Here’s Neil Lennon
“I’m delighted – it’s a fantastic start to the season. We were a little bit passive for my liking in the first half, but in the second half we showed what we’re about: real pace and power and some really good goals. We whipped them a bit at half-time, and in the end it was a really powerful performance.
“He [Edouard] is a special talent. He’s got so much to his game but what’s pleased me in the last 12-15 months is the amount of goals and the variety of goals he’s been scoring. I liked all the goals today.
“People always talk about sending out a message – today was about winning and winning well. That’s it.”
After a slowish start, Celtic looked ominously good against an intrepid but inferior Hamilton. Their through passing and crossing was devastatingly incisive; in fact, the crosses for the first three goals were effectively through passes from a different angle.
Odsonne Edouard scored a hat-trick of close-range finishes, Jeremie Frimpong added another and the substitute Patryk Klimala forced his way onto the scoresheet in the last minute.
Updated
Full time: Celtic 5-1 Hamilton Academical
Peep peep! The champions return to action with a thumping victory.
Updated
The goal was made by Jullien, who slid a long through pass down the inside-right channel. It loooked like Hamilton had everything covered, but then Klimala appeared from nowhere to surge onto the ball, hold off Hamilton and force a precise first-time shot into the far corner. It wasn’t the most elegant finish, but it was a triumph of sheer desire.
Updated
GOAL! Celtic 5-1 Hamilton (Klimala 90)
That’s a terrific goal from the substitute Patryk Klimala!
Updated
86 min A triple substitution for Celtic: Karamoko Dembele, Hatem Abd Elhamed and Patryk Klimala replace Frimpong, Christie and the hat-trick hero Edouard.
85 min Taylor is booked for a tactical foul.
84 min The match is starting to peter out - partly because both teams are tired, mainly because of the scoreline.
81 min Jullien almost makes it five after staying forward following a corner, but Fulton denies him with another brave save.
Updated
80 min McGregor angles a fine pass to Christie, who takes it in his stride and is about to shoot when Hamilton comes across to concede a corner.
79 min “Big statement of intent from Celtic, Rob,” says Brendan Vahey. “The well-oiled machine looks up and running.”
It was a decent statement from Rangers as well, in fairness. Celtic look so good, though, and even odds of 4/9 to win the title feel a bit long.
77 min Moyo drives wide from 25 yards. Even at 4-1 down, Hamilton are attacking with puppy-dog enthusiasm.
73 min Ogkmpoe’s shot is deflected behind - and he misses a good chance from the corner, flicking a near-post header across goal and eventually out for a throw-in.
72 min “It was a rough 21 hours between the Cup final and the start of Celtic’s season but somehow I made it through,” writes Gerry Scott. “The alterations that Lennon has made to our style since returning have made us more entertaining to watch compared to the rather sterile final six months of Brendan Rodgers. It sounds like both full backs have been playing well today. Frimpong in particular can be great fun to watch.”
Yes, he’s one for the Joy of Six: infectious footballers. Both full-backs have been superb going forward, and Taylor’s two crosses for the first-half goals were Robertsonian in their precision.
71 min A double change for Hamilton as well. Ciaran McKenna and Charlie Trafford replacing Callachan and Odoffin.
70 min Olivier Ntcham comes on for Celtic to replace the impressive Elyounoussi.
69 min Fulton makes another good save, beating away Elyounoussi’s shot. Once upon a time, Wales lost 7-1 to the Netherlands - and Neville Southall was the best player on the pitch. Fulton is having a mini-Southall today.
67 min “That Elyounoussi dummy for Celtic’s first was a lesser spotted no-touch assist,” says Anthony Hill.
That would make a decent list piece. You could include off-the-ball runs and even off-the-ball fouls (don’t watch the ball here, watch Mark Hughes).
64 min Frimpong zips infield and plays a one-two with Forrest, whose angled return pass is quite glorious. Frimpong runs onto it and stabs a shot that is bravely saved by Fulton. The loose ball comes to McGregor, who heads it towards the Fulton-less goal. Odoffin, on the line, calmly takes it down on the chest and belts it clear.
Updated
61 min Anyone out there?
59 min Forrest cuts infield from the left and curls a lovely shot towards the far corner that is superbly tipped behind by the diving Fulton.
57 min Ogkmpoe should have been given a second yellow card for that first touch. Had he miscontrolled it even slightly he would still have been able to get a shot in.
56 min Ogkmpoe suddenly has a chance to make it 4-2, but his first touch is a custodial offence and his second is a foul of Jullien.
