Ross County 1 Celtic 4

Celtic banished their Molde misery with a commanding 4-1 Scottish Premiership win at Ross County as striker Leigh Griffiths grabbed a double.

The Hoops and their manager Ronny Deila had been heavily criticised after the 2-1 Europa League defeat to the Norwegian side at Parkhead on Thursday night kept them bottom of Group A, with qualification hopes damaged most likely beyond repair.

However, there was to be no dismay in Dingwall as a powerful drive from midfielder Tom Rogic in the 38th minute was followed by two goals in a minute after the break from the prolific and in-form Griffiths to take his tally to 18.

Tony Dingwall pulled a goal back for the home side, but Celtic midfielder Nir Bitton made it 4-1 to re-establish the champions’ six-point lead over Hearts at the top of the table.

There was something of a surprise for the visiting fans who made the long journey north when Carlton Cole, the 31-year-old former West Ham striker recently signed by Deila as a free agent, appeared on the bench along with 18-year-old left-back Kieran Tierney, the latter one of three changes from the Molde game.

Defender Jozo Simunovic and midfielder Kris Commons failed to shrug off injuries as Efe Ambrose, Emilio Izaguirre and James Forrest returned.