Celtic 6-1 Kilmarnock: Moussa Dembele 'still has way to go' - Rodgers

Dembele swept home his second goal with his left foot after a right-foot finish for his first

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers says Moussa Dembele "still has a way to go" despite showing his class with another double strike in the 6-1 win over Kilmarnock.

The French striker brought his tally to 10 goals this season, with only seven starts in his 15 appearances.

"He is a young player who is working hard on the defensive side of the game, how he presses with aggression," Rodgers told BBC Scotland.

"He has a lot of improvement in him but he has a great appetite to learn."

Rodgers described 20-year-old Dembele, who joined Celtic in the summer after leaving Fulham, as a "natural goalscorer".

He added: "The first goal was a great finish with his right foot and the second goal with his left.

"He has great movement that opens up the space for him."

'The standard can go up a lot more'

Celtic have scored 30 goals in eight games against domestic opposition this season, with 23 of those in their six league matches.

Rodgers says his side will take "confidence and that winning mentality" into Wednesday's home Champions League group match against English Premier League leaders Manchester City, who have won all 10 of their games this season.

Leigh Griffiths marked his return with his eighth goal of the season

"But we don't want to get carried away," he warned. "We still have a lot of work to do with this team. The ball can move quicker and the standard can go up a lot more.

"Last season Kilmarnock got a 0-0 draw here so it shows our ability and hunger and intensity less than a year on to score six goals.

"We played very well and, as a team, they are improving but there is still a way to go."

De Vries 'not to blame' for Coulibaly stunner

Rodgers revealed he took goalkeeper Dorus de Vries off at half-time because of a strain in his chest.

"Maybe he could have played on but it was difficult for him," he said. "I have got a very capable keeper in Craig Gordon so there was no need to take a risk."

The Dutchman's fitness will be assessed over the next couple of days before Rodgers decides who will face City on Wednesday.

De Vries saw Souleymane Coulibaly's stunning strike fly over his head

But he refused to blame De Vries for Souleymane Coulibaly's stunning opening strike for Kilmarnock.

"The goalkeeper's position was where you'd expect him to be with the ball that far out," Rodgers said.

"It was a great strike, one of the best goals I have seen. We didn't press it well enough in that area, but in fairness it was as good a strike as you will see."

Celtic at 'a new level'

Lee Clark suffered a frustrating afternoon after a promising first half-hour

Kilmarnock boss Lee Clark lamented that Coulibaly's "unbelievable goal" would not necessarily be the lasting memory from the game after Celtic's demolition act.

"If we could have got through to half-time, we might have given ourselves something to build on, but in the second half we just got blown away," he told BBC Scotland.

"It was men against boys in every aspect. We had a young team and it showed against a class act.

"They are the champions of Scotland but they have taken their football to a new level. We are not the first team to take a beating here and we won't be the last.

"But we felt we made it a little bit too easy for them. The result won't define our season. We have to get results elsewhere."