Celtic made no mistake on their return to competitive action, thrashing Kilmarnock 5:1 at Rugby Park in the second round of the Premiership. The visitors were always in control, and the final whistle carried no surprise for those watching from the stands. Kilmarnock had looked comfortable enough in their previous fixtures, but against the champions they could not keep up.
And here's the thing — the opening goal came at the half-hour mark, not through the usual flurry of early pressure. K. Hogh finished a move that had worked the channels well, and suddenly the balance shifted. Kilmarnock had something to chase, and the game opened up.
By then Celtic were playing the second half a man up after A. Johnston came on at the break. B. Nygren made the substitution pay immediately, rolling the dice and finding the net at 47'. M. Schjonning-Larsen added a third at 56', and the hosts were already looking at a long afternoon.
L. McCowan made it four at 75', and the substitutions began to flow — C. Duran, Yang Hyun-Jun, M. Schjonning-Larsen off, T. John-Jules on, K. Hogh withdrawn. The statistical gap told the story: Celtic created 10 big chances to Kilmarnock's one, and their shots accuracy held at 48 per cent despite the volume.
What this means is straightforward. Celtic sit top of the table with 18 points from six games, a fourth straight win streak now in place. Kilmarnock remain rooted to 12th with just one point from five, and the relationship between expectation and reality has soured rather quickly.