Celtic produced red-hot first half display as they roared out of cold storage to give their fans a treat on their return to Parkhead.
Blue Monday? It was a green and white night and there was nothing for the Hoops legions to be down about on the so-called most depressing day of the year as they strolled to victory over Hibs.
And deadly Daizen Maeda got off to a dream start with a quickfire opener as the striker and fellow new Bhoy and compatriot Reo Hatate played a key part in the win, with Guchi on as a late substitute.
The victory for Ange Postecoglou’s men cuts the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to just three points to put the pressure on Rangers ahead of their trip to Aberdeen.
It made for a miserable return to the east end of Glasgow for Shaun Maloney as he tasted defeat for the first time as Hibs boss but he could have few complaints.
Former Yokohama F. Marinos and J-League join top scorer last season Maeda didn’t waste any time in showing why Postecoglou brought him in.
He took just three minutes and 36 seconds to open his account and Josip Juranovic added a second midway through the first half.
After three weeks without football, the expectant fans got the entertainment they were craving inside five frantic minutes.
Hibs should have taken the lead when Kevin Nisbet squandered a gilt-edged chance as he sent an effort off the post when it looked easier to score from Chris Cadden’s cross after good play from Martin Boyle.
The Hoops then punished their profligacy when they went up the other end to break the deadlock and send Parkhead wild.
Tom Rogic was gifted possession by Josh Campbell in a dangerous area and the Aussie picked out Maeda who swept the ball beyond Matt Macey.
The Hoops were flying and deservedly doubled their lead midway through the break as Hibs couldn’t live with the hosts.
Greg Taylor pinged a lovely ball over the top for Liel Abada who brought it under control and Josh Doig handled as he tried to intercept.
Willie Collum had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and up stepped Juranovic who drilled a shot low into the corner.
The tempo dropped after the restart - it was always going to be hard to keep up their blistering pace - but Celtic could still have extended their lead with Abada hitting the woodwork and Cameron Carter-Vickers having a goal ruled out for a foul.
Jamie Murphy, Lewis Stevenson and James Scott were all thrown on for the visitors in a desperate bid to get back into the game.
Celtic also made raft of changes with the return of Jota from injury earning a huge cheer and underlining the strength of the Parkhead squad.
Here are three talking points from Parkhead.
J-League gems
Ange Postecoglou is bringing too many players in from Japan. They can’t all be as successful Kyogo. That’s what the doubters said after Celtic made a triple J-League swoop.
Well, the early indications are that the new recruits can emulate Kyogo and there is no doubting their quality on this evidence.
Daizen Maeda took less than four minutes to open his account with his goal the 5000th in the Scottish Premiership era.
Few have enjoyed such a quick scoring start to their Celtic careers with Gary Mackay-Steven netting after 38 seconds against Partick Thistle and Barry Robson with his first touch in 2008.
Reo Hatate strolled it in the middle of the park and looks a classy operator with an array of passes and could even have got on the scoresheet himself with a long range effort saved.
It shows what Postecoglou can do in the transfer market and they will strengthen Celtic’s title charge in the second half of the season.
Suffering Shaun
Shaun Maloney was returning to his spiritual home and looking to cause an upset - the kind he was on the end of in his last game as a player at Parkhead.
The former Hoops star went down to a shock 1-0 defeat at home to St Johnstone in the last game of his second spell at Parkhead.
And given Hibs are winless in nearly 11 years at Parkhead then it was a result of that magnitude he was looking to mastermind.
However, it never looked on the cards although Maloney will be wondering how different things might have been if Kevin Nisbet hadn’t missed a sitter early on.
The striker hit the post when it looked easier to score and chances like that have to be taken away by the opposition at Parkhead to have any chance of victory.
It’s a first defeat since he took over Easter Road but he must have been envious of the swashbuckling home side as it’s exactly how he wants his side to play.
Maloney is still in his early days but he would have expected his team to perform better than they did.
Pumped Parkhead
Anyone who didn’t think bringing the winter break forward was a good idea to give the fans the best chance of being back inside grounds up and down the country should have gone to Parkhead.
The anticipation, the joy, the atmosphere. Skipper Callum McGregor had urged the fans to get the place rocking and they didn’t disappoint.
But the team did their bit with a blistering first half to get the place bouncing but it was just great to see the fans back.
Compare that with Boxing Day when the grounds were practically empty and it will be the same when the rest of the midweek fixtures take place on Tuesday.
