Celtic claimed the unofficial title of British champions with a morale-boosting 4-3 pre-season win over Manchester City at the Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

A clinical brace from winger Nicolas Kuhn and counters from Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma were enough to see Brendan Rodgers' Scottish champions defeat Pep Guardiola's English champions in a seven-goal thriller. On a night when Kasper Schmeichel took his Celtic bow, Rodgers' side impressively reeled off their second consecutive win on their Stateside tour after racing into a 3-1 lead at the interval.

Explosive German winger Kuhn twice sprinted onto defence-splitting passes from Matt O'Riley and Reo Hatate on 13 and 36 minutes respectively to produce two top-drawer finishes either side of an Oscar Bobb equaliser on 33 minutes. Kuhn turned provider a minute before the interval as he produced a world-class outside-of-the-foot pass to release Kyogo who rounded Stefan Ortega to give Celtic a healthy half-time advantage.

The lead was wiped out within 12 minutes of the restart as Maximo Perrone and Erling Haaland scored to level the scores as second-half substitute goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo twice picked the ball out of his net. Back came Celtic and Honduran winger Luis Palma tapped home from close range to make it 4-3 after another lightning counterattack.

This was a wonderful workout for Rodgers' men and it is no mean feat to claim a scalp as big as Manchester City even though they were missing several key players. It was a pre-season encounter that served its purpose and it was ideal preparation for the quality that lies in wait for Celtic in the revamped Champions League competition.

Kasper Schmeichel is a chip off the old block

Like father, like son. Kasper Schmeichel totally dazzled on his debut for Celtic. He put in a first-half display that his old man Peter would have been proud of. He spread himself superbly well to deny Erling Haalnad not once but twice in the opening period. The first save from the Norwegian was excellent. The 37-year-old defied his age as he flung himself at everything. There is a real Joe Hart vibe surrounding Schmeichel and if he can emulate his success then Celtic will have won a watch. He even got a strong hand to Oscar Bobb's effort and was unlucky to see the ball spin cruelly into the net and he was livid at the concession of the equaliser. Even at this early stage he looks like the perfect replacement for Hart and could even prove himself to be an upgrade. Schmeichel looked comfortable on the ball and his shot-stopping was just like watching his dad in his prime. It's clear to see already why Rodgers was so keen to land him as he trusted him implicitly at Leicester City. He is an incredibly talented goalkeeper. You get the feeling that Schmeichel like Hart is going to enjoy an Indian Summer at Celtic, isn't he?

Clinical Nicholas Kuhn could well be the surprise package of the season for Celtic

The German winger was ruthless in his execution in the first half. His pace was electric and he was clinical as he supplied two superb finishes and an assist for Kyogo Furuhashi. The 24-year-old promised the Celtic supporters had not seen the best of him. He wasn't wrong. The former Ajax and Bayern Munich wideman enjoyed himself in North Carolina. He ripped Manchester City apart in the opening 45 minutes. Kuhn exploited the space afforded him twice and emphatically buried the opportunities that presented themselves to him. An exquisite pass from O'Riley set him scampering clear for the opening goal on 13 minutes which he slotted home low with ease. He looked electric when he ran at the Man City defence at pace. Kuhn is certainly looking the part and is showing that he has benefited already from a full pre-season. The second goal arrived following an assist from Hatate and Kuhn chopped from his right to his left to produce an unstoppable drive that exploded high into the net after 36 minutes. His outstanding night continued when Kuhn picked out a sumptuous outside of the pass for Kyogo to round the goalkeeper and make it 3-1 in 44 minutes. The pocket rocket was dynamite and Kuhn was like a different player and performed like a man possessed. It was a masterclass as Kuhn put on a wing clinic. However, the 64,000 dollar question is can he do it on a wet Wednesday night in Dingwall?

That's five alive from Kyogo in pre-season and Scottish defences should be afraid, very afraid.

Reports of the Japanese goalscoring talisman's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Despite many claiming that the striker has lost his edge and he suffered a loss of form last season he still bagged 19 goals which will have disappointed him as he sets such a high bar. If hell hath no fury like a striker scorned then Kyogo is back with a vengeance. He has five goals already in Celtic's pre-season matches and the goal which made it 3-1 against Manchester City on 44 minutes was vintage Kyogo. The clever run away from the defence to latch onto Kuhn's defence-splitting pass was textbook and the touch to drag it past the goalkeeper as he rounded him to score was more difficult than it looked. This is how Rodgers envisages his team playing and the Kyogo goal in particular is the template for prizing European defences wide open. It was a beautiful goal. Rodgers may well want two number-one strikers operating in the No. 9 position but at this moment in time, King Kyogo is in no mood to relinquish his goalscoring crown just yet. He is all set to torment Scottish and European defences for another season in green and white. Whoever Rodgers brings in as a strike partner to vie with Kyogo for the starting berth has their work cut out. Kyogo is back in business. He looks hungry for goals and as if he has a point to prove. He doesn't need to prove anything. Opposition teams should be afraid, very afraid. 

Rodgers beginning to put his stamp on this Celtic team

Before the Man City match, Rodgers said these words: "Technically and tactically we are looking at some new ideas that we can bring into our season. That will be nice over these next couple of games to observe that." The Irishman duly delivered on that promise as Celtic's football in the first half took the breath away at times. They raced into a 3-1 lead by scoring three cracking goals in the process. The combinations worked well in the opening period. The midfield triumvirate in particular functioned well.  Kuhn's finishing was bang on the money and his pass for Kyogo's goal was world class. The hallmarks of Rodgers' sides are to attack with pace and power as well as to display a lethal first touch. The Celtic players carried the manager's instructions out to the letter of the law in the opening 45 minutes. Despite being pegged back to 3-3, Rodgers' men conjured up a winner through Luis Palma. The 51-year-old can feel satisfied as there was lots to enthuse and be positive about. His Celtic team are already going about their business very differently from last season. They remain a work in progress and if the manager is allowed to add the quality which he craves before the end of the summer transfer window then the men in green and white will take some stopping domestically again. However, it's on the European stage where Rodgers and the Celtic supporters are desperate for the team to make their mark. Did somebody mention 'Brendanball'?