Kasper Høgh netted a hat-trick, scoring his first goals for Celtic, as the Scottish champions cruised to a 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock on Sunday despite manager Martin O’Neill’s absence.
The result gave Celtic back-to-back Premiership wins, although 74-year-old O’Neill did not travel to Rugby Park after undergoing what the club described earlier in the week as a “minor procedure” in hospital.
The club did not disclose further information about the operation, which took place after the experienced Northern Irish coach oversaw Celtic’s season-opening victory against Dundee. However, assistant manager Shaun Maloney said before Sunday’s match that O’Neill was recovering well.
“He continues to improve,” Maloney told Sky Sports. “He visited the team hotel and addressed the players, but he needs a few more days to recover.”
Celtic’s display would have lifted O’Neill’s spirits, with Høgh firing the visitors into a 3-0 lead before the interval. The Danish forward, who arrived from Bodø/Glimt in July, took less than a minute to open his Celtic account by heading Arne Engels’ cross in at the far post.
Høgh struck again in the 33rd minute after Camilo Durán intercepted Johnly Yfeko’s attempted pass from the back. Durán linked up with Benjamin Nygren before the ball reached Høgh near the left side of the penalty area, where he produced a composed finish.
Only two minutes later, Høgh completed his hat-trick. Nygren played the ball to Durán on the right, whose delivery took Kilmarnock goalkeeper Max Stryjek out of the action and allowed Høgh to head into an unguarded net.
Celtic added a fourth shortly after half-time following a costly mistake by Stryjek. The goalkeeper’s pass went directly to Nygren in front of goal, and the midfielder drove his effort into the top corner to make it 4-0.
Michael Schjønning-Larsen reduced the deficit for Kilmarnock in the 56th minute by completing a well-constructed move. Celtic restored their four-goal advantage with 15 minutes remaining when substitute Luke McCowan volleyed home from close range after Kilmarnock failed to clear a corner.
Elsewhere in Sunday’s Premiership fixtures, last season’s runners-up Hearts host Dundee United as they attempt to recover from an opening-day loss to Aberdeen. Motherwell welcome Falkirk, while Rangers take on Hibernian at Ibrox.
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