If you thought Celtic were in trouble then think again. The Hoops lost their first league match of the new campaign last weekend but bounced back in devastating fashion by securing a whopping 6-0 win at Parkhead on Sunday afternoon.
The Bhoys were at their free-flowing best with Ange Postecoglou’s side playing their opponents off the park with some of the best football we’ve seen at Paradise since the reign of Brendan Rodgers.
There was no Odsonne Edouard and there was no James Forrest either but that didn’t seem to matter as Japan international Kyogo Furuhashi put in a ruthless performance against Dundee.
Celtic’s new star man helped himself to a brilliant hat-trick, nearly shunting Edouard out the door before he’s even agreed to leave.
There were significant concerns about the Bhoys’ side without their bullish Frenchman but Furuhashi has shown in the space of one afternoon why they might be better off without him.
He ran rampant this afternoon but he couldn’t have done it without the rejuvenated Ryan Christie.
At the beginning of the summer, it looked as though the Scot was heading for the exit door. His contract is due to expire in January but under Postecoglou, he looks a man reborn.
He was devastating against Midtjylland a few weeks ago and after scoring an excellent header versus Jablonec in midweek, showed he’s all of a sudden a crucial component to this team.
In the words of The Athletic's Kieran Devlin, he was "astounding" this weekend and it was clear to see why.
He was given a match rating of 10/10 by SofaScore, delivering a simply sublime performance that was deserving of a new contract in Glasgow.
Christie was miles off the pace last term, scoring 13 fewer goals than he’d managed in 2019/20 and for that reason, he was hounded by supporters.
However, they were singing his name at full-time on Sunday after he delivered a creative masterclass.
The 26-year-old put in one of his best displays in a long time, providing no fewer than eight key passes, three of which led to a goal.
He nutmegged a Dundee defender in embarrassing fashion for Furuhashi’s second strike, darting down the left before putting the ball on a plate for the striker.
His assist for the forward’s third and final goal was even more eye-catching. Christie picked the ball up in the middle of the park and then played an inch-perfect reverse pass in behind the backline that was tucked away deliciously by Kyogo.
This was the Christie of old, a player who can dominate Premiership defences for fun. He completed 100% of his dribbles and also won six of his nine ground duels.
Speaking on ACSOM at full-time, Paul John Dykes helped to explain why he’s back to his best: “What he's doing now, he's got the work rate and there seems to be far more discipline to his play and his game,” he said.
“On that performance, that Ryan Christie, if we can get him playing consistently, he would be tough to replace,” Dykes concluded.
With those words in mind, Celtic would be foolish to let the £12k-per-week earner depart. Remarkably, their best piece of business this summer could be tying the Scot down to a new deal.