Celtic remain nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table this weekend after an effective performance away to St Johnstone.
The Bhoys won 4-1 at McDiarmid Park after goals from Aaron Mooy, Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull added to an initial own-goal opener from Andrew Considine.
Ange Postecoglou will be a happy man – but what were the big takeaways from the encounter? Here are three of ours as Celtic edge ever closer to retaining the title…
Celtic’s ruthless turnovers catch out organised St Johnstone
Callum Davidson had a clear gameplan going into today’s game at home to the Bhoys, setting his team up with a back five that looked to frustrate and contain Celtic. They were organised in that regard, but it was really the quality of the Bhoys that unpicked them, rather than the Perth side losing shape.
Celtic’s team combinations were ruthless and exciting this afternoon in the build-up to all three goals in the first half, with creative passes and clever movements on the run creating the opportunities needed. It wasn’t exactly counter-attacking football, it was just a ruthless and incisive display in transition.
Jota, Aaron Mooy, Kyogo Furuhashi were all delightfully sharp and having those difference makers in the eleven today catapulted the Bhoys towards three points. The synergy in this Celtic team is a joy to watch right now.
Aaron Mooy is unstoppable right now
Mooy has now scored six goals in his last nine games and is in the kind of lethal form to consider him one of Celtic’s best players at this moment. He’s been exceptional since the World Cup break and opposition teams can’t seem to handle him.
St Johnstone gave him far too much space today and he exploited that with another influential display. His goal was worth watching the match for alone, latching on to Jota’s lovely ball to lob the ball over the goalkeeper.
He won’t be officially credited with an assist, but his neat pass into Kyogo’s feet also unpicked the St Johnstone defence for Celtic’s opener. He was just at the heart of most of our effective play and is an absolute joy to have in the team right now.
Celtic overcome difficult conditions once again
It’s been a difficult winter for football pitches in Scotland, including at Celtic Park, but today’s surface at McDiarmid Park was one of the worst we’ve seen yet. That the Bhoys managed to play some pretty football was a credit to them and their approach to the game.
It can be easy to make excuses, but Ange Postecoglou insists of his team that they pay no mind to factors like these and focus on their own processes to overcome external issues.
Celtic played some clever football taking the pitch into account, not relying on sweeping passes on the deck, but using movement in close quarters to string together the combinations needed to punish St Johnstone. It seems regardless of the challenges, the Bhoys can more than meet them at the moment.
In other news, Don’t hold your breath for VAR gamechanger in Celtic matches despite recent progress.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
