Brendan Rodgers admits he was left frustrated after Celtic were unable to win the William Hill Premiership with their 5-1 thrashing of Kilmarnock at Parkhead.
The Hoops boss had questioned the mindset of his squad following the shock 1-0 defeat at bottom side St Johnstone last weekend which scuppered hopes of a title party against Killie.
Rodgers spoke about changes in the summer but his players gave a perfect response in the final pre-split game with a whirlwind start which saw them 4-0 up after 24 minutes through goals from midfielder Reo Hatate (two), striker Daizen Maeda and defender Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Kilmarnock’s Danny Armstrong pulled a goal back just before the half-hour mark but a last-gasp strike by substitute Anthony Ralston rounded off the scoring and Celtic will be crowned champions if Rangers lose to Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday
“I’m still frustrated it’s not today, if I’m honest,” said boss Rodgers, who reiterated that he would be seeing out his contract at Celtic.
“But we can’t do anything about that now.
“We’ve done everything we could do today. And whenever and if it comes, we have to be ready for it.
“So we’ll see what the split brings after this weekend. We’ve obviously got the semi-finals (of the Scottish Cup against St Johnstone next weekend), so we’re arriving to that in a great place.
“We can only do our job. If Aberdeen win tomorrow, then brilliant.
“Whoever wins the league is always deserving champions. But what’s important for us is not just to win today, but in a style that this team have been in for most of the season.
“And that was an incredible reaction to last week.”
Rodgers, who signed a three-year contract when returning for a second spell at Celtic in 2023, had claimed in the week that Celtic either need a freshness in the squad or a new voice in the dugout if they are to guard against complacency.
The Northern Irishman told BBC Scotland before the game he will “150 per cent” remain Celtic manager next season.
In the post-match media conference, he said: “I was just asked the question. But for any avoidance of doubt, because I was surprised when I got asked the question, I think if you were sat in my press conference here on the very first day I arrived, I promised unless I was removed I’d be here for three years minimum. So nothing changes.
“But no, there’s absolutely no doubt, unless Dermot (Desmond, largest shareholder) tells me differently in the summer, I will be excited and ready for the beginning of the season.”
Killie boss Derek McInnes was left wondering how Celtic, on their way to a fourth successive title and the 13th in 14 years, ever lose in Scotland.
The Rugby Park boss, whose side are embroiled in the fight for survival, said: “We put a team out in the second half just to stop the bleeding really and just to use a bit more experience, fill gaps.
“But certainly we made Celtic go back the way a lot more and play around us. I thought we defended really well in the second half. But the first half is where Celtic came out and started like a train.
“When you actually see Celtic like that, you think, ‘How can they lose games? How can they lose games against teams in the league?’
“There’s two world-class goals there, Hatate and Carter-Vickers. Those two goals are first class and it shows you the quality of Celtic have got.”
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