I think we will win the championship – Celtic hat-trick hero Giorgos Giakoumakis

Giorgos Giakoumakis made a bold cinch Premiership title claim after his hat-trick helped Celtic to a dramatic 3-2 win over Dundee at Parkhead.

The Hoops went into the home game against the league’s bottom side knowing champions Rangers had dropped two points against Dundee United at Tannadice earlier in the day.

Dundee put up a terrific fight, with Danny Mullen opening the scoring and Ryan Sweeney equalising after two quick goals from the Greece striker had given Celtic a half-time lead.

But with four minutes remaining, Giakoumakis converted an Anthony Ralston cross to take Celtic three points clear of Rangers, who were beaten 3-0 at Parkhead earlier in the month.

And Giakoumakis said: “We knew about the (Rangers) result, of course. It gave us a big motivation but sometimes it gives you a little bit of pressure if you know the bad result of your opponents.

“I don’t think we stick on their results, it is something for their part. We do our part and our part is to win every single game.

“We showed that we are a better team, that is obvious. We showed that we work harder on the field and I hope and I think that we will win the championship. It’s something we really want for us, for the club and for the fans.

“First of all we have a very strong squad. This squad is very good, I think it’s the best in the league, and I think we’re a well-prepared team for every single game.

“We have a very good plan, we try to stay committed to the plan. I think we are better in every single part of the team.”

Giakoumakis described his hat-trick, which took his tally for the season to seven, as “memorable” and added: “Everyone criticises a striker if he doesn’t score goals so it’s something which makes me happy whenever I score. But it’s not