Celtic thrash Hearts 7-1 in Scottish Premiership

Celtic of Glasgow beat Hearts of Edinburgh 7-1 at Celtic Park in the Scottish Premiership, the top tier of Scottish football. Hearts finished runners-up last season. The result leaves Celtic four points clear of Glasgow rivals Rangers, with a goal difference 12 better. It is the club's biggest win since manager Martin O'Neill returned last year.

Manager keeps perspective

Celtic had lost four of their previous six matches, including two recent defeats by Rangers, and supporter discontent continues, with a tennis ball protest against the club's major shareholder recently held on a golf course. O'Neill would not call the victory a "statement", noting that only eight or nine games have been played and that four points at this stage is "absolutely nothing". He did say the team played well going forward and defended well under pressure.

Standout performers

Young striker Callum Osmand scored twice, as did Sweden international midfielder Benjamin Nygren, who now has eight goals this season. Colombian Camilo Duran scored once and provided two assists. Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd said it was the closest he had seen to Ange Postecoglou's Celtic, while former goalkeeper Pat Bonner praised the team's organisation and work rate.

Europa League next

On Thursday Celtic face Spain's Celta Vigo in the Europa League, UEFA's second-tier European club competition. Both sides have lost their first two league-phase games and have no points. O'Neill said he will make some changes because of a congested schedule of Sunday and Thursday matches through to January, but stressed that Celtic need a win to gain momentum.