WHAT has been inevitable for perhaps as far back as Brendan Rodgers being appointed manager last May became reality where it all began when Celtic with plenty to spare clinched a sixth league title in a row and the 48th in the club's history.

Tynecastle was the venue a little over seven months ago when Celtic won 2-1 and began a season which could end up in the history books. Scott Sinclair scorer the winner that day, he got three goals here, and while it was hardly a surprise party, the celebrations were loud and long among the away support in Gorgie and beyond.

Rodgers has done many things, one of the best was signing the phenomenal Sinclair, but his greatest achievement was making Celtic supporters fall in love with their team again.

That the best paid and most expensive side in Scotland by a difference which must seem almost incalculable to the rest wins the league is not sport’s greatest surprise; however, this is the first season for some time when Celtic fans have been properly entertained.

This is why, more than any other reason, this campaign has been pretty along as well as predictable.

There was no natural striker in yesterday’s squad with Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths both injured, little Patrick Roberts played as the striker, but it made no difference. Celtic are the champions and they have achieved this with style and, for that, they deserve congratulations.

On such occasions the game itself can feel like almost an irrelevance. Not this one. It was Hearts against Celtic at Tynecastle a fixture in which it is against local law for the pace of play to dip below 100mph.

The message from the Hearts head coach Ian Cathro to his players was to start quickly, get in the face of Scott Brown and close down space quickly and effectively. Those instructions, at least at the start, were followed to the letter. No pun intended. The busiest and best player in the Celtic team for 20-odd minutes was Craig Gordon.

Ten minutes had gone when after some good Hearts pressure, Esmael Goncalves cut in from the left to get a shot off on his right foot which Gordon did well to keep out and then really well to soak up the loose ball and took a clatter from Bjorn Johansen for his troubles.

Six minutes later and Don Cowie, who at this stage was having a superb match, put Goncalves, through again and the quick thinking Celtic keeper who had rushed from his line denied the Hearts striker a goal.

Then at the other end, yes, it was that frantic, Sinclair did really well to get the ball out from under his feet when closely marked, his cross to the back post picked out Callum McGregor who should have scored only to produce a weak effort.

Despite that chance, the home side were the better team. Brown was given a hard time and that prevented the Celtic midfield to clock which allowed Hearts plenty of time in Celtic’s half.

That pressure came close to producing a goal on 22 minutes when a Cowie corner swung towards the back post was met by Krystian Nowak. There was nothing wrong with his header but Gordon was equally up to his job as Jamie Walker attempted to get a toe to the ball.

Within four minutes of that chance, Celtic were two goals up and crowned champions.

Kieran Tierney had a ridiculously good game and he took the ball deep into Hearts’ territory for not the first or last time. He fed the ball to Roberts, his pass to Sinclair was weighted perfectly and the Englishman’s finish wouldn’t have been stopped had there been two in goal.

The second came on the break. The ball was moved with pace from the edge of Celtic’s box to Roberts in midfield, his quick feet bought him a bit of space to turn, he spotted the run of Sinclair and subsequently played a perfect pass to him; Sinclair was never going to miss a one-on-one.

So would the second half be processional and little else? No chance

Celtic thought they had scored a third five minutes after the break when a nice pass from McGregor set up Forrest for a shot or cross, he went from something in-between, and the ball was sent into his own net by Anastasios Avlonitis.

The linesman, however, spotted an offside which didn’t seem to be there. It didn’t really matter.

With 55 minutes gone, Tierney again meandered up the left wing, he cut the ball back for Sinclair who intelligently left it for Stuart Armstrong and his shot was well hit, low and accurate. That was three. On 62 minutes it was four.

McGregor got his pass to Roberts just right, the winger turned striker’s run was timed well and it allowed him to get behind the Hearts defence, stay onside and then cut back on his favoured left which sent an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

That the penalty which allowed Sinclair to get his hat-trick was debatable, Nowak claimed to to have got the ball when he tackled the Englishman inside the box, will soon be forgotten. That a man whose career had drifted got three on the day Celtic made it six will not.

There were of course two teams involved. Hearts were merely the support act here and not one you would want to see again. That’s one win from their last eight games, there is no cohesion within this team and certainly no sign Cathro has what it takes.

How the Gorgie man get on next season will be interesting. How Celtic get on is already set in stone.

Never before has one team enjoyed so much dominance over the rest as Celtic do right now. Whether such a one-sided domestic scene is enough to keep Rodgers and some others at the football club for the long-term remains to be seen,

But that’s for another time. Yesterday was all about Celtic, Rodgers, the players and supporters feeling as one.