Celtic reasserted their champions-elect status with Daizen Maeda’s double earning him a 30th goal of an incredible campaign as he scored for the eighth Scottish Premiership game in succession.

Brendan Rodgers indicated in the build-up to this fixture that he, and the club, are keen to extend Maeda’s contract, which runs until the summer of 2027.

This was yet another reminder of just why.

The in-form forward was involved in Celtic’s three goals and, at present, he looks unstoppable in Scotland.

Hearts came with confidence after suffering just two defeats in their past 14 outings, looking to take a step closer to securing a top-six place.

All eyes were on Viljami Sinisalo, replacing the injured Kasper Schmeichel in goal, and he was called into action early as the visitors began on the front foot.

From a corner, the ball fell to Lewis Neilson and his close-range effort was well dealt with by the goalkeeper, making just his second Celtic start.

The home side looked a touch troubled at that stage but swiftly ripped Hearts open to brutally seize the three points.

A swift move led to the returning captain Callum McGregor releasing Maeda with an inch-perfect through ball and he was lethal, firing beyond Craig Gordon for the opener.

A second arrived soon after when Nicolas Kuhn beautifully released Maeda, his header crashed off the inside of a post and Jota surged in from the left to slam home.

Hearts persevered and Jeffrey Schlupp had to be alert to block near goal before James Wilson passed up a glorious chance but headed way wide.

And with that, any hopes for the away side were extinguished.

Celtic moved swiftly from back to front, Kuhn outpaced the backline and squared for Maeda to tap home yet another goal in what has become a talismanic season for the Japan international.

As a result, the outcome was determined by half-time. Hearts changed shape, but Celtic remained in control and cruised to another decisive victory.