Celtic have beaten St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership by a 3-1 margin in Perth this afternoon, bouncing back from a difficult week at home and abroad.
Craig Levein’s outfit looked like they would extend a difficult period for the Bhoys after scoring a shock opener just before the interval through Diallang Jaiyesimi.
However, Celtic managed to show their quality in the second half. Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley stepped up with big goals to secure the three points. James Forrest then rounded off the scoring in stoppage time as the home side pushed for an equaliser.
What are the big talking points coming out of the match? Here are three of ours…
McGregor shows his Celtic leadership
It’s clear that Callum McGregor isn’t having the best of seasons in a Celtic shirt. He’s received a fair bit of criticism for recent performances. However, he stepped up when it really counted to spark the big comeback in the second half.
He was at the heart of most good things after the interval following a sloppy opening period. His goal was excellently taken and you could see what it meant to him in celebration.
That’s what you want from your captain. When it’s not your day and things aren’t going well, you need someone to come forward and take the game by the scruff of the neck. We got that from McGregor today.
Hyunjun Yang has a shocker
Yang’s first half performance was truly poor and there are real question marks about his suitability to start Celtic matches moving forward. He was wasteful in possession, constantly finding himself offside and struggling to maintain control of the ball.
Unsurprisingly he was hooked at half-time and you have to wonder when he will be named in Brendan Rodgers’ starting eleven again.
Mikey Johnston came into the match and was much more effective in the wide areas, first on the right flank and then switching to the left. Johnston may not be a long-term answer at Celtic either, but right now he is surely worth a place in the team ahead of Yang.
Celtic’s resilience continues to be impressive
There’s no getting around the fact that Celtic were not at their best today but, again, they showed they have the guts and quality to dig themselves out of trouble.
There are issues in that team right now and Rodgers has to find the answers. That will hopefully come over time, especially with more recruitment. Right now it’s about finding results by any means necessary.
It was a pleasing reaction to see the team come out and fight in the second half. The substitutions from Rodgers were positive and impacted the match, too.
Hyeongyu Oh did his chances of a start soon no harm at all coming off the bench, even if it means the manager has to change the shape of the team and drop one of the underperforming midfielders.
In other news, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers makes his relationship with Dermot Desmond clear.
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