Celtic cruise 27 points clear

CELTIC ensured there would be no second slip-up at Inverness in an almost flawless Premiership season with a thumping 4-0 win at the Tulloch Caledonian stadium.

The only two points the runaway league leaders had dropped in the previous 26 games was in the 2-2 draw against the Highlanders at the same venue last September.

However, after Scott Sinclair fired Celtic ahead just before the break, a botched clearance from keeper Owain Fon Williams just seconds into the second-half allowed in-form Hoops striker Moussa Dembele to effectively seal the points with an easy goal.

Midfielder Stuart Armstrong added a third with an impressive free-kick before Dembele scored his 11th goal in five games with his 31st of the season.

In what is becoming a statsfest, Brendan Rodgers’ side went 27 points clear of Aberdeen with their 22nd successive league victory, which extended their unbeaten domestic run since the start of the season to 33 games.

Inverness had dropped back to the bottom of the table on Tuesday night with Hamilton’s surprise 1-0 home win over second-placed Aberdeen and will continue their battle for survival hoping confidence has not been dented too much.

Rangers, in third, closed the gap on Aberdeen as Emerson Hyndman’s 90th-minute winner saw them overcome St Johnstone 3-2 at Ibrox in a game which they had earlier led 2-0.