The first two goals for Celtic, both scored by Aaron Mooy, sealed a 4-0 victory over Hibernian at Easter Road for the Premiership leaders. Although Hibs got off to a good start, the Australian midfielder gave the visitors the lead in the 28th minute with a shot from 12 yards out.
Before scoring a beautiful goal in the 36th minute, Daizen Maeda wasted a clear-cut opportunity, and Hibs missed two excellent opportunities before Mooy converted a penalty shortly before the hour.
Five days before the champions play Rangers, left-back Greg Taylor left the game with an injury, which worried the visiting supporters. Kyogo Furuhashi quickly added a fourth goal.
After both of the top two teams made it four victories in a row since the end of the World Cup break, they will head to Ibrox with a nine-point lead.
James Forrest was replaced by Liel Abada, the sole change made by Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou. After returning from World Cup duty, Josip Juranovic of Croatia remained on the sidelines while Anthony Ralston, who was injured, was replaced at right-back by Reo Hatate.
While David Turnbull started serving a two-match suspension, Sead Haksabanovic was absent from the team. Following their 4-0 victory over Livingston, Hibs stayed the same, and they made effective use of both wing-backs early on.
Offside rules prevented Chris Cadden from scoring, and Lewis Stevenson sent in two threatening crosses that Carl Starfelt turned behind.
Maeda had the greatest early opportunity for Celtic, but despite doing well to dive at Hatate's cross, he misdirected his header over the far post.
Hatate gave Hibs an opportunity by throwing the ball directly to Josh Campbell on the edge of the box. The midfielder's shot barely missed the far post. Just before getting around Cadden to send in the cross that resulted in the opening goal, Maeda set up a half-chance for Furuhashi, which David Marshall stopped.
The Australian was in space when Maeda's cross came into his way off Joe Newel's knee, and he blasted the ball home from 12 yards when Ryan Porteous was playing ahead of centre-backs Rocky Bushiri and Paul Hanlon.
Marshall's touch brought Abada's cross directly into Maeda's path, and he headed the ball off the crossbar from three yards out. However, the Japan international soon scored from a much more difficult opportunity.
Maeda was able to cut inside and curl home from 20 yards as a result of Cadden's slip, two Hibs players following Taylor's overlap, and space created by Cadden's slip.
Both before and after the interval, the hosts had opportunities to win the game. Hanlon received Newell's long pass, but the defender deflected it off the goalpost. The midfielder created a better opportunity, but Kevin Nisbet's free header from six yards out was a disaster.
The aspirations of Hibs were dashed after Taylor's performance in Maeda. The winger's cutback was behind Furuhashi and Abada, but the latter threw the ball up and onto Stevenson's hand, prompting Alan Muir to gesture to the spot where a penalty should have been awarded.
Mooy stepped up to send Marshall the wrong way after Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis, who weren't on the field, missed Celtic's only two other penalties this year.
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