RONNY Deila brushed aside suggestions Celtic had as good as sewn up their fifth consecutive Scottish title following an emphatic victory over their nearest challengers which fleetingly sent his side seven points clear.

“I don’t think about it,” he replied when asked about the importance of the win to his side’s latest win to their league aspirations. “I don’t want to look at it at all. I am only thinking about the next game. I know we are not even half way through the season. So much can happen.”

Deila was, given that Hearts quickly reduced the Celtic lead at the top of the Premiership table to six points as they moved into second spot, quite correct not to allow himself to get carried away with a pleasing result.

Yet, the gulf between the defending champions and opponents who earlier this term threatened to launch a serious challenge to their domestic dominance was so vast that it is very difficult to envisage any other possible outcome other than another Celtic success.

Goals from Leigh Griffiths on either side of half-time – the Scotland internationalist took his tally for the season to 16 with his well-taken double – and a James Forrest strike in the second half ensured another three points were accumulated.

Celtic were solid at the back, controlled the midfield despite the injury-enforced absence of their influential captain Scott Brown and looked capable of scoring whenever they broke upfield.

There are still 25 games to be played and 75 points up for grabs in the coming months. Still, the suspect early-season form of the defending champions has clearly been overcome. The future looks promising.

“I now have a very good group of players who love playing together and are hungry for more success,” said Deila. “That is a good start when you want to win games and win trophies.”

Aberdeen did well for the majority of the first half despite being forced into an early defensive reshuffle. Andrew Considine limped off after after 23 minutes and was replaced by Paul Quinn.

Quinn slotted into the centre of the defence alongside Ash Taylor and Mark Reynolds switched to left back. It was a far from ideal turn of events so early on in such an important fixture.

Nevertheless, the visitors soaked up pressure from Celtic well, successfully contained their opponents for long spells and looked capable of snatching a goal on the counter attack.

Griffiths was sent through on their goal by Kris Commons on the half hour mark. But Danny Ward did brilliantly to divert his adversary’s goal-bound shot past his right post and keep the contest level.

Jonny Hayes asked questions of Mikael Lustig with his breaks down the left flank and Adam Rooney should have done better when he received a cross from the winger on the edge of the six yard box. The striker’s glancing header spun narrowly wide.

Kieran Tierney, the young left back who once again acquitted himself maturely, whipped a sensational ball into the opposition box and Griffiths rose above Quinn and headed beyond Ward. It was a brilliant goal and was converted at an important time in proceedings.

“The first goal was high class,” said Deila afterwards. “The delivery from KT was very good as well. Griffiths gets more and more mature. He can still lack concentration. But he smells danger all the time and he sees when things are happening and is a great finisher.”

Aberdeen failed to perform with the same vigour in the second half. Taylor conceded a nonsensical penalty just eight minutes after the restart when took the legs away from Commons inside his own area despite his opponent posing no apparent danger.

Griffiths, in typical striker’s fashion, claimed responsibility for the spot kick and made no mistake with his effort. The Celtic centre forward drilled a low left foot shot underneath the Aberdeen keeper.

Deila’s charges wrapped up the victory in six minutes later after some fine work by the ever-improving Tom Rogic. He fed Forrest who dinked the ball into the net with an exquisite finish.

The clinical manner with which Celtic despatched their main rivals for the Scottish title pleased their manager, who has clearly been stung by some of the criticism which has been aimed in his direction, greatly.

“Every game is quite close for the first half an hour whatever team you play,” he said. “It is when you see over time we had the possession and we had great chances. When we started going forward and asking questions they got tired and opened up. We did it in a brilliant way today and I am so pleased with the players.”

Celtic, possibly with one eye on their Europa League meeting with Molde on Thursday night, visibly relaxed after going three in front. Who knows what the final scoreline would have been if they had played the same intensity for the full 90 minutes?

Aberdeen netted a consolation goal with just over a minute of regulation time remaining when Rooney headed a quickly taken free-kick beyond Craig Gordon. But it made no difference to the final outcome.

Derek McInnes, whose side has now gone six games without triumphing, was disappointed his men failed to maintain their bright start to the game and ended up being comprehensively beaten.

“I thought we were well in the game in the first half,” he said. “There was a lot of positive play, a lot to be encouraged by. But we couldn't maintain that."