Scottish Premiership
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
McDiarmid Park, Perthshire

ST JOHNSTONE… 0

CELTIC… 3
(Nthcam 6, Forrest 20, Griffiths 27)

CELTIC retained their place at the top of the Scottish Premiership this evening with a comfortable 3-0 win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. Goals from Olivier Ntcham, James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths inside the opening half-hour secured maximum points on the road for Neil Lennon’s men.

Patient in possession, Celtic passed the ball from the back in the opening stages and created their first opportunity inside the first minute. Enforcing the Hoops’ high press from the middle third, Jozo Simunovic passed for Leigh Griffiths 40 yards from goal, whose dummy allowed the ball to find Odsonne Edouard. The Frenchman’s effort on the edge of the box was in turn, eventually, held by Zander Clark.

Two minutes later, Greg Taylor made great use of the space down the left flank before sending a deep ball into penalty area. Griffiths rose well, but his header was sent round the wrong side of the post.

Two minutes after that, and Olivier Ntcham put the visitors ahead. After some neat link-up play between Edouard and Griffiths, the ball was played wide to James Forrest on the right. The 28-year-old beat his man with a quick shift of pace, floated the ball into the danger zone, and Nthcam headered home.

With St Johnstone pinned back, the Scottish champions carved a flurry of half-chances via Callum McGregor, Griffiths and Forrest that were scrambled clear. To the home side’s credit, they weathered Celtic’s early dominance, and on 20 minutes, began to press the game themselves.

This in turn created space in central areas, which McGregor immediately capitalised on to assist the Hoops’ second of the night. After breezing past three opposition players, the central midfielder slipped the ball to Forrest, who came in off the right to batter across Clark and into the net.

On 22 minutes, Griffiths forced a fine block from Clark to keep the scoreline at two; before Edouard dragged a left-foot effort wide of the mark on 24.

From there, St Johnstone struggled to cope with the relentlessness of Celtic’s high press, and the pace with which they moved the ball from side-to-side. On 27 minutes, Taylor again used the width of his side’s play to his advantage, again crossing from Griffiths in the box. This time, the 29-year-old forward made no mistake, instead volleying home from six-yards to extend the Hoops’ lead to three without reply.

With the rain hammering down in Perthshire, and the pitch becoming increasingly heavy, the closing quarter-hour of the first half saw Celtic comfortable in possession and St Johnstone sitting deep, often with nine and 10 men behind the ball.

The same applied in the opening 15 minutes of the second period, with neither side creating much at either end, despite some smart passing between Taylor, Forrest and Nthcam on the edge of the Saints’ penalty area.

Clark was barely tested in the Saints goal, and it took until 73 minutes before Celtic created their first real half-chance of the second half. After some sharp wing play from Mikey Johnston on the left – on for Griffiths on 67 minutes – the 19-year-old skipped past his man and cut-back for Edouard 12 yards from goal. The Frenchman pivoted, knocked the ball to Forrest, and the midfielder zipped a shot just wide of the mark.

On 77 minutes, St Johnstone carved an opportunity of their own, when David Wotherspoon forced a fine two-handed save from Fraser Forster.

With five minutes of normal time remaining, Patryck Klimala, on for Odsonne Edouard on 82, was unfortunate not to make it four, when, after getting in behind the last man, couldn’t connect with a Johnston cross.

The latter was unfortunately forced to retire early following injury, which in turn saw the Hoops play out the final four minutes down to 10 men.

All told, a routine win for the Scottish champions to retain their place at the top of the Premiership. After scoring all three goals inside the opening half-hour, perhaps the only disappointment of the evening was the fact Neil Lennon’s men didn’t score more.

ST JOHNSTONE: Clark, Gordon, Kerr, Booth (McCart 46), Duffy, McCann, Holt (Craig 46), Wotherspoon, Tanser, O’Halloran, Hendry (Kane 63)
Subs not used: Parish, Swanson, May, Northcott

CELTIC: Forster; Simunovic (Bauer 46), Jullien, Ajer; Brown, Forrest, Ntcham, McGregor, Taylor; Griffiths (Johnston 67), Edouard (Klimala 82)
Subs not used: Gordon, Hayes, Christie, Rogic

Website Man of the Match: James Forrest

Comfortable Celts sweep aside Saints at McDiarmid Park