Hogh hat-trick fires Celtic to Kilmarnock rout as Maloney deputises for O’Neill

Kasper Hogh struck a first-half hat-trick as Celtic thrashed Kilmarnock 5-1 at Rugby Park on Sunday, moving above St Mirren on goal difference to the summit of the William Hill Premiership. The victory came with Martin O’Neill absent from the touchline as his assistant Shaun Maloney took temporary charge of the champions.

Danish striker Hogh got off the mark for his new club in style, netting three times before the break on the venue’s newly relaid grass pitch. It was his first hat-trick in a Celtic shirt since arriving at Parkhead, and it effectively settled the contest inside the opening 45 minutes.

Maloney fills in for recovering O’Neill

O’Neill, 74, missed the fixture after an overnight hospital stay earlier in the week following what Celtic described as a “small procedure”. He was nonetheless well enough to visit the squad at their team hotel before kick-off, with Maloney overseeing matters in the dugout at Rugby Park.

Whatever concerns supporters may have had over the manager’s absence were quickly eased by the performance that followed. Celtic were already a goal to the good despite Kilmarnock enjoying a promising spell of chances in the early stages, before the visitors took full control.

Nygren and McCowan complete the rout

Benjamin Nygren extended Celtic’s advantage to 4-0 shortly after the interval, before Michael Schjonning-Larsen pulled one back for the home side with a consolation strike. Luke McCowan then put the finishing touches on the scoreline in the 75th minute to make it 5-1.

It was Celtic’s highest-scoring league display since a 5-1 win over Aberdeen in May 2025, and a timely response to any suggestions that O’Neill’s absence might disrupt the champions’ rhythm early in the season. The result lifts Celtic to the top of the table on goal difference, edging out St Mirren at the summit of a tightly-poised early-season Premiership race.

For Kilmarnock, the defeat leaves plenty to ponder despite a bright start, having created several openings before Hogh’s early breakthrough turned the tide firmly in Celtic’s favour. Attention now turns to O’Neill’s recovery and whether he will be back in the dugout for Celtic’s next fixture.

Sources

• Sky Sports
• The Independent

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.