Høgh hat-trick as Celtic win 5-1 at Kilmarnock with Martin O’Neill absent

Kasper Høgh struck a hat-trick as Celtic defeated Kilmarnock 5-1 at Rugby Park in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, while manager Martin O’Neill missed the trip after a hospital procedure. The goals were Høgh’s first for the club and secured Celtic’s second win in two league games this season.

O’Neill, 74, did not travel following what the club described earlier in the week as a “small procedure” in hospital; no further details were released. The veteran manager had taken charge of Celtic’s opening-day victory over Dundee. Assistant manager Shaun Maloney, speaking before kick-off, said: "He is doing better again," Maloney told Sky Sports. "He came to the team hotel and spoke to the players but he just needs an extra few days."

Celtic led 3-0 at half-time, all three goals scored by the Danish forward Høgh. He needed less than a minute to open his account for the club, heading in at the back post from an Arne Engels cross. His second arrived in the 33rd minute when Camilo Durán reacted to a Johnly Yfeko pass out of defence and combined with Benjamin Nygren to set Høgh up on the left edge of the box, the striker finishing well.

Two minutes later Høgh completed his hat-trick after Nygren slipped the ball to the right for Durán; Durán’s cross took Kilmarnock goalkeeper Max Stryjek out of play and Høgh nodded into an empty net. Early in the second half Celtic effectively made it 4-0 when Stryjek’s pass out of defence went straight to Nygren, whose shot into the top corner put the visitors firmly in control.

Kilmarnock reduced the arrears in the 56th minute when Michael Schjønning-Larsen finished a well-worked move to make it 4-1. Celtic restored their four-goal advantage when Luke McCowan, moments after coming on, volleyed in from close range about 15 minutes from time after Kilmarnock failed to clear a corner properly.

Høgh, who joined Celtic in July from Bodø/Glimt, registered his first goals for the club with the three strikes at Rugby Park. The result maintained Celtic’s perfect start to their Premiership campaign with back-to-back victories.

Sunday’s other scheduled Premiership fixtures include Hearts hosting Dundee United, Motherwell against Falkirk, and Rangers facing Hibernian at Ibrox.