Celtic’s win over Anderlecht on Wednesday night will be enough to guarantee them Europa League football this season, of that I am pretty certain.

It was always going to come down to a fight between Celtic and Anderlecht for that third spot and having won so emphatically over there then I just don’t see the Belgians coming to Glasgow and winning by that kind of margin.

Nor do I see them taking points off of Bayern Munich or PSG.

Whether or not Celtic are capable of that is another matter but whatever happens now the tone of the group has changed entirely.

Celtic will always aim for the Champions League and the result won’t deflect from their ambitions to push for the best results they can get between now and the end of the group but whatever happens, you would have to think that there will be European football after Christmas.

In some ways it is a shame that they don’t have Bayern Munich at Celtic Park in the next game because in terms of their confidence, they will be flying at the minute.

Going away from home is different but what you do have to say is that having gone away from home and got a result like that, with a performance such as this one they got it augers well going ahead in the campaign.

Just like last season, it started off with an adverse result but just as they did 12 months ago, they have been able to absorb it but recover accordingly.

Leigh Griffiths has come on in leaps and bounds over the last year to the extent that you have to suggest now that it is not a straightforward call between him and Moussa Dembele.

In actual fact, given the week he has had with a goal at Ibrox and his first goal in the group stages of the Champions League it is not stretching the point to say that Moussa will need to bring something special to automatically oust Griffiths.

The guy has really taken on board so much and really added to his overall game. A few years back you would never have been able that he would lead the line the way he does now although he is a player who has always been relied upon to score goals.

Not he is not only scoring goals but scoring them on the biggest stages while also playing with a maturity that really means that Brendan Rodgers has genuine options when it comes to who plays where and when.

The other stuff with Griffiths about some of the carry-on at Ibrox was overblown, too. I didn’t think there was too much in it although I did allow myself a wry chuckle at the stewards guarding the goalposts.

So long as he keeps focussing on his game and working on the training ground I don’t think there will be too many complaints.

Aside from the fact that Celtic went on the road and came back with an emphatic win, they also did what has eluded them for so long and kept a clean sheet while doing so.

I have to say that I thought Dedryck Boyata was outstanding and the partnership between him and Jozo Simunovic looks like the strongest one at the club.

The very fact that Boyata has been out for so long but has come back and managed as much game time in the last week augers well for Celtic. Physically, he has clearly come through a pretty comprehensive rehabilitation to be able to play at that level after very little game time.

He will also get better with more games and that will be encouraging for Rodgers because for the first time this season he will have a settled and solid backline.

I will also continue to insist that Craig Gordon is a top-class goalkeeper, regardless of what you might hear elsewhere.

He had one timely save during Wednesday night’s game that wasn’t quite so straightforward as it may have looked and all I can say is that of the goalkeepers I played with and those I managed, he is definitely up there with the very best.

Having a settled and fit goalkeeper with a strong defence in front of him can only help Celtic as they seek to navigate their way through the remainders of this group.

Certainly, though, the entire complexion of it changed with the result in Brussels.