IT’S TOM CRUISE
Celts 52 unbeaten domestically thanks to Rogic class
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But Tom Rogic still managed to put jam on it.
With their reserves out in force and the big guns wrapped in cotton wool for today’s six-hour flight to Kazakhstan, Celtic had to put in a shift to keep up their blemish-free start to the season.
And not for the first time at Rugby Park, the Aussie was the architect of their victory.
His two assists for James Forrest and Callum Mcgregor, one at the end of each half, were the touches of class that separated the sides on the scoresheet, even if there was a chasm between them on the pitch. The annual juggling act between continental progress and domestic dominance began in earnest yesterday.
Boss Brendan Rodgers’ priorities were there in black and white on the team sheet.
With Kieran Tierney the oldest player in his back four at the age 20, any notion that the coach was relaxing on Celtic’s 5-0 lead for the trip to Kazakhstan was dispelled.
Up the field there was more familiarity, despite 19-year-old Kundai Benyu earning his first league appearance.
But with Leigh Griffiths on the bench, Celts were again relying on the fluidity of their system to get the job done, with James Forrest the de facto striker
For half an hour, Celtic were limited to efforts from outside the box, with Rogic, Forrest and Benyu cutting in without posing any kind of serious threat. Not that Killie offered much of their own.
The Hoops needed to find a bit of class to break down Killie. And not for the first time, it came from Rogic. He broke the back of the title race for Ronny Deila here in 2016 with a last-minute rocket.
Yesterday it was all about his subtlety. The lovely dink over Adam Frizzell and drive into the box broke the line.
But it was the cuteness of the cutback that threw the whole Killie defence and Forrest sidefooted home from 10 yards.
Five minutes from the break, it was all they needed.
The rest was like a training exercise for Celtic – but never the final penetration.
Rodgers gave three of his certs for Tuesday night a stretch of the legs for the last 20 minutes as Griffiths, Nir Bitton and Mikael Lustig all came on.
Just when it looked like the game would peter out, Rogic rustled up one last moment of magic with a minute left.
Mcgregor showed nice balance to adjust his feet for his slide-rule pass and slipped it in.