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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
Sport
Anthony Evans

Kilmarnock 1-4 Celtic as Hoops too hot to handle at Rugby Park - 3 things we learned

Celtic romped to a 17th consecutive victory in all competitions with an emphatic 4-1 win against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, to equal Brendan Rodgers' wining streak as boss.

Once again Ange Postecoglou's men came flying out of the blocks to race into a 4-0 lead within 27 minutes. Kyogo Furhuhashi bagged his 29th goal of the season on seven minutes, pouncing on some indecisive defending from the home side, to cut inside from the right hand side of the box and fire a left-footed shot under the arms of Killie stopper Sam Walker.

They got their second five minutes later, when Alistair Johnston found space down the right and supplied a cross for Daizen Maeda, who produced a smart headed finish at the back post. On 18 minutes Matt O'Riley got in on the act to add a third, converting from inside the area after good work from Greg Taylor.

O'Riley's brace at Rugby Park took him to five goals for the season (Getty Images)

READ MORE: Celtic player ratings vs Kilmarnock as Matt O'Riley shows class in stunning Rugby Park display

Kyogo then passed up a chance to make it 4-0, when he saw his penalty come back off the post after Christian Doidge had brought down.

The Denmark Under-21 international then grabbed his second on 27 minutes, finding the net from inside the box once more following more slack defensive play from Derek McInnes' Killie. The hosts did however manage to pull one back, when Liam Donnelly netted in the final minute of the half after Celtic failed to clear their lines.

With the game already over as a contest, the second half was a much quieter affair, with boss Postecoglou keen to give his squad players some minutes off the bench. The Ayrshire men remained penned in their own half, and almost conceded a fifth when Oh Hyeon-gyu fired wide from close range after being set up by Roco Vata. Tomoki Iwata then went mightily close to getting his first goal for Celtic on 86 minutes, firing a powerful shot from the edge of the area that went just wide. Here's three things we learned at Rugby Park.

Century Bhoys

Japanese forward Daizen Maeda's goal that made it 2-0 was Celtic' 100th goal in all competitions this season.

The Hoops have smashed all comers this season under Postecoglou, racking up a 9-0 victory away to Dundee United back in August, and 4-0 wins against both Aberdeen and Hibernian to give them an impressive goal difference of +78 in the Premiership

Celtic are showing no signs of letting up at the top end of the field, as the Aussie manager chases the domestic treble that he missed out on in his first campaign at Parkhead.

Disappointing Killie

Kilmarnock's dreadful away form in the Premiership this season are well documented, having picked up just two points from the 46 available.

The Ayrshire team have been kept afloat in the league table by their relatively strong home form, where they had collected 26 of their 28 points.

McInnes' men have shown a steely resolve on their own patch, but his decision to start with two strikers in Christian Doidge and Kyle Vassell backfired badly, as they shipped four goals in the opening 20 minutes.

Killie had claimed a massive 2-1 win against Hearts in their last game at Rugby Park, but consecutive defeats to Aberdeen at Pittodrie and now Celtic on their home turf has seen them drop into the relegation play-off zone in the Premiership and just a single point above bottom club Ross County.

Killing teams early

Celtic's ability to decide games so early in the proceedings has been key to their success so far this season.

In the blink of an eye, the Bhoys once again scored four times in the space of 27 minutes, with several home supporters in Rugby Park heading for the exits within the first half an hour.

They were of course helped by some timid defending from Killie, but Postecoglou's charges energy and intensity levels in the early part of the game were simply too much for McInnes' side to live with.

READ MORE:

- Giorgos Giakoumakis post-Celtic goal streak as Atlanta United ace makes it four goals in four starts

- Alistair Johnston lifts lid on Celtic physical presence as Old Firm handbags earn 'mate that's my job' quip

- Ange Postecoglou brands Kevin Clancy abuse 'concerning' as derby 'riddled by mistakes' from both teams

- Ange Postecoglou responds to Celtic record breakers poser as boss insists squad 'haven't looked'

- Kyogo fancied Rangers hat-trick as Celtic hitman explains thinking behind 'beautifully' struck double

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