In a show of indisputable dominance, Celtic Football Club sealed their 54th Scottish Premiership title, and third in succession, with an impressive 5-0 victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. The team needed just one point from two remaining games to fend off the Rangers, and they more than achieved it in their first shot at Rugby Park.
Within the first dozen minutes, Adam Idah and Daizen Maeda had scored to demoralise the opposition, and James Forrest struck a third before the interval. Matt O’Riley, a standout performer in the midfield throughout the season, added two more goals in the second half, bringing his own goal count to 17 in the league.
Celtic’s triumph was made even more poignant as it occurred at the venue carrying the memory of Tommy Burns, a former Celtic and Killie player and manager, whose commemorative banner was exhibited by fans on the 16th anniversary of his passing.
Rugby Park had previously been the site of some disappointment for Celtic when Brendan Rodgers previously saw his perfect Scottish knockout record end there, and Celtic also experienced a loss and draw against Kilmarnock. However, with all their key players now fully fit, Celtic witnessed a surge in performance, gathering 22 points from 8 matches since mid-April.
During their commanding performance, the opening goal caused some controversy, as Kilmarnock appealed for a foul on Robbie Deas, who had taken a knock from Idah. However, play continued and Idah helped O’Riley net the first goal. Despite a VAR check, the referee did not reverse the decision. Maeda augmented Celtic’s winning margin when he converted Alistair Johnston’s pass following some clever work from Reo Hatate.
The spectators were eager to see the job completed by the visiting team. Both Forrest and Liam Scales nearly scored from beyond the penalty area, amid a saved shot from Idah. A more challenging situation had been dodged by Killie when Liam Donnelly was penalised for his sprawling tackle on Hatate. The midfield player was lucky to avoid a caution for his earlier tug on O’Riley, and he must have breathed a sigh of relief when shown a yellow card for his latest offence.
The Celtic team didn’t require any extra player to stretch their lead. They increased the score to 3-0 in the 35th minute, thanks to Idah’s assist to Maeda who put the ball in the right spot for Forrest to drive it home. Goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara managed to deflect attempts by Idah and O’Riley before the intermission offered some temporary relief for Killie.
However, there was nothing O’Hara could do to block O’Riley’s powerful strike into the top corner from 18 yards in the 51st minute. Danny Armstrong of Killie scored a brilliant goal two minutes later, but it was ruled out due to a preceding offside.
Trying to bring some joy to their fans besides securing a fourth-place finish and European qualification, the home team continued to press forward and Matty Kennedy’s effort was met with the crossbar.
O’Riley added another score to Celtic’s tally in the 71st minute, with a helpful setup from substitute Nicolas Kuhn. The travelling fans were thoroughly entertained and resurrected an old chant rarely heard since the sudden departure of Rodgers for Leicester in February 2019, praising their manager for returning to helm the green and white team.
The ovation was indeed a poignant moment for the 51-year-old manager. His arrival last summer aroused mixed feelings and a Scottish Cup triumph over Rangers next Saturday would certainly help to strengthen the bond. – Guardian.