No Rangers or Celtic excuses and this title slobberknocker will show where power REALLY lies - Keith Jackson

It was a genuine contender for the ugliest goal of all time. But, as far as Celtic were concerned yesterday, it was also a thing of considerable beauty.

The unfortunate Jamie Brandon may have been the wrong man in the wrong place and at the wrong time and the Livingston right-back knew little about his critical contribution as it happened. He may still be wondering this morning how he managed to ricochet the ball into the back of his own net. None of which will trouble Celtic in the slightest.

All that mattered for the defending champions was that it got there and from the moment they made the breakthrough the outcome of yesterday’s contest was never in any kind of doubt. That the words “Livingston away” are about to be expunged from the vocabulary of the top flight is just a happy coincidence. This pounding headache of a football match was a reminder of why Davie Martindale’s side will be no loss when, inevitably, they do depart from Scotland’s Premiership and take their plastic pellets with them.

Martindale may have worked a variety of miracles to keep them in the league for so long but they are now as good as dead and buried and there will be no coming back from here on in, Easter eggs or not. Again, that’s not Celtic’s problem either and it certainly won’t have been weighing on any minds on the journey back along the M8.

Because all roads now lead to Ibrox and the fact that Celtic will cross the River Clyde at breakfast time on Sunday morning still clinging on to top spot, is precisely the scenario for which Brendan Rodgers would have been hoping when he settled into
his seat in the main stand at the Tony Macaroni to serve his one game suspension.

That he watched Reo Hatate get 64 minutes under his belt will