Hearts manager Wouter Vrancken blamed individual mistakes for all seven Celtic goals after his side were dismantled at Parkhead on Sunday.

The Belgian said two early set pieces “killed our game” as Martin O’Neill’s men took control before going on to secure an emphatic 7-1 victory.

Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren scored inside the opening 10 minutes, with both goals coming from Mika Baur corners, as Celtic immediately exposed Hearts’ defending.

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The visitors never recovered, heading into the interval 5-1 behind before conceding another two goals after the break.

In his post-match assessment to the BBC, Vrancken said: “Really disappointing and also the way it happened. Two set plays killed our game at the start of the game. All of their goals even, when I go back, individual mistakes and then it’s difficult to win a game.

“In the set play moments, you have to be on top of your toes, you have to be on front foot to attack the ball there. Against individual mistakes, you can’t do too much actually.

“Only thing that cannot happen is that everybody starts doubting now in his own qualities. Also, when you are one of the guys that made a mistake, just learn from it.

“After tomorrow, it has to be gone because there’s another game to come. We have to step up again and push and keep pushing.”

Hearts certainly contributed to their own downfall, but putting the result entirely down to individual errors overlooks how effectively Celtic attacked.

O’Neill’s side played with purpose and punished the space afforded to them. Hearts’ approach offered little protection to their defence, and Celtic repeatedly took advantage.

Beyond Laurent Mendy’s consolation, the visitors offered little to trouble the Hoops.

There were so many positives for Celtic to take from the match.

Callum Osmand scored twice on his first start, making the most of his opportunity while getting valuable minutes after his injury problems.

Landon Emenalo made his debut, while Jota played the second half as he continued building up his match fitness.

Haissem Hassan also delivered one of his best performances in Celtic colours. Although he finished without a goal or assist, his willingness to take on defenders gave the attack another threat.

This was the assured, clinical display supporters had been waiting for.

Hearts got their approach badly wrong, but Celtic deserve credit for making them pay so heavily. The task now is to build on a performance that showed how dangerous this side can be.