St Johnstone 1-4 Celtic: Champions restore nine-point lead in Scottish Premiership

Aaron Mooy (second from left) scored the prime of Celtic's goals

Celtic "won't enactment a ceiling connected what they tin achieve" aft restoring their nine-point Scottish Premiership pb with a regular triumph astatine St Johnstone.

Drey Wright's good onslaught brought St Johnstone backmost into it but Aaron Mooy's spot re-established Celtic's two-goal pb and David Turnbull added a precocious 4th aft Considine was sent off.

It edges Ange Postecoglou's broadside different measurement person to retaining their title, with 13 games remaining, but the Celtic manager insists they volition instrumentality it "a time astatine a time".

"What's worked truly good is we don't look excessively acold ahead," helium said. "We've got a truly beardown squad. We'll look to the cupful adjacent week and instrumentality each situation arsenic it comes. We are not going to beryllium putting a ceiling connected what tin beryllium achieved."

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St Johnstone stay 7 points wide of the bottommost 2 and played good successful Perth, but that lone serves to item immoderate of the prime Celtic produced connected a hard aboveground to present different Premiership win.

Yet it was Callum Davidson's broadside that opened up the brighter with bully organisation and intent. They had 1 oregon 2 opportunities to trial Celtic's backline, failed to and were ruthlessly punished.

Kyogo has been prolific successful delivering goals, galore of them being the finishing touch. However, it was his ingenuity successful a heavy presumption to spray the shot wide to Daizen Maeda that paved the way to Celtic's opener.

Maeda interacted with Mooy, whose walk successful down was exquisite. That ushered Kyogo successful connected extremity and the result was inevitable, albeit Considine got the decisive touch.

The location broadside had to bent in. Unfortunately, Alex Mitchell hung backmost arsenic his colleagues precocious and that allowed Jota successful behind. His transverse recovered Kyogo and, conjecture what, helium finished emphatically for his 22nd extremity of the season. Prolific.

The expected canter to triumph was soon interrupted, though. Celtic appeared to power disconnected for a second, affording Wright space, and helium took afloat vantage by drilling a fierce changeable from extracurricular the box, which deceived Joe Hart.

Food for thought, but not for long. Celtic's third, earlier the break, was sensational.

Kyogo dropped heavy again, released Jota into a unsafe country and Mooy reminded everyone of the good signifier helium is successful with a delicate, composed lob implicit Remi Matthews. Those successful bluish could lone look connected successful admiration astatine the Australian's sixth extremity successful 8 games.

To their credit, St Johnstone kept astatine it and consistently showed moments of promise. But Celtic looked comfy and susceptible of uncovering different cogwheel should it beryllium required.

Considine's day took different atrocious crook successful wounded clip erstwhile helium upended substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu connected the borderline of the container and Turnbull drilled location arsenic Celtic took 1 much measurement towards different trophy.

Player of the lucifer - Kyogo Furuhashi

Kyogo's imaginativeness and transportation unlocked St Johnstone for the opener and erstwhile again helium was connected the scoresheet with his movement, vigor and quality important to everything Celtic do

Pitch nary occupation arsenic Celtic canter connected - analysis

No substance the obstacle, Postecoglou has this Celtic broadside uncovering solutions. Some of their shot connected a hard transportation was outstanding.

They faced an hostile who got a batch of things close but the result was ne'er truly successful doubt.

Postecoglou talks astir seeking changeless betterment and sometimes 1 wonders wherever precisely that's required. Yet it's precisely what they look to bash arsenic the play unfolds.

Mooy has proved to beryllium an fantabulous acquisition contempt galore initially doubting wherever helium would acceptable in. Right astatine the bosom of things is the answer.

With truthful galore performing astatine specified a precocious level and Kyogo producing wherever it matters, Celtic truly bash look unstoppable connected this form.

St Johnstone tin instrumentality bosom from the show and look guardant to a important play successful which they volition look a much favourable fixture database connected paper.

What the managers said

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson: "It's not often you play against Celtic, person 4 shots connected people and they people 4 goals. A mates of the goals we mislaid were mediocre but we did a batch of bully things.

"The 4-1 people flatters them a small bit. I was rather pleased with parts of our game. We tried to compression them. If they peppered america connected our 18-yard enactment they'd person scored rather a batch truthful we tried to support them retired of our box."

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: "The transportation was 1 of the obstacles. As the crippled wore on, it conscionable got much and much hard for the lads to get a foothold. We controlled the crippled truly good aboriginal on.

"We scored a mates of bully goals, immoderate large movement. Disappointed we conceded but again large absorption from the lads to spell up the different extremity and get a third."

What's next?

Celtic instrumentality to Scottish Cup contention with a location necktie against St Mirren connected Saturday (17:30 GMT) arsenic their silverware pursuit connected 3 fronts moves forward.

St Johnstone person a 13-day interruption earlier travelling to Dundee United (15:00) successful what volition beryllium a important contention successful the discourse of their Premiership season.