Celtic kicked off their Scottish Premiership title defence with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock on Sunday. (More Football News)
Reo Hatate opened the scꦗoring after just 17 minutes, making no mistake from the edge of the area 🍷to lift the spirits of an expectant Celtic Park crowd.
Further jubilation followed as Liam Scales doubled the lead five minutes before the break, heading Matt O'Riley's corner past the helpless Robby McCrorie🎀, who had twice denied Nicolas Kuhn moments earlier.
Scales almost added to his own account, and extended Celtic's lead, in the second half, only fo🉐r Oliver Bainbridge to clear off the line after McCrorie was again beaten from a corner.
Yet Bainbridge w🍌as left wanting soon after as his deflection✨ helped Kuhn find the back of the net following a weaving run inside from the touchline just before the hour.
Substitute Anthony Ralston then added a late fourth in the third minute of 🌄stoppage-time as Brendan Rodgers' side started tꦛheir search for a 13th top-flight title in 14 seasons with ease.
Data Debrief: Business as usual for Hoops
Reigning Sco🦩ttish champions have now won their first match in each of the last 13 seasons, with Rangers the last such team to fail when drawing 1-💧1 with Hearts back in the 2011-12 campaign.
Celtic have also won their league opener in 1🌟6 of the last 17 seasons, losing the other 2-1 away to Hearts in the 2021-22 season.
This victory came as no surprise, though, as when at home for their domestic curtain-raiser, the Hoops are unbeaten in 35 such games (W31 D4) since a 4-3 defe🧔at to Morton in 1950-51.
Sunday also continued an impressive head-to-head re🐈cord, with Celtic only losing one of the 12 previous occasions that they have faced Kilmarnock on the first matchday of a league season (W9 D2).
