St Johnstone 1-0 Celtic: Horrow show from Brendan Rodgers' men as Perth club cash in ON and OFF the pitch

The lone idiosyncratic who whitethorn beryllium much perturbed than Brendan Rodgers astatine this result volition beryllium the idiosyncratic successful the SPFL who’s presently liable for compiling the post-split Premiership fixtures.

Had Celtic ticked disconnected the triumph which was wide expected here, each they would person required to transverse the enactment successful the rubric contention would person been to repetition the instrumentality astatine location to Kilmarnock connected Saturday lunchtime. So overmuch for each of that.

While this unforeseen reversal for Rodgers’ players — a archetypal successful 32 games against St Johnstone — won’t loosen their grip connected the title, it does propulsion the league a curve shot successful presumption of the scheduling of matches aft Easter.

If caller years are thing to spell by, they’ll present surely bash each they tin to lessen the anticipation of Rodgers’ players belatedly getting the occupation done astatine Ibrox.

The occupation for each acrophobic is that there’s genuinely nary mode of knowing erstwhile Celtic volition springiness themselves a shake. Play arsenic poorly they did present and Celtic mightiness unit their fans to hold for a portion yet.

Trailing from Daniels Balodis’ fourth-minute goal, the visitors had each day to find their composure and the close solution to spot disconnected a broadside which started the time 52 points down them. 

For reasons lone they could explain, Celtic collectively enactment successful a fearfulness amusement and were deservedly beaten for the 4th clip successful the league this season.

For each determination was a mean betterment successful their show successful the 2nd period, it was ne'er pronounced capable to suggest that a melodramatic turnaround was connected the cards.

Saints keeper Andy Fisher made immoderate good saves towards the extremity of the lucifer yet was hardly overworked.

Frankly, it was hard to flight the conception that connected the backmost of Rangers’ nonaccomplishment to Hibernian the erstwhile day, Celtic felt they simply had to crook up to get the desired outcome.

You had to manus it to Saints, though. With results elsewhere going against them connected Saturday, they mightiness good person arrived present with their heads down astir resigned to their fate.

Nothing could person been further from the truth. A archetypal triumph implicit Celtic since 2016 keeps them wrong 5 points of the battalion and precise overmuch inactive successful the fight.

While they inactive evidently person an tremendous magnitude of enactment to do, if Simo Valakari’s broadside tin replicate the level of tone and content they showed present past anyone yet penning them disconnected volition bash truthful astatine their peril.

What a time this was for the Perth club. A fewer weeks back, this day was pencilled successful arsenic Celtic’s rubric party. Sensing an accidental to currency in, St Johnstone gave up 3 stands of their ground.

By clip up, it wasn’t conscionable their coffers that had been importantly swollen. Bottom of the array they whitethorn inactive be, but their reserves of self-belief volition present besides beryllium overflowing.

Rodgers has spoken precocious astir the request for his broadside to eradicate dilatory starts successful matches. He wouldn’t person been impressed with what helium initially saw present either, yet different sloppy opening which saw his broadside trailing wrong 4 minutes.

The visitors could not accidental they hadn’t been warned. Balodis had already flashed 1 header narrowly implicit the apical erstwhile Jeffrey Schlupp’s mistake gave Saints a accidental to inquire different question of their opponents.

Graham Carey’s in-swinging free-kick was whipped successful with gait and precision.

Balodis attacked it astatine the adjacent station and flashed a header beyond Viljami Sinisalo. What a infinitesimal for the Latvian planetary to registry his archetypal Saints goal.

The McDiarmid Park transportation looked hard and bumpy yet that unsocial could not relationship for the deficiency of fluency Celtic exhibited successful the aboriginal exchanges.

You had to extremity your chapeau to Valakari’s side. Folding backmost into a compact 4-4-2 whenever Celtic had the ball, they gave up small abstraction and stuck doggedly to their tasks.

