Celtic secured a sixth consecutive league victory with a 1-0 win away to St Johnstone, a result that keeps them three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Mika Baur scored his first goal for the club early in the second half to decide a gritty contest at McDiarmid Park, as reported by the Daily Record.
Their next fixture is a home match against Motherwell on December 26th. The win provided a timely boost ahead of next week's Premier Sports Cup clash at Ibrox, where no Celtic fans will be in attendance.
How did Celtic break the deadlock?
The breakthrough came shortly after the restart. Haissem Hassan, who was fouled repeatedly throughout the match, drove down the left flank and delivered a low cutback into the penalty area. Mika Baur was waiting at the back post to convert a simple tap-in, marking a significant personal milestone with his first Celtic goal. Hassan had earlier seen a goal of his own ruled out for being offside.
The first half had been a disjointed affair for the visitors, who made five changes to their starting lineup. Oliver Sorensen made his first start, while Kasper Hogh led the attack. Key players like Camilo Duran, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Benjamin Nygren were rested from the beginning. St Johnstone's best chance fell to Enes Alic, but the home side could not find a way past Celtic's debutant goalkeeper.
What did Sam Johnstone's debut mean?
In a surprising selection, 33-year-old Sam Johnstone was handed his Celtic debut in goal. The former England international, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, kept a clean sheet and made several important saves. His performance has sparked discussion about the goalkeeping position for the upcoming cup match.
Manager Martin O'Neill acknowledged the situation. "The ex-England international was handed a shock debut in Celtic's gritty win at St Johnstone and impressed to keep a clean sheet," he told the Daily Record. O'Neill added that Johnstone "has fired himself straight into contention for an Old Firm baptism of fire," potentially replacing Viljami Sinisalo for the trip to Ibrox. You can view the full squad options on our squad page.
How did the match finish?
Celtic survived a late onslaught from the hosts to preserve their lead and the clean sheet. St Johnstone manager Valakari made multiple substitutions, introducing Sam Stanton and Ruari Paton in search of an equaliser. For Celtic, Camilo Duran and James Forrest came on for Hogh and Tounekti, while Benjamin Nygren replaced Oliver Sorensen for the final 25 minutes. Nygren almost added a second with a header from a Forrest cross, but was denied by St Johnstone goalkeeper Steward.
The visitors also welcomed back Kieran Tierney from injury, as he replaced Liam Scales. The result means Celtic continue their flawless start to the domestic campaign, building momentum with every match. Their current league standing of first place, with a perfect record of six wins from six, can be tracked on our standings page. The team now prepares for a busy festive schedule, with the next league game at home to fifth-placed Motherwell.
