In the aftermath of a game that was both a ruthless dismantling as well as a marker as to just how Celtic can accelerate when anyone breathes on the back of their neck, it would be hard pressed to think of Brendan Rodgers has suffering any kind of malaise.

And the Celtic manager, when asked, insisted that he was not labouring under any headache with what to do about captain Scott Brown.

The midfielder played for 90 minutes on Wednesday evening at Fir Park but this week’s picture is different altogether. Celtic needed the win that they got on Saturday, a win that took the wind clinically out of Kilmarnock sails, and sets them up now for Thursday night’s Europa League test against Salzburg.

The Parkhead side require a solitary point from the meeting in order to progress to the latter stages.

But on Saturday there seemed a different kind of point made.

With Brown starting on the bench and Rodgers offering an insight into his thought process when it comes to picking a team, it seemed impossible to ignore the fact that Brown’s influence at the club has been diminished following his spell on the sidelines.

“I have compassion for players, especially for ones who done amazingly for me, but what I don’t have is sentimentality,” seemed a telling remark from Rodgers. “It’s very clear for me that if a team’s playing well, that’s where it’s at.

“We don’t rely on just 11 players, we need more than that. It’s clear for me the level and fluency of the team was great. My job is to pick a team that can win games and win titles. Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie, along with Tom Rogic, have been exceptional, not just in their football but how they press the game.”

McGregor turned in another impressive performance in the central pastures and such has been Celtic’s tempo without Brown starting that there is more than just food for thought; of all the big wins clocked up by Rodgers’ side this term, Brown has not started in any of the games.

Not the 6-0 win at McDiarmid Park, the 5-0 win over Hearts or Dundee and not the 5-1 over Killie on Saturday.

Coupled with that has been the rise of Ryan Christie as a Celtic player. Christie’s legs give the Parkhead side a different element to their play and allows them to be far more dynamic with their use of the ball.

Christie added another string to his bow when he sunk a free-kick into the net for the fourth of the afternoon just before the interval on Saturday but his overall play since breaking into the team at Murrayfield in the Betfred League Cup has made him pivotal to the way that Rodgers wants Celtic to perform.

Add James Forrest into the mix and Celtic look dynamic in the final third. The winger’s brace against the Ayrshire side on Saturday took his tally to 16 for the season for both club and country – one goal shy of his record haul last season.

It seems plausible that Forrest could end the campaign with at least 20 plus goals, an indication of the value he has had to Rodgers’ side this season.

He set the tone for the performance on Saturday with the first goal of the game with a left-foot volley and it seemed fitting that he had the last say when he blasted in Celtic’s fifth.

In between times, Edouard had taken the final touch on a fluid move before dispatching a furious effort into goal.

Mikael Lustig was next up after knocking in McGregor’s free-kick and although Kilmarnock were the recipients of an early Christmas gift in the form of a penalty where the foul looked to have been outside the box, Eamon Brophy’s penalty was nothing other than a footnote of the day.

Celtic’s performance was well received ahead of Thursday night’s game against a Salzburg side who can make history if they win in Glasgow; no other Europa League side has won all six group games.

But aside from giving them a springboard into a game that can unlock European football after Christmas, this was a game where Celtic did not just go back to the top of the league but did so with a determined swagger.

There was a message in the performance that this is a Celtic team who deliver whenever questions are asked. Few would quibble with the job that Steve Clarke has done with Kilmarnock but for the first time since he took over at the Rugby Park side, Celtic blew them away.

The Parkhead side have not lost a league game at home this term and will look to utilise that when they host the Austrians this week.

Kieran Tierney will be expected to be back for that one, although Emilio Izaguirre played well at the weekend, all the more so when consideration is given to his recent lack of game time.

“Kieran wasn’t quite right,” explained Rodgers. “We could have put him in but it would have been a risk when we have someone like Emilio there, who was outstanding. Kieran should be fine and ready for Thursday. He had a slight issue around his groin area and we didn’t want to risk it. He wants to play every second of every game but you need to be sensible.”