CELTIC marked their eighth consecutive Flag Day at Paradise with a fantastic 7-0 victory over St Johnstone. Here, we look at five talking points from an action-packed Scottish Premiership opener in Glasgow's East End.

MAN OF THE MATCH
Ryan Christie. Not only did the tireless midfielder bag a hat-trick, he was unplayable from start to finish, dropping deep to collect from midfield and bursting forward to support in attack in a moment's notice. His skill, strength, passing and intuition was unmatched, and with six goals to his name so far this campaign, his season is already shaping up nicely.

MAGICAL MOMENT
Besides the obvious seven goals without reply, Celtic’s astute link-up play helped them unlock a St Johnstone side that sat deep and defended with discipline. Neil Lennon has repeatedly heralded the virtues of patience in his side’s build-up play, and when executed with such flair, particularly in yesterday’s first-half, it is a joy to watch.

GOLDEN GOAL
With seven to choose from, we’re spoiled for choice. Nonetheless, Ryan Christie’s third of the afternoon was particularly special when, having received the ball from Mikey Johnston 20 yards from goal, he unleashed an immaculate left-foot effort that grazed the crossbar on its way into the net. Saints stopper Zander Clark had no chance, and the strike was the perfect way to cap off a great afternoon for the 24-year-old.

SAVE OF THE DAY
So relentless was Celtic’s high-press on the day, that Hoops keeper Scott Bain had very little to do over the course of 90 minutes. He did, however, combine well with his back-four throughout, and while not often required to perform with his hands, he did show remarkable finesse with his feet during the first-half, when he left opposition forward, Matt Kennedy, standing with a skilful turn just yards from his own goal.

THE LAST WORD…
A delighted Neil Lennon said: “We’ve defeated a very good and rugged St Johnstone team. The players do the talking. We’ve had a real intense period with the Champions League games, and we’ve got another big one on Wednesday. That game will be a totally different challenge for us, but for an opening game of the season today, seven goals… just, wow!”

For our full-length Celtic vs St Johnstone match report, head in this direction.

5 quick-fire talking points from a remarkable Flag Day at Paradise