Dominant Celtic wiped the floor with overmatched Livingston as they continued their hunt for Scottish Premiership title glory in a 3-0 win.
And it was over before punters devoured their interval snacks as Greg Taylor, Daizen Maeda and Kyogo hit the net before half-time. Complacency isn't a currency in which Ange Postecoglou deals in and despite the lack of goals after the break it was pure dominance from a side who have now won a dominant 23 league games out of 25.
The game started in a familiar fashion - the champions knocking at the door of the away side's reinforced fort which was bolstered with five players in the backline. But David Martindale was left in a state of apoplexy after Reo Hatate was afforded three touches before he skewed his shot past the post.
Livingston were rolling with the punches and were keen to show off their counter-punch. Andrew Shinnie, a hero of this fixture last season, launched an audacious effort from distance but it ended wide of Joe Hart's post. But Celtic were quick to remind of their multiple threats as Maeda's bullet cross wreaked havoc but Jota couldn't turn home from a yard out – a sheepish thumbs-up in the direction of the Japan international and a bemused look followed.
Callum McGregor was then left decked with a bloody nose after Bruce Anderson landed on him. The skipper asked the physio if it was broken but a reassuring nod and change of shorts allowed the skipper to make an instant return. A word to sum up Celtic after that was nearly with several chances and through balls inches away from coming off.
However, there was no uncertainty when Taylor ripped in a strike after Hatate's deft touch to allow him to curl into the outside of Shamal George's net. The men from West Lothian were toiling and a second quickly followed as Maeda put his head in where it hurts after Ayo Obileye's hooked clearance bounced off the striker and past the helpless Livingston keeper. Bruce Anderson tried to spark a comeback but his strike from a tight angle cracked the Joe Hart's post.
But it did little to slow Celtic down and Kyogo survived two VAR checks for a foul and offside to net his 21st goal of the season. The striker hauled in O'Riley's through ball before jinking through and turning home with his his left foot.
The second half remained one way traffic with the far-side match official getting a work out by raising his flag on multiple occasions. Celtic weren't as expansive but there was an intent. Maeda was left cursing his luck after he skewed an effort wide after Jota produced the pass of the night to unlock the Livingston defence.
The arrival of Oh was a winter warmer for home fans feeling and he once again displayed his potential with an all-action cameo in the closing stages. But the job was very much done as the champions provided just the latest signal of their qualities.
Here's 3 talking points from Celtic Park.
Unrivalled dominance
It's easy to state the eye-popping win record, goals for and against but Celtic's dominance is apparent without flicking through the stat sheet. Martin O'Neill's side regularly scored for fun and Brendan Rodgers' first season at the helm was the zenith for many among the Parkhead faithful, however, Postecoglou's team are unshakeable in their approach to dominate every game. The manager's mantra in search for constant perfection goes before him but 'we never stop' is more than a nice soundbite. From the full-backs entering midfield and the endless runs off the ball to open up space - Celtic practice what they preach and their SPFL rivals don't have an answer.
Pound crashes
Martindale's claim over his side being the pound-for-pound Premiership kings was a nice soundbite but there was no moral victory in this one-sided affair. The Lions boss is one of the best at frustrating the opposition but his gritty side were unable to keep Celtic at bay due to the non-stop movement is the perfect way to counter Livingston's low block. Martindale has high standards and he couldn't hide his frustration on numerous occasions as Celtic were able to create chance upon chance.
O'Riley a perfect help
Much is made of the attacking midfielder's lack of goals with no player having more shots in the Premiership without netting. Yes, the former Fulham man would love to contributing more but his nine assists in the league has him top of the charts. And O'Riley was strong throughout against the Lions. The quality was dripping off his raking pass to set up Kyogo and that was underlined by a non-stop work-rate before he was replaced by Mooy in the 64th minute. A hearty applause during his departure was both deserved and welcomed by the man himself.
