Celtic effectively booked their spot in the Champions League third qualifying round with a thumping win over Nomme Kalju at Parkhead.
A double from Ryan Christie , goals from Kris Ajer and Callum McGregor – and a stunning free-kick from comeback striker Leigh Griffiths – killed off the tie with the Estonians.
The return leg on Tuesday night should be a formality for Neil Lennon 's side whose next Euro hurdle will be either Cluj of Romania or Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel.
Celtic had to be patient to break down Kalju last night but Ajer's bullet header from a Christie free-kick broke the deadlock.
The Scotland midfielder then won a penalty as Liliu handled in the box and he stepped up to bury the spot-kick.
And just before half-time, Griffiths brought the house down with his first goal for the club since November 2018.
His whipped free-kick which nestled in the top corner was reminiscent of his two memorable goals for Scotland against England.
And after his off-field problems, an emotional Griffiths took the acclaim of the Parkhead crowd.
In the second half, Lennon's side could have scored a lot more.
But Christie made it 4-0 with the goal of the night, curling a shot into the top corner from 20 yards to cap off a man of the match display.
And Hoops team-mate McGregor rounded off the scoring when he drilled a left-foot effort beyond helpless 'keeper Pavel Londak.
Celtic unveiled new signing Hatem Elhamed at half-time but fellow new boy Boli Bolingoli came off injured before the break, while £7 million defender Christopher Jullien was an unused sub.
3 talking points
Celts can plan ahead already
Celtic can start thinking about Cluj or Maccabi Tel Aviv in the third qualifier because there's every chance they'll get even MORE chances against Kalju in Estonia next week. Lennon might even be able to rest a few of his big-name players for the next round after last night's resounding first-leg win.
He had scout Peter Houston eyeing up Cluj and Maccabi in Romania and the planning for that can start now. In the second leg Nomme will have to come out and try to attack Celtic but will that even more space for the Hoops to exploit.
Early on, they were compact and defended deep on the edge of their own box. It took set-pieces to break them down in the first half but as the game opened up after the break, it could have been a cricket score. So whatever starting line-up Lennon goes with in the return, he'll expect even more goals.
System suits for Lennon
The 3-5-2 system is one Lennon likes and we could see it fairly often this term. As a player, the Celtic manager was part of hugely successful Martin O'Neill teams that used the formation to great effect. And more recently as a gaffer, he deployed it at Hibs on several occasions.
When the team sheet came out last night, his selection of two strikers pointed to a 3-5-2. His other option was to use Odsonne Edouard coming in off the left in Celtic's usual 4-2-3-1.
But hunting for goals and a healthy first leg lead, Lennon opted for the the three at the back and you have to say it worked. Edouard and Griffiths looked sharp and lively as a pair up top, while Christie made full use of the space in behind with a brilliant display.
The one negative was the performance of Nir Bitton for the first 40 minutes at right centre-back, where he was clearly uncomfortable. Lennon spotted it and switched the Israeli into the middle of the defence which settled him down. With Jullien and Hatem Elhamed to come into the back-line, we could well see it at times in the Premiership this season.
Christie a POTY contender
Christie is currently 33/1 to be the Scottish Premiership's top goalscorer this season and on current form that looks like a very generous each way bet. The Scotland ace is on fire right now and was unplayable against Kalju last night, with his second goal a thing of beauty. He's been given the freedom to play in the number 10 role by Lennon in front of Scott Brown and McGregor – and he's relishing it.
The Estonians couldn't handle him and he was a constant threat going forward. If he nails down that position at Parkhead, which looks likely, he's going to score all sorts of goals in our domestic league. And interestingly, he was on the penalties for Celtic last night, nudging Griffiths out of the way to score the Hoops' second goal. If that's the case for the remainder of the campaign, that 33/1 price should surely be snapped up as Christie's well capable of getting into serious double figures.
