephen Kingsley and Jamie McCart combined to turn the ball into their own net.

After missing a glorious chance, Duran made amends by curling home Celtic's sixth shortly after the restart, before Nygren added a seventh late on to cap a miserable afternoon for Hearts.

It was a statement win for Martin O'Neill's side, who reminded Hearts - winless away from Edinburgh since January - of what it takes to claim the Premiership title.

The key moments from Celtic Park

7: GOAL! Celtic take an early lead! Liam Scales gets on the end of Mika Baur's corner and he heads it to Kieran Tierney to nod into the net.

10: GOAL! Celtic's second corner, Celtic's second goal. Baur sends it in with Dane Murray flicking it on to Benjamin Nygren and his deflected volley hits the back of the net.

18: OFF THE POST! Haissem Hassan easily beats Stephen Kingsley and gets a shot away, but it smacks the upright.

36: GOAL! Callum Osmand celebrates his first start by taking advantage of Sabri Guendouz's terrible pass to slot home.

38: GOAL! Camilo Duran's first effort is saved by Reus. He pounces on the rebound and sends the ball to Osmand to head his second of the game.

41: GOAL! The visitors pull one back before the break as Laurent Mendy curls a powerful drive into the net from around 16 yards.

44: CLOSE! Duran is through on goal but sends it wide. That should be five.

45+1: GOAL! Baur cuts through the defence and flicks over Reus, and Kingsley knocks it over his own line off fellow defender McCart.

49: GOAL CELTIC! Tierney slips the ball through for Duran and he curls it into the net.

83: GOAL CELTIC! Kasper Hogh spins away from the Hearts defence and plays it out to Nygren and he slots the ball into the corner.

'I have never seen anything like it in my life'

Sky Sports' Kris Boyd:

"That is as close, especially that first 45 minutes, that I have seen to Ange Postecoglou's Celtic team.

"I know Brendan Rodgers had spells, but every time Celtic attacked with the pace they had and that forward area under Ange Postecoglou, that is as close as it came to it.

"That first half was devastating. Hearts, I cannot for the life of me work out what they were trying to do there today [Sunday].

"I don't see any of that Hearts team that's going in the Celtic team. I don't see any of it, so what would make you think that you're better than them?"

"That there was an annihilation. I mean, I have never seen anything like it in my life."

Former Hearts defender Ryan McGowan:

"I couldn't work out if Hearts were really, really poor or Celtic were really, really good. It's probably a combination of the two of them.

"The amount of times that Hearts gave the ball away in really, really dangerous areas for Celtic, and there would only be two passes and it was a goal, and they continually did it throughout the whole game.

"There is levels to football. Hearts obviously last season went close and this season they want to challenge it and be up there. But you also have to understand the game.

"They're 5-1 down at half-time and then whatever the manager said to them at half-time went completely out their ears because then they conceded another goal four minutes into the second half.

"So it was a really, really poor performance from Hearts, which you haven't said that often in the last 12 months. At the same time, you've got to give Celtic a lot of credit."

O'Neill: 'Everything clicked'

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill on Sky Sports:

"We played very well indeed. We scored some really great goals as well.

"That helps immensely, like everything else, but still a long way to go. But it was nice to win today because I was concerned after Thursday night, wondering how we feel, can we get ourselves together for it?

"It's easy to be magnanimous after the game but they're still big challengers. Everything clicked for us today.

"You ask any manager or any team, any player, they would say the same thing. Once you've put a couple of goals in front, then confidence just is so strong.

"The team played with a lot of confidence but you have to gain that confidence in the first place. And that's what we did today."

Vrancken: 'I'm sorry'

Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken speaking Sky Sports:

"It was really disappointing because of the way it happened, especially when you let them score from two set-plays.

"When you go directly two behind it's difficult, and then a lot of individual mistakes, and then it was all open.

"We made mistakes that we wouldn't normally make. That's it. I'm sorry."

What the result means and next fixtures...

• Celtic fixtures
• Hearts fixtures
• Scottish Premiership fixtures

Rate the players...