An own goal by Tynecastle skipper Christophe Berra and a drive by midfielder Massimo Donati gave the buoyant Hoops a comfortable interval lead.

Then, Scott Brown's first goal since signing from Hibernian, a penalty from Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and an inventive Shunsuke Nakamura flick after the break boosted the Parkhead side ahead of Wednesday's Champions League third qualifying round second-leg against Spartak at Celtic Park.

Celtic drew 1-1 in the Luzhniki stadium in the first match but, after such a convincing win today, they must fancy their chances of making it in to the group stages of the competition for the second season in a row.