Scott Sinclair-inspired Celtic destroy Hearts to win Scottish title for sixth straight season

Scott Sinclair helped himself to a hat-trick as a rampant Celtic claimed a sixth straight Scottish Premiership title with a 5-0 walloping of Hearts at Tynecastle.

It is the Glasgow club's 48th national title, and their first under Northern Irishman Brendan Rodgers, whose side have astonishingly yet to sample defeat in Scotland this season.

Celtic have gone 37 matches undefeated in Scotland, and only have eight more games to negotiate to create history by going unbeaten for an entire league season.

Rodgers also takes his side to Hampden Park to face Rangers on April 23 in the Scottish Cup semi-finals with a domestic treble looming.

A victory over their bitter Glasgow rivals would see them face Aberdeen or Hibernian in the final on May 27 needing a victory to ensure Rodgers becomes only the third manager in the club's history alongside Jock Stein and Martin O'Neill to win the domestic treble of Scottish Premiership, Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup.

"Football-wise it's been top notch, the manager has recruited great players and brought belief to everyone. We have really pushed on this season," said Celtic captain Scott Brown.

Celtic are 25 points clear of second-placed Aberdeen with 86 points from 30 matches, needing 14 points from their final eight matches to break the century mark.

Judging by the way they dismantled Hearts on Sunday, it is difficult to see who is going to halt them. Even without the injured forward duo of Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths, Celtic were in complete control against a home side who were simply run ragged.

It was Sinclair who scored his side's winner as a substitute at Hearts in a 2-1 success on the opening day of the season on August 7 to give former Liverpool manager Rodgers a winning start.

Hearts began the afternoon brightly, but the visitors moved ahead when Sinclair thumped the ball high into the net from a Patrick Roberts pass on 24 minutes before repeating the dose three minutes later as he galloped onto a lovely Roberts through ball to slide the ball beyond Jack Hamilton in the home goal.

Celtic were in full flow against a demoralised Hearts as two brilliant finishes from distance via Armstrong on 55 minutes and Roberts six minutes later enabled the visiting fans to start the title celebrations with around half an hour remaining.

Sinclair completed his hat-trick with a clinical finish from the penalty spot on 84 minutes after he had been brought down by Tasos Avlonitis.

"It was a performance that was unbelievable from the whole team. We've still got work to do and the season is not over yet. We keep winning and that's the mentality here to keep going," said Sinclair.

"We take one game at a time. We've done so well so we just have to keep going."

While Rodgers narrowly missed out on the English Premier League title with Liverpool in 2014, he has lifted the Scottish title in emphatic style in Glasgow.