It was game, set and match to the Hoops as Dundee lost to goals from Tomas Rogic, Leigh Griffiths, Emilio Izaguirre (two), Scott Brown and Nadir Ciftci at Celtic Park.
Played just across the road from the historic Davis Cup semi-final win for Andy Murray the Great Britain tennis team over Australia at the Emirates Arena, this game might have been only the second most important sporting event taking place in the east end of Glasgow.
Nevertheless, Celtic still served up a show as the Dark Blues were well beaten.
Indeed, were it not for the heroics of goalkeeper Scott Bain it would have been a lot worse than six for the visitors.
Rogic got things off and running on 14 minutes and Griffiths added another just a couple of minutes later to make it 2-0 at the break.
Izaguirre added the third on 54 minutes then made it a double for him just after the hour.For more coverage and reaction, see Monday’s CourierLooking for his hat-trick, Izaguirre then wasted the chance by blasting a penalty over Bain’s bar on 65 minutes.
Brown and Ciftc then got in on the act as the visitors yearned for the final whistle.
The Dens men were unchanged from the team that lined up for the victory at Partick Thistle eight days earlier.
Ex-Dundee striker Griffiths was looking to do some damage to his old side and, after hitting the sidenetting with a freekick, he fired over from close range with just eight minutes on the clock.
It then took a brilliant, point-blank save from Bain to keep Griffiths out on 12 minutes. He did superbly to push the strike away when a goal looked certain.
However, just a couple of minutes later, Bain could do nothing to stop the champions taking the lead, with Rogic drilling home a low shot to make it 1-0.
The hosts were soon two up when Griffiths slammed the ball home at the second attempt after wriggling clear of defender James McPake. It was a sore one for Dundee, who just seconds earlier had Gary Harkins preparing to shoot at the other end.
There were waves of Celtic attacks now and only another superb stop from Bain to keep out a Rogic effort stopped them going three ahead.
Dundee’s Paul McGinn had a strong claim for a penalty denied by referee Steven McLean when his run into the box was halted.
Bain tipped another Rogic strike over the bar then James Forrest was next to try his luck and his 25-yard effort on 28 minutes.
Kris Commons curled a left-footer just beyond the far post on 35 minutes and had another go with a freekick from the edge of the area.
Gary Irvine tried a shot from distance for the Dens men before Harkins drilled in a freekick from the edge of the box that brought out a fine save from Craig Gordon, with Kane Hemmings unable to convert the rebound.
The hosts hit the bar with a Forrest strike just two minutes from half-time then it was Bain to the rescue again as he pushed Rogic’s 25-yard shot away for a corner.
Dundee had started the second period reasonably well but they fell 3-0 behind on 54 minutes when Izaguirre was given too much time and space in which to slam the ball home after a one-two with Commons.
Celtic brought Ciftci on for Griffiths, while Dundee made a couple of changes as Harkins and Kevin Thomson were replaced by Ricardo Calder and Rory Loy.
The home team made it 4-0 on 61 minutes when Izaguirre grabbed his second, tapping the ball home at the far post.
After Celtic sub Callum McGregor was fouled inside the box there was a chance for the Izaguirre to grab his hat-trick but he blasted the resultant spotkick over the bar.
Dundee had a chance when Calder’s cross found fellow sub Rhys Healy but the latter’s header failed to find the target on 77 minutes.
It was Bain to the rescue three minutes later when he dived to push a netbound strike from Brown around the post.
Ciftci then had the ball in the next after the Dens keeper had dropped a cross but the whistle had gone for a foul on the goalie.
Those two had been denied but both Celtic players did eventually get on the scoresheet.
Brown was the first, on 87 minutes, as he clipped the ball past Bain then Ciftci grabbed his first goal for the Hoops when he ran clear then slid the ball under the Dundee goalie.
Celtic: Gordon, Izaguirre, Ambrose, Bitton, Brown, Griffiths (Ciftci 57), Commons (Mackay-Steven 63),Rogic, Boyata, Janko, Forrest (McGregor 63). Subs not used: Bailly, Blackett, Stokes, Tierney.
Dundee: Bain, Irvine, Konrad, McPake, McGinn, Thomson (Calder 59), Ross, Harkins (Loy 59), Low, Stewart, Hemmings (Healy 67). Subs not used: Gourlay, Holt, Carreiro, Meggatt.
Referee: Steven McLean.