Brendan Rodgers lauded two-goal Daizen Maeda as Celtic's "symbol of how we want to work" after their 5-1 hammering of Aberdeen on Tuesday.

Celtic moved 16 points clear at the Scottish Premiership summit after Maeda opened and closed the scoring, with Jota, Callum McGregor and Yang Hyun-Jun on target in between.

Shayden Morris' 90th-minute strike proved a mere consolation for Aberdeen, who sit third in the table but a massive 31 points behind Celtic after this thumping.

Rodgers reserved special praise for key forward Maeda, not only due to his goals but also his relentless work ethic.

"He is a really important player for us and the symbol of the team and how we want to work," the Celtic boss told BBC Scotland after Maeda took his goal tally to 25 for the season.

"He is not your traditional number nine, he moves in behind, anticipates things in the box when they drop, and is a wonderful example for our team, the work ethic, mentality, humility within it and when he plays wide or central, he scores for us."

Celtic have now won each of their last 10 home league games by an aggregate score of 37-1, though this result was much needed as a response to the last week.

The league leaders were dumped out the Champions League by Bayern Munich late on before a surprise 2-1 defeat to Hibernian preceded this crushing win against Aberdeen.

"It's one of the great traits of this team, that resilience they have to bounce back when we slip," Rodgers added.

"The response has been very, very good. That's a mark of the mentality of the team."

Celtic in cruise control tonight! #CELABE | #CelticFC pic.twitter.com/rfMrvr8B55

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) February 25, 2025

Rodgers' side seem to be cruising towards the top-flight crown, though Jota insists Celtic will not relent in their title charge.

"I think, as a Celtic player, you always aim to do better," Jota – who now has six league goals against Aberdeen, his most against an opponent in the competition – told Sky Sports.

"We are no different from that. Even though we have a [16-point] advantage, it does not mean we are going to take our foot off the pedal."