The wins just keep on coming for Celtic as Aaron Mooy's first Celtic goals and strikes from Daizen Maeda and Kyogo blew Hibs away at Easter Road.
The Hoops went into this one with just two wins from their previous nine in the league at Easter Road, and the home side thought they had the lead early on when Chris Cadden had the ball in the net before the linesman's flag was raised. Kevin Nisbet then had a chance before Reo Hatate picked out Daizen Maeda at the other end but he couldn't direct his header goalward.
The full-back duo of Cadden and Lewis Stevenson were bombing forward and causing all sorts of problems for the visitors early on and they initially struggled to settle. Josh Campbell fizzed one just wide of the post after a stray Hatate throw-in and the Hibees were making good on Lee Johnson's promise to go after the game from the off.
They failed to take advantage of the early initiative though and soon Celtic punished them, as they so often do. A cross from the left from Maeda caused confusion and it eventually broke to Mooy, who expertly thumped home on the half-volley for his first goal in green and white.
The goal gave the league leaders confidence they needed and seconds after a glaring headed miss from Maeda, the Japanese star doubled the lead with a stunning strike. A dummy run from Greg Taylor down the left did its job and left him with a yard of space to cut inside, and he curled one into David Marshall's far corner to finish off a brilliant charge forward.
There were some signs of a Hibs revival as Paul Hanlon hit the post to keep Joe Hart on his toes, but caught between limiting the damage and going for broke, things threatened to get hairy. A handball in the box from Stevenson early in the second half gave Mooy the chance to convert from the spot, and he made no mistake from 12 yards with the taste for goals on his tongue at last.
Reo Hatate then picked out Kyogo with a superb pass from right-back and the Premiership's top scorer kept his cool to notch his 15th goal of the season, just seconds before being replaced by Giorgos Giakoumakis. Another sub in Alexandro Bernabei had a chance for number five and Matt O'Riley tested Marshall as the runaway league leaders showed no mercy. Here's three talking points from Leith.
Mooy makes his mark
The sense of relief on Aaron Mooy's face when his sweet half-volley hit the back of the net was palpable. He's grown increasingly influential as the season has worn on and he had little left to prove, but your first goal for a club is always a big one, and the swagger that was already evident in his play only grew from there.
The Australian ran the show and the balance he's struck in midfield alongside Callum McGregor and Matt O'Riley is really something to behold - especially considering he was viewed as little more than a useful squad-filler when he arrived on a free back in the summer. All of a sudden that two-year deal afforded to him looks like an inspired bit of business as he rediscovers the player that took the English Premier League by storm with Huddersfield all those years ago.
What does it mean for Reo Hatate in midfield after his foray out to right-back comes to an end? That's hard to say but after a brilliant assist for Kyogo's killer fourth goal, fans won't be in any rush to see him moved back inside.
No broken promises
For better or worse, the pre-match promises from the Hibs camp that they would go for Celtic right off the bat certainly came good here. Both Lee Johnson and David Marshall promised an attacking approach and they created enough in the first half to feel slightly aggrieved going into the break at 2-0 down.
A marginal but correct offside call denied them the opening goal just seconds in and that set the tone for a first half in which both sides could have had a few, with Elie Youan showing flashes of brilliance for the home side at times. The difference though was Celtic took their chances and Hibs didn't, nor did they keep it tight enough at the other end.
Their familiar issue of failing to defend the wide positions ultimately came back to haunt them as both of Celtic's first-half goals originated from the flanks. Mooy hammered home after Hatate's cross and Maeda's charging run in from the left caused all sorts of confusion, aided by Taylor's clever overlapping decoy.
The second half was something of a procession and a miracle comeback never really looked on the cards. But their performance was mostly fine and they won't be the last side to ship four to Celtic this season. Plenty to ponder for Johnson but he'll take the good with the bad.
Enig-Maeda strikes again
Q: How do you predict what a player is going to do next if even they don't know? A: You don't.
Daizen Maeda's unique brand of chaos football isn't always the answer for Celtic but there's be no denying it paid off in spades at Easter Road. What he was thinking when he flew in for a diving header when a back post tap in would have sufficed we'll never know, but seconds later it was all forgotten when he Roadrunner-ed it past Chris Cadden and curled in a beauty to make it 2-0.
Fans never really know what to make of him and opposition players don't either. Even the Celtic penalty came from a bit of play that could only have come from him, attempting to square the ball when a finish looked the easier option, resulting in the costly handball that put the game out of sight.
He's capable of going from the sublime to the ridiculous and both of those aspects of his game were on show in Leith, but it seems his energy and unpredictability has regained him starting status under Postecoglou. While fans at times may prefer the refined composure and subtlety of Jota, the imposing presence of Sead Haksabanovic or the steadying presence of James Forrest on the wing, it seems to be Maeda's shirt for now and you can hardly grudge him it.
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