Finding creative ways to take the opposition apart has been one of the central tenets of Ange Postecoglou's tenure at Celtic. They have so many strings to their bow that they can be almost impossible to defend against on their day - as Dundee United found out in a painful lesson on Tayside earlier today.
But for all Jota's electric wing-play, Kyogo 's ghosting runs and Giorgos Giakoumakis' robust bullying of defenders gives their opponents plenty to think about, there was a more subtle tactic at play Tannadice which some are beginning to stand up and take notice of.
Kyogo was on fire with a first-half hat-trick and his manipulation of United's offside trap led to some serious confusion in Jack Ross' back-line. For two of his three goals, Kyogo started in offside positions, but rather than dart back to stay onside, he allowed the play to catch up with him - meaning he was still onside when the final pass was played.
It was most evident in his third goal, where he is clearly in an offside position when Matt O'Riley's ball over the top leaves his boot. Ryan Edwards' hand goes up for offside, but Kyogo doesn't interfere, and by the time Liel Abada knocks the ball back across, Kyogo is in an onside position to tap it home.
The clever tactic was highlighted on Twitter by Tifo Football's John Mackenzie, and Instat analyst @QuanTue visualised two instances of it with screenshots. Kyogo also used the trick to his advantage for the opener, where he is offside when Jota is played through, but by the time the ball comes back to him to slot past Carljohan Eriksson, he is on.
Kyogo's treble was followed by a Liel Abada hattrick of his own while Jota, Josip Juranovic and Carl Starfelt also struck in the Hoops' biggest win since 2010. It also moved them two points clear of Rangers at the top of the Premiership ahead of the huge derby at Celtic Park next weekend.
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