Updated
55 min Ogkmpoe is booked for booting McGregor up in the air, prompting a brief exchange of views involving Scott Brown.
Celtic opened Hamilton up with a superb move: Forrest fired the ball into Elyounoussi, who stabbed it through to the onrushing Christie. He opened his body to clip a left-footed shot that was pushed out by the diving Fulton, but Edouard reacted smartly to steer the ball into the roof of the net.
GOAL! Celtic 4-1 Hamilton (Edouard 53)
It’s getting messy all right. Odsonne Edouard has completed his hat-trick!
Updated
52 min Fulton is smartly off his line to beat Edouard to a through -ball. Brian Rice must be concerned that this will get messy for his young side. They don’t deserve to suffer a heavy defeat, but football doesn’t really care for such sentiment.
It was another clean, clinical move from Celtic. Christie, just inside his own half on the right, flicked a defence-splitting pass down the line towards Forrest. He scurried onto the ball, looked up and curled a precise low cross that was finished with authority by Edouard.
Updated
GOAL! Celtic 3-1 Hamilton Academical (Edouard 49)
Ryan Fulton’s pulse rate has increased now.
48 min Lots of Celtic pressure at the start of the second half, though nothing to alter Ryan Fulton’s pulse rate.
46 min Peep peep! Hamilton begin the second half.
Replays of Martin’s goal suggest the original shot was going wide, so it will probably go down as a Callum McGregor own goal. It hit him first and then Jullien before dribbling into the net.
Half-time reading
Half time: Celtic 2-1 Hamilton Academical
Peep peep! Celtic deserve to be ahead, but an intrepid Hamilton contributed fully to an entertaining half of football. Two devastating crosses from Greg Taylor left Odsonne Edouard and Jeremie Frimpong with open goals, but Scott Martin - who trained with Celtic as a bairn before being released - got Hamilton back into the match with an early contender for goal of the decade. See you soon for the second half.
Updated
45+1 min Christie’s deep corner is met by another cracking volley from Jullien at the far post. This time it’s blocked by a Hamilton defender, as is his follow-up shot.
45 min Elyounoussi picks up a loose ball and hits a deflected long-range shot that is comfortably held by Fulton. One minute of added time.
44 min Celtic are zipping the ball around with increasing confidence. Hamilton look like they could do with a half-time breather.
41 min Ronan Hughes has pulled something and is going off; Marios Ogkmpoe replaces him. Look at him with four consecutive consonants in his surname, thinking he’s special.
39 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Good to have Scottish fitba back, and on the MBM, though it felt a bit strange to be watching at home yesterday with my virtual season ticket as Dundee United unfurled the Scottish Championship flag at Tannadice prior to a 1-1 draw with St. Johnstone. I missed being there, but at least I could have a drink at the game. And didn’t need to queue for the toilets. Or pay through the nose for my half-time snacks. Or listen to umpteen terrace Messis/Klopps telling me and everybody else how it should be done. And I was home the second the full time whistle went. But as I said, I missed being there.”
Association football: the most moreish misery around. (With the possible exception of English cricket.)
37 min The free-kick is 22 yards from goal, to the right of centre. Christie clips a nice effort that skims the head of Moyo in the wall and loops onto the roof of the net. Good game, this.
Updated
36 min Callahan is booked for taking Elyounoussi from behind.
Updated
35 min At the other end, Christie clips a shot just wide from 25 yards. I think Fulton had it covered.
Updated
Hamilton are back in it! Hughes’s high, hanging free-kick from the left was headed back into the middle by Callahan beyond the far post. Christie cleared it towards the edge of the area, where Martin hit a frankly lame shot that took two deflections and wrongfooted Bain. It’s on!
Updated
GOAL! Celtic 2-1 Hamilton (Martin 34)
Now then!
The two full-backs combine to put Celtic two ahead. McGregor found Taylor, who curled another devastating ball into the corridor of uncertainty. It flashed across the six-yard box and was met at the far post by Frimpong, who gleefully tapped it into the open net. Brilliant stuff. A goal like that, involving both full-backs, would never have been scored 20 years ago.
Updated
GOAL! Celtic 2-0 Hamilton Academical (Frimpong 31)
It’s there!
Updated
29 min Edouard is limping after a robust ball-and-man challenge from Callachan. He and Martin have not been shy about putting it about in midfield.
27 min A quiet spell in the game. Hamilton have done really well for the most part, and there wasn’t much they could do about Edouard’s excellent goal. Taylor’s ball in was nigh-on perfect.
Updated
23 min Frimpong’s sharp cross is headed over by the backpedalling Edouard.
