Kasper Høgh struck three times as Celtic produced an impressive 5-1 victory at Kilmarnock, with Shaun Maloney praising the mentality, creativity and intensity of a side that gave Martin O’Neill another reason to smile.
Celtic responded to a challenging week in the best possible fashion as they swept aside Kilmarnock 5-1 at Rugby Park, with Kasper Høgh announcing himself in style by scoring his first Celtic hat-trick.
With Martin O’Neill continuing his recovery away from the dugout, Shaun Maloney took charge on the touchline, but the Celtic manager remained involved in preparations, attending the team meeting and speaking to the players before the match at the team hotel.
His message was simple.
“He just said, with the staff, just get on with it. And I’ll give him a shout after this.”
Celtic certainly did that.
From the opening whistle, the visitors played with an intensity that Kilmarnock struggled to match, while their attacking quality eventually turned the contest into a comfortable afternoon.
For Maloney, the mentality shown by his players was the most impressive aspect of the performance.
“Today was really good, the players were really impressive,” he said.
“Probably the most impressive was the mentality. We started the game really full throttle and they never really came off it.”
Høgh was at the centre of Celtic’s attacking threat.
The Danish striker had shown plenty of promise despite missing chances on his debut against Dundee, but there was no such uncertainty in Ayrshire as he repeatedly found the net.
Maloney believes the hat-trick will only accelerate Høgh’s adaptation to life at Celtic, but it was the striker’s all-round contribution that impressed him most.
“He’s definitely settled in really, really quickly,” he said.
“I think his performance against Dundee was good. Obviously he’s missed some chances but that’s the life of a number nine as well.”
Kilmarnock attempted to press Celtic aggressively and frequently went man for man, but Høgh proved an effective outlet whenever the visitors played forward.
“Everything that went up to him stuck and it was like a platform for our team,” Maloney explained.
“His all-round game was good and then the goals kind of top it off. We’ve watched him for a long, long time. If we create chances he’ll score.”
The Dane has also quickly shown that he possesses the personality required to lead Celtic’s attack.
“We haven’t known him too long but he’s got a big personality,” Maloney said. “You probably need it, a Celtic number nine.”
Høgh was not the only new arrival to impress.
Camilo Duran produced another encouraging performance, with Maloney highlighting the contrasting personalities of the two new signings.
“Camilo Duran as well has come in with a really different personality. Really quiet, gets on with his work. I thought he was brilliant today as well.”
The Colombian’s quieter approach provides an interesting contrast to Høgh, but both have settled quickly into Celtic’s squad.
“With the two of them, really different personalities. But they’ve both settled in so far pretty well.”
While the attacking players provided the headline moments, Maloney was equally pleased with Celtic’s work without the ball.
“I really enjoyed how creative we were,” he said.
“But I’d say the platform for that came from just without the ball. We worked really hard today. So the lads have set a standard and they have to try and reach that now.”
Kilmarnock did enjoy a brief spell of pressure, with Viljami Sinisalo making an important save, but Celtic continued to create chances even when the momentum temporarily shifted.
“I was really pleased with the creative part,” Maloney said.
“There was about a five, ten minute period where the game felt 50/50. Viljami Sinisalo made a really good save.
“Even during that period we were creating.”
Arne Engels was another standout performer.
The Belgian has had a demanding pre-season and remained with Celtic rather than joining up with the national team, but he responded with one of his best performances in recent months.
“I think Arne today was as good as I’ve seen him,” Maloney said.
“I thought he was excellent at the end of last season. I think it’s been hard for him in pre-season.”
Engels had spoken to Maloney before the match and made clear his desire to produce a performance.
“He was really strong on wanting to put a performance out today.”
He delivered alongside captain Callum McGregor in midfield.
“I thought him and McGregor were brilliant in the middle of the pitch,” Maloney said.
“I’m a huge fan of Arne today. He showed everything that he had.”
His pass to James Forrest late in the match was particularly impressive.
“His pass at the end for Forrest was outstanding.”
There was one concern for Celtic when Alistair Johnston was replaced at half-time after feeling something.
“He felt something. That was just precautionary, we hope,” Maloney said.
The result was also significant for O’Neill, who remained involved with the squad despite not being in the dugout.
Maloney revealed that the Celtic manager was in good spirits and had spoken to the players before the match.
“He was loads better today. So he spoke to the group,” he said.
“It’ll literally be on him when he feels good enough and the doctor’s happy that he’ll just come back in.”
There is no fixed timescale for O’Neill’s return, but Maloney stressed that the priority is allowing him to recover properly.
“I’m really pleased for the boss,” he said. “He’s had another win after that week. The quicker we get him back, the better I think.”
For Celtic, the focus can now turn towards the challenges ahead with League Cup action up next before the Champions League Play-off against LASK of Austria.
Høgh has taken another significant step towards establishing himself as the club’s new number nine, Duran continues to settle, Engels has rediscovered his authority in midfield and the team have demonstrated the intensity Maloney believes must become their standard.
As for Martin O’Neill, there must be added satisfaction of knowing that, even from outside the dugout, his players followed his instruction perfectly.
Callum McFadden 