Last updated on .From the section Scottish Premiership

Goals from Stuart Armstrong and Kieran Tierney ensured Celtic returned to winning ways against Partick Thistle.

After a drab opening, midfielder Armstrong rocketed home a left-foot shot from the edge of the penalty box.

Odsonne Edouard went close after the break before Tierney combined with Scott Sinclair and slammed in a second.

The champions, whose 69-game unbeaten domestic run was ended emphatically by Hearts, climb five points clear at the Scottish Premiership summit.

Thistle remain two points adrift at the foot of the table, having won just three of their 19 league fixtures this term.

Backlash. Reaction. Whirlwind start. All pre-match cautions of what would be inflicted upon the lowly visitors after Celtic's hammering at Tynecastle.

Pedestrian was perhaps a more fitting appraisal of the first half hour, a combination of discipline and structure from Thistle and a slow, overly-deliberate start from Celtic.

That suited the Jags, who looked largely comfortable, other than when Kristoffer Ajer nodded Armstrong's fabulous delivery over from six yards, then Tierney's surging run set up Sinclair, who also fired his effort too high.

Celtic unveiled new signing Marvin Compper at half-time

So far, so good for a Thistle outfit who have not won an away league match since March.

Their resistance was broken, though, by a touch of brilliance from Armstrong, the former Dundee United man looking more like the swashbuckling figure of last season.

The 25-year-old gathered possession on the 18-yard line and did what no-one expected, unleashing a sensational left-foot howitzer high across Tomas Cerny and into his net.

Celtic held that lead at the break, and the second period was more open, Thistle endeavouring to create and the hosts appearing far sharper, with Tierney perhaps their biggest threat.

Edouard, preferred to Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele as the fulcrum of the Celtic attack, had two chances to double the hosts' advantage.

The Frenchman struck the first from a central area but his connection wasn't pure and Cerny saved well to his left.

Kieran Tierney thundered home Celtic's second goal 22 minutes into the second half

Sinclair then teed up the teenage striker, but Cerny was again well-placed to deny him.

Eventually Celtic made the game safe with some incisive interplay between Sinclair and Tierney releasing the tireless young defender and he blasted home.

Tierney had been inspirational throughout and deserved some reward for his display.

Dedryck Boyata ought to have added a third from close range late in the game, but by then Celtic were well on their way to re-establishing a five-point cushion at the top of the table.

Thistle meanwhile can perhaps take some heart from their first-half grit in what proved to be too great a task for Alan Archibald's men.