Celtic celebrate Scottish title in style with big win over Inverness

Jaded Rangers get ready for Premiership play-off with Motherwell

Celtic players celebrate  as Scott Brown lifts the  Scottish Premiership trophy. Photograph:  Graham Stuart/Reuters
Celtic players celebrate as Scott Brown lifts the Scottish Premiership trophy. Photograph: Graham Stuart/Reuters

Celtic began their Scottish Premiership title-winning party after a Stefan Scepovic double helped them to an easy 5-0 win over a weakened Inverness side at Parkhead.

The Serbian striker, handed a rare start for the Hoops, opened the scoring from inches out in the fifth minute before returning midfielder Stefan Johansen added the second before the break.

Caley, without half a dozen regulars rested for next week's Scottish Cup final against Falkirk, chased shadows most of the afternoon and lost further goals to Scepovic, Leigh Griffiths and Kris Commons as Ronny Deila's side confirmed their status as champions.

While the Hoops fans celebrated their fourth successive title win and waited for the trophy presentation, John Hughes’s side sloped up the tunnel to prepare for next week’s showpiece occasion at Hampden well beaten but with perhaps not too much damage done to their cup hopes.

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Rangers boss Stuart McCall insists his tired troops will be ready to face Motherwell after surviving 180 minutes of gruelling action with Hibernian.

The Ibrox side will hope to end three years in the lower-league wilderness by edging out the Fir Park outfit over two legs in the Scottish Premiership play-off final. But after four games in 14 days at the tail-end of an exhausting promotion push, the Light Blues look like they are running on fumes.

The Glasgow outfit were out on their feet by the time Jason Cummings struck in the 94th minute to give the Easter Road hosts a 1-0 second-leg semi-final win, with the 2-0 triumph secured at Ibrox on Wednesday enough to see Rangers through.