22 min: Chance for Hamilton! McMann’s corner from the right was met by Want, who headed over from six yards under pressure from Ajer. He did really well to get to the ball in front of Ajer; having done so, he should probably have done better.
That was an excellent team goal. Frimpong started the move with a typically explosive run over the halfway line before finding Edouard. He moved the ball on towards Elyounoussi, who dummied it so that it could run through to Taylor on the left wing. He looked up and curled a superb low cross that took the keeper and defenders out of the game and left Edouard with an open goal from three yards. He accepted the invitation.
Updated
GOAL! Celtic 1-0 Hamilton Academical (Edouard 20)
Odsonne Edouard gives the champions the lead!
Updated
18 min Scott Brown strolls over to engage Martin in a strident discussion about his tackle on Frimpong, and the referee intervenes to ensure it doesn’t descend - or should I say ascend - into the throwing of hands.
17 min Martin is booked for a naughty back at Frimpong.
14 min The corner is lofted well beyond the far post to Jullien, who smacks a volley into the ground and off the outside of the near post. I’m pretty sure Fulton had it covered but Jullien’s technique was lovely.
13 min Elyounoussi, near the byline on the left, picks out Forrest on the edge of the area. He shifts the ball onto his right foot and then drags a disguised shot towards the near post that is pushed round by Fulton. That’s a really good save.
Updated
11 min There’s a lovely, intrepid feel to Hamilton’s approach play. After a smooth passing move, Odoffin beats Taylor on the right and clips an excellent cross the near post. Moyo gets above his man and flicks a header that drifts across goal and wide of the far post. That was a chance.
Updated
9 min Frimbong surges past Hughes to win another corner for Celtic, this time on the right. Christie clips it in and the teenager Hamilton clears at the near post.
8 min McMann’s corner is overhit and drifts behind for a goalkick.
7 min Hamilton are playing with two up, the teenager Winter and the Zimbabwean Moyo. It’s a brave approach given how little they are likely to see of the ball. But Winter shows why he’s in the side with a really confident turn and shot from 20 yards that is punched over the bar by Bain.
Updated
6 min A nice backheel from Edouard finds Forrest, whose first-time cross is well held by the stretching Fulton.
4 min Another corner to Celtic on the left. Christie curls it towards sthe near post, where Ajer bullies Want and heads just over the bar.
3 min “A bipartisan mon the Hoops,” says Anthony Hill. “Good to be back!”
2 min Hamilton slices a clearance behind for the first Celtic corner. Christie’s outswinger is headed towards goal by Jullien, and Fulton falls to his right to make a comfortable save.
1 min Peep peep! After the players on both sides take a knee, Odsonne Edouard gets Celtic’s season under way.
Updated
Hamilton’s young team - average age 22 - form a guard of honour for Celtic’s champions. This looks like a mismatch, but then so has every great footballing shock. Scott Brown then brings out the Scottish Premiership trophy to mark another yet another Flag Day. These Celtic players are already legends; if they are doing this again in a year’s time, they will be immortal.
Pre-match reading
Team news
Celtic (4-2-3-1) Bain; Frimpong, Jullien, Ajer, Taylor; Brown, McGregor; Forrest, Christie, Elyounoussi; Edouard.
Substitutes: Barkas, Abd Elhamed, Bolingoli, Bitton, Soro, Ntcham, Rogic, Dembele, Klimala.
Hamilton Academical (4-4-2) Fulton; Odoffin, Hamilton, Want, McMann; L Smith, Callachan, Martin, Hughes; Winter, Moyo.
Substitutes: Gourlay, Fjortoft, McKenna, Munro, Trafford, Mimnaugh, Owolabi, C Smith, Ogkmpoe.
Preamble
Hello. I doubt any team in world football will start the 2020-21 season with the same giddy optimism as Celtic. This is their chance to make history by winning a tenth Scottish title in a row. The record is nine, jointly held by Celtic (1966-74) and Rangers (1989-97), and Celtic supporters know that if they fail their team will have to go back to the first level. But if they succeed, they’ll be made for life. In a city where bragging rights count for so much, Wa Decima would be the ultimate conversation-finisher.
The quest for 10 in a row starts with the pursuit of 13 in a row. Celtic have won their last 12 matches against today’s visitors Hamilton Academical and are huge favourites to beat them again. The Accies also have their eye on tenth - tenth place, that is, which would guarantee SPFL football for an eighth successive season. It wouldn’t compare to ten titles in a row, but it would still be a damn fine achievement.
Kick off 4.30pm.
Updated
