CELTS ARE TOP RANK
Rodgers’ men show a ruthless streak to replace demoralised Killie at the league summit
INSULTED by the league sponsors in the build-up, Kilmarnock were forcibly removed from their Premiership perch by a merciless Celtic performance that stopped just short of humiliation.
With four different names on the scoresheet by half-time, this was as free-flowing and ruthless as Brendan Rodgers’ side has been all season and the sheer tempo of the football can only stiffen morale ahead of Thursday’s defining Europa League visit of Salzburg.
For Steve Clarke’s Killie, this was a brutal return to reality after their hard-earned ascent to the top led to three sweet days of dreaming of replicating the Leicester City fairytale and fulfilling director Billy Bowie’s prediction of a title challenge.
Clarke, last season’s Manager of the Year, has worked wonders to drill his functional group of players into a team that repeatedly turns up results against the odds. Surprising then that bookmakers Ladbrokes were never convinced.
On Friday the SPFL’s title sponsors priced up Killie at 16-1 to win this match and while they may well argue the margin of victory vindicated their judgment — those were quite astonishing if not disrespectful odds for a side that not only led the table at kick-off but had claimed two wins and two draws in four previous meetings of these clubs. This was the Ayrshire outfit’s heaviest defeat under Clarke, but no team in the country would have coped with the pace and verve of Celtic’s first-half play that hit like a tsunami amid a veritable deluge.
Rodgers (right) had gambled by making seven changes to his Betfred Cup-winning team at Motherwell in midweek and lost a late equaliser for his troubles.
This was much closer to a full-strength line-up for Celtic, but there was a concession ahead of Thursday’s Europa League visit of Salzburg. Nursing a minor groin strain, Kieran Tierney sat out as Emilio Izaguirre returned for the first time in almost four months. Killie were also without a first-choice operator in Kirk Broadfoot, who suffered a head knock in the midweek win over Livingston. While Celtic have a string of international players in reserve, Clarke’s squad is not deep enough to absorb such losses for any length of time. Five minutes, it turns out, was about the limit. Izaguirre has barely featured since rejoining Celtic in August but this was a sprightly performance from the Honduran, who set the stadium’s disco lights spinning with an early assist. The cross was inviting and James Forrest’s side-foot volleyed finish a joy to behold. His 13th in 14 games for club and country, this was another example of how composed the winger has become in front of goal. It wasn’t too difficult to imagine Broadfoot planting his forehead on the ball and clearing before it made its way to Forrest, and both his replacement, Stuart Findlay, and partner Scott Boyd were struggling to hold things together as Celtic probed. Boyd gifted possession to Tom Rogic for a shot which stung Daniel Bachmann’s palms and the Australian again forced a save from
the Kilmarnock goalkeeper after wriggling clear of defenders for a shot. Clarke always has a counter-attack threat in his side but there were only flickers of menace from Jordan Jones and Greg Stewart, the former coming closest as he forced an unconvincing save from Craig Gordon.
Within a minute of that effort, Celtic were two goals ahead, Odsonne Edouard combining with Rogic to slice through the middle to sweep the ball home.
Celtic assembled a four-goal half-time chasm via a couple of set-pieces, first when Mikael Lustig diverted Callum McGregor’s free-kick in on the volley and then when Ryan Christie continued his irresistible form with a 20-yard free-kick.
Clarke threw on Eamonn Brophy as an extra striker at the break and the substitute pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute.
Referee Nick Walsh’s decision was met by howls of protest from the home fans but, while Rory McKenzie tumbled to the ground outside the penalty box, the prior contact from Filip Benkovic seemed to occur just inside.
Brophy calmly converted but Celtic’s snoozy start to the second half did not last. Forrest whacked a shot off the post before adding his second on the back of some forceful play from Christie, who nutmegged a defender and was then taken out by Bachmann as he raced in on goal. Walsh could have blown for the penalty but waited for the result of Forrest’s rebound, which was dispatched with an angled drive into the roof of the net.
Worthy as that piece of officiating may have been, Forrest looked stunned not to get a penalty when blocked on a subsequent run across the box.
Rodgers managed the remainder of the game by taking key players out of the fray in preparation for Thursday. Rogic, Edouard and Christie all trotted off, with the latter being replaced by Scott Brown.
The Celtic boss insists the club captain still has a big part to play but with McGregor performing so well in his favoured anchor role, the reigning champions are looking a slicker proposition without the 33-year-old in situ.
Will Brown start against Salzburg? Rodgers’ post-match comments suggested otherwise — but if you’re looking for a bet, a certain bookie is in generous mood.