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Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths opened the scoring against Anderlecht and Patrick Roberts' shot was deflected in for the second

Celtic ended their run of 16 European group games without a win as goals by Leigh Griffiths, Patrick Roberts and Scott Sinclair saw off Anderlecht.

The win moves Celtic level with Bayern Munich in Group B, and establishes a crucial advantage over Anderlecht.

Griffiths' opener was created by a fine passing move involving Olivier Ntcham and Kieran Tierney.

Kara Mbodji inadvertently deflected Roberts' shot in after the break then Sinclair crashed in a late third.

Celtic: Rodgers delighted with 'outstanding performance' in Brussels

The only setback for Celtic was the departure of captain Scott Brown during the second half, the midfielder limping off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

He could now be a doubt for Scotland's World Cup qualifying double header against Slovakia and Slovenia, but for Celtic this was their first away shut-out in the Champions League group stage.

Celtic began nervously, and for the opening 25 minutes they couldn't hold on to the ball, their passing letting them down hugely. From Ntcham to Roberts, they coughed up possession constantly and invited Anderlecht on to them.

Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths finished emphatically after a fine passing move involving Olivier Ntcham and Kieran Tierney

The saving grace was that the Belgian side, beleaguered in their domestic league, were nowhere near good enough to take advantage.

Celtic settled when the goal came - and it was a beauty, a study in accurate and clinical football, the polar opposite of what had gone before.

It began with Ntcham, who delivered a gorgeously weighted pass to Tierney, scampering down the left flank. The timing of the pass and the run were exquisite, as was Tierney's driven cross to Griffiths, who had cleverly peeled away from Olivier Deschacht in the box.

Celtic winger Patrick Roberts saw his shot deflect off Anderlecht defender Kara Mbodji on its way into the net

Three touches and one goal. Ruthless. Celtic were up and running. They had a few scares before the break, Sofiane Hanni and Lukasz Teodorczyk both going close for Anderlecht, and just after the restart Hanni again gave Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon an anxious moment.

In the main, though, this was comfortable and it became a joy for the visiting support when Celtic doubled their lead.

The skies above Brussels caved in on the hosts six minutes after the break. Celtic's second was a calamity for Anderlecht, a series of self-inflicted wounds that added up to a goal.

Leander Dendoncker played a seriously unwise pass across his penalty area to Deschacht who was extraordinarily lax in dealing with it while under pressure from Roberts.

Deschacht merely flicked his foot at it and presented it to Roberts who ran in on goal. Roberts got a shot away that the Anderlecht goalkeeper Frank Boeckx looked capable of dealing with until Mbodji deflected the ball into his own net.

Celtic threatened again. Roberts had a chance and then Callum McGregor, on as a substitute, couldn't make the most of it when Anderlecht were short on numbers at the back.

Anderlecht came back into it but they couldn't break the visitors' resolve. Rodgers' team were mature in shutting the game down.

Celtic captain Scott Brown suffered a potential hamstring injury in the second half and was replaced

There was even a flourish at the end when the third came, Dendoncker presenting the ball to Sinclair, who went on to beat Boeckx with a terrific finish.

A huge night for Celtic, one that gives them a long-awaited victory and some precious momentum. It also gives them a massive advantage over Anderlecht in terms of the battle for third place and the spot in the Europa League that goes with it.

Celtic might still have dreams of second place, but this will go a long way to ensuring that whatever happens here on in, the Scottish champions are the hottest of favourites to earn European football in the new year.