Camilo Durán continued his remarkable start to life in Scottish football, firing Celtic to a 3-0 win over Aberdeen at Parkhead on an evening that also saw Rangers grind out a narrow victory over Falkirk.
The Colombian forward, who arrived from Qarabag in the summer, opened the scoring in the 14th minute with another spectacular effort, latching onto a pass from Benjamin Nygren before unleashing a thunderous long-range shot that crashed in off the crossbar. The goal took Durán's tally to six in just five appearances for Martin O'Neill's side, underlining the impact he has made since his arrival.
His form has been so eye-catching that O'Neill now faces a selection dilemma, with Durán operating through the middle rather than in his more familiar wide role. That decision will only become tougher once striker Kasper Høgh returns from a thigh injury, given how prolific Durán has been in the No 9 position.
Celtic wrapped up the contest before half-time, with Nygren and Yang Hyun-jun also finding the net to leave Aberdeen with no way back. The result extended Celtic's perfect start to their Scottish Premiership title defence to four wins from four, a timely response after their disappointing Champions League exit at the hands of Lask.
The occasion at Parkhead carried extra emotional weight as Kenny Dalglish received a heartfelt ovation from the crowd before kick-off. Dalglish, who began his storied career at Celtic before moving on to Liverpool in 1977, revealed earlier this year that he is undergoing treatment for cancer. The 75-year-old's appearance on the pitch was met with a rousing reception from supporters.
Celtic now sit two points clear at the top of the table, with St Mirren their nearest challengers in second place. St Mirren claimed a notable 1-0 win away at Kilmarnock — their first victory at Rugby Park in 13 years — thanks to Fraser Taylor's first goal for the club, netted in just the third minute.
Across Glasgow, Rangers required a dramatic late intervention from captain Lawrence Shankland to see off a determined Falkirk side and ease some of the pressure on manager Derek McInnes. McInnes watched the match from the stands as he served the first game of a two-match touchline ban — reduced from an original four-match suspension — imposed for comments he made while in charge of Hearts last season.
Shankland, who arrived from Hearts in the close-season and had already scored the winning penalty in Sunday's 1-0 victory at Aberdeen, put Rangers ahead with a well-taken strike in the seventh minute. Falkirk hit back unexpectedly just before the interval when Kosta Nedeljkovic, making his first start for Rangers since joining on loan from Aston Villa, turned an Ethan Ross cross into his own net.
But Shankland proved the difference once again, curling home the winner in the 79th minute to settle the contest and hand Rangers a hard-fought three points.
Elsewhere in the Premiership, Motherwell moved up to third with a comfortable 3-0 win over Dundee United, with Seb Palmer-Houlden, Alex Lowry and Dylan Levitt all scoring their first goals for the club. In the Tayside derby, St Johnstone snatched a dramatic 1-1 draw against Dundee, with Josh Fowler equalising in the 90th minute after Charlie Reilly had appeared to have won it for Dundee just three minutes earlier.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.