CELTIC extended their unbeaten domestic run to 27 games with an emphatic 4-0 win over Hearts yesterday to surpass the record start enjoyed by the Lisbon Lions 50 years before.

The triumph, achieved courtesy of goals by Callum McGregor and Patrick Roberts and a Scott Sinclair double, restored their 22-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Manager Brendan Rodgers said of his team’s achievement: “It is a huge honour, of course. The history of this club, 129 years, and obviously how difficult that is. It is an incredible run and every accolade [the players] get they deserve because of their focus, the spirit within the team and the quality of the football they are producing.

“We are very proud but we have set the challenge going forward. We have to keep winning and that comes from our work, our concentration and making sure we take care of all the background noise that goes around them and just focus on the job. The players were magnificent.”

Rodgers had to field Sinclair out of position up front due to Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths being out injured. The home team then lost Stuart Armstrong, the Ladbrokes Player of the Month for January, after his calf injury flared back up in the warm-up.

McGregor came in for Armstrong in midfield and netted the opening goal after half an hour. Sinclair squared the ball to his team-mate on the edge of the Hearts penalty area, and McGregor controlled it well and advanced to fire a left-footed shot past Jack Hamilton. The visitors, searching for only a second league win under Ian Cathro, competed well during the first half and could have levelled just before half-time. Jamie Walker rose well to meet a curling delivery into the Celtic box from Lennard Sowah and was unlucky that his header ended up on the roof of the net.

Celtic should have killed the game off early in the second half when Cristian Gamboa sent James Forrest clean through, but the winger, who had only Hamilton to beat, hesitated and failed to convert the chance.

Referee Bobby Madden waved away a Celtic penalty claim soon afterwards when John Souttar appeared to handle a Sinclair cross into his box. Craig Gordon did well to first intercept a Walker ball into his six-yard box and then palm clear a Malaury Martin shot.

Sinclair doubled Celtic’s lead in the 77th minute, netting from close range after Aaron Hughes had blocked a Kieran Tierney cross. Tierney was again the provider two minutes later when he set up Roberts on this occasion. The wide player controlled his pass with his right foot and then drilled a shot into the roof of the net with his left. Roberts, who was named man of the match, left the field soon after that when he was replaced by Jack Aitchison, the 16-year-old forward making just his second first-team appearance.

The day went from bad to worse for the Tynecastle club in the closing stages when Souttar had to be stretchered off with an Achilles injury.

Aitchison won a penalty in injury time when he was tripped by Sowah and Sinclair stepped up and converted the spot kick for his 15th goal of the campaign.

Hearts head coach Cathro said of Souttar’s injury: “There was a challenge and he landed awkwardly. There is a bit of concern, it is an Achilles issue. We don’t know the extent of it yet but it didn’t look nice.”

Cathro confirmed interest in former St Mirren loan striker Esmael Goncalves, who is on the books of Cypriot outfit Anorthosis Famagusta, and 31-year-old Greek international midfielder Alexandros Tziolis, who is a free agent after leaving PAOK Salonika.