A much-changed Celtic side delivered the perfect Champions League send-off, as Brendan Rodgers’ side head to Kazakhstan in search of a place in the Champions League.
Three goals in 20 second-half minutes blew away Livingston’s stubborn resistance, with new Swedish signing Benjamin Nygren grabbing a double before Irish striker Johnny Kenny smashed home his first goal at Celtic Park.
Nygren was particularly impressive, creating and scoring the first, cooly finding the top corner for the second, and generally being the catalyst for a big improvement after the break.
When Kenny blasted in fellow substitute Daizen Maeda’s cross, a big smile broke across manager Rodgers’ face.
The Northern Irishman made eight changes to the team who started against Kairat Almaty in midweek, including giving a debut and a first start for new Japanese signings Hayato Inamura at left-back and striker Shin Yamada.
Stalwarts Reo Hatate, Kieran Tierney, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Callum McGregor, Daizen Maeda and James Forrest were all rested, although the latter trio were among several second-half introductions once Celtic had nudged ahead.
Visiting goalkeeper Jerome Prior might feel particularly aggrieved to be on the end of such a scoreline, having pulled off an incredible stop just before half-time, leaping to somehow tip Hyun-jun Yang’s point-blank header onto the crossbar.
Celtic’s attention now turns to an arduous journey to Almaty, where a £40m shoot-out against Kairat awaits.
That several senior players were either completely or partially rested, while keeping up Celtic’s 100 per cent start to the domestic season, will be music to the manager’s ears.
As it will to his directors sitting in the Celtic Park stand, at whom the ‘sack the board’ chants died down once the home goals finally started to flow.