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POST TIME: 21 May, 2019 00:00 00 AM
Champions Celtic finish on winning note
Afp, Glasgow

Champions Celtic finish on winning note

Celtic capped their eighth successive Scottish Premiership title-winning campaign with a 2-1 win over Hearts, while Kilmarnock finished third thanks to victory against Rangers on Sunday.

In a dress rehearsal for next weekend's Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Hearts, both sides made a host of changes at Parkhead.

Amid a celebratory atmosphere, 20-year-old Michael Johnston fired in the opener with less than two minutes gone.

That was cancelled out in the 17th minute by a fine curled finish from Hearts winger Jake Mulraney.

Sixteen-year-old Karamoko Dembele was given his Celtic debut in the second half, but it was fellow prospect Johnston who scored the winner with a fine run and low drive.

Celtic interim boss Neil Lennon saluted Dembele's cameo.

"He was great to watch. He is the type of player that you want at Celtic," Lennon said.

"I was delighted for him, obviously we need to keep a lid on it, but it's great that the fans have seen the glimpse of the future."

A Hoops victory in the Scottish Cup final would seal an unprecedented domestic treble for a third successive season.

Steve Clarke is set to leave Kilmarnock with a farewell gift of a third-place finish after Eamonn Brophy's late penalty saw off second-placed Rangers 2-1 at Rugby Park.

With the Killie boss expected to be named the new Scotland manager this week, Clarke was hoping to leave on the back of the Ayrshire outfit's highest league finish since 1966.