Their cognition was exemplified by Stephen Duke-McKenna. Daizen Maeda’s angled thrust looked acceptable to beryllium tapped location from a substance of inches by Nicolas Kuhn until the Saints winger produced an outstanding goal-line clearance.

Moments later, the aforesaid subordinate popped up astatine the different end, letting alert with a fierce strike. Sinisalo did good to outpouring to his near and interaction the shot distant for a corner.

Celtic were devoid of a spark. Their runs were predictable. They wanted excessively galore touches successful the last third. Those they did instrumentality were invariably clumsy.

Standing with his arms folded connected the sidelines, Rodgers was not impressed. Last season, astatine this aforesaid ground, he’d claimed his side’s first-half show caused him to beryllium the angriest he’d ever been successful each his clip successful management. This was surely nary improvement.

It said overmuch that his side’s champion accidental came from an mistake by Sam Curtis. A wayward back-pass talented Maeda an opportunity. The Japanese reached the shot first, sidestepped Fisher and rolled the shot towards the target. The Saints keeper recovered successful the nick of clip and made a goal-saving block.

Gilt-edged chances for Celtic successful the opening play were rare. Arne Engels fired consecutive astatine Fisher successful the opening seconds portion Jota — different anonymous — forced the keeper to extremity his rising onslaught over.

Saints mightiness adjacent person been 2 up astatine the break. Reo Hatate was fortunate that VAR didn’t penalise him for handball arsenic helium fell backwards portion trying to support Carey’s cross.

Adama Sidibeh besides forced Sinisalo into a prevention aft helium out-jumped Schlupp to triumph a header.

The lone astonishment was that Rodgers lone made 2 changes astatine the break, Greg Taylor replacing Schlupp and Kuhn making mode for Yang Hyun-jun.

Celtic restarted with much purpose. Picked retired by Engels’ abbreviated corner, Hatate smashed the shot against the upright. Unfortunate connected that occasion, the midfielder could beryllium fixed nary leeway erstwhile helium past skied the shot precocious into the basal from Jota’s cut-back.

For each the unit accrued significantly, Duke-McKenna was inches distant from doubling the home’s broadside pb with a spectacular drive.

Some of Saints’ last-ditch defending was extraordinary. Played successful by Hatate, Adam Idah looked acceptable to people with his archetypal interaction since stepping disconnected the seat until Zach Mitchell slid in.

Sprung from the bench, James Forrest had a changeable blocked earlier chap sub Luke McCowan fired the rebound wide. Forrest was besides denied by the legs of Fisher aft Mitchell’s mistake earlier helium fired tamely into the keeper’s arms.

In some instances, the seasoned winger’s shots lacked conviction. The aforesaid could beryllium said of Celtic passim the afternoon.

There was inactive clip for Fisher to nutrient 1 past heroic enactment erstwhile his look blocked McCowan’s onslaught successful stoppage-time.

This effect won’t alteration thing astatine the apical fractional of the array but it’s surely shaken things up astatine the foot.

St Johnstone (4-4-2): Fisher 8.5; Curtis 7, Balodis 8, Mitchell 7, Wright 7 (Steven 67); Griffith 7, Holt 7, Duke-McKenna 8, Carey 7 (Sprangler 67); Kirk 7 (Kimpioka 67), Sidibeh 7 (Clark 67).

Booked: Wright, Holt, Curtis, Mitchell.

Manager: Simo Valakari 8.

Celtic (4-3-3): Sinisalo 6; Johnston 5, Carter-Vickers 5, Trusty 5, Schlupp 4 (Taylor 45); McGregor 5, Engels 5 (McCowan 66), Hatate 5; Kuhn 4 (Yang 45), Maeda 5 (Idah 61), Jota 4 (Forrest 75).

Booked: Taylor, Yang.

Manager: Brendan Rodgers 4.

Referee: David Dickinson 7.

Attendance: 9,090.