Celtic Start Title Defense with Dominant 4-0 Victory

Celtic launched their 2024/25 Scottish Premiership season in impressive style, defeating Kilmarnock 4-0 at home and securing their first three points of the campaign. The victory puts them two points clear of their rivals, Rangers, after the latter’s draw with Hearts.

Reo Hatate opened the scoring in the 17th minute, firing a shot into the bottom corner just inside the box. Celtic had already come close earlier when Kyogo Furuhashi’s effort was denied by a superb goal-line clearance, followed by an impressive save from Kilmarnock’s goalkeeper, Robby McCrorie, who dived to thwart a bending shot.

Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn nearly doubled the lead with a rebound that clipped the top of the crossbar before Celtic extended their advantage just before half-time. Liam Scales out-muscled Lewis Mayo at a corner to head the ball in off the right post, giving Celtic a 2-0 cushion going into the half.

At the start of the second half, Scales almost added to his tally with a shot cleared off the line by Oliver Bainbridge. However, Kuhn managed to secure the third goal when his shot deflected past McCrorie. Despite Kyogo struggling to find the net himself—missing a close opportunity from Hatate’s cross and having a goal disallowed for offside—Anthony Ralston pounced on a late rebound in added time, securing the fourth goal for Celtic.

Rodgers: “We Are Improving All the Time”

After the match, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers shared his thoughts with Sky Sports, stating, “It was a very good performance. Coming into the first game of the season, it’s just about getting it going. I thought a lot of our combination play in the midfield to the attacking third was really good.”

Discussing the different challenges posed by Kilmarnock, Rodgers noted, “Kilmarnock are very, very fit. They make it very difficult and very physical, which is what the game’s about. But we can manage our way through that really well now.”

Rodgers was pleased with his team’s efforts to maintain a quick tempo throughout the match, noting, “We scored four excellent goals and could’ve got one or two more. This team is improving all the time, whether we’re facing man-marking teams or those that sit in a low block.”

With a strong start to their season, Celtic looks poised to defend their title as they continue to refine their play under Rodgers’ guidance.

Credit: Sky Sports