Celtic's Martin O'Neill was a major inspiration to his team as they romped to a five-goal win over Kilmarnock, despite the manager being absent due to illness. Shaun Maloney, the stand-in gaffer, revealed that O'Neill had given the team talk at the pre-match hotel and had instructed the team to go out and win. The 74-year-old manager was on the mend after a 'small procedure' and a few days in hospital, but his team was in rude health as they dominated the game. Maloney was delighted to give the gaffer something to smile about, saying: 'Is he a poor patient? You'll have to ask his wife!' The Hoops were too hot to handle for Neil McCann's men, with Kasper Hogh bagging the opener inside 63 seconds and completing a devastating 35-minute first-half hat-trick to open his Hoops account in devastating style. The big hitman was borderline unplayable, and the Hoops were in top form as they flexed their muscles. Maloney admitted he was thrilled with the five-star showing, saying: 'It was good - really good. The players were really impressive, but probably the most impressive thing was the mentality.' The team's recent form has been impressive, with a 5-0 win over Kilmarnock being their latest result. They are currently 3rd in the Premiership, with 67 points from 33 games, and are 3 points behind leaders Heart of Midlothian. The team's recent form has been WWWWW, with a 5-game winning run.