Celtic left it late to secure all three points against St. Johnstone to consolidate their spot on the top of the table. Timothy Weah did the star turn as he came off the bench to score and assist one to give his side a 2-0 win.
St. Johnstone started off brightly surprisingly and carved out some decent chance for themselves. However, Celtic took control of the game soon enough and dominated proceedings. But the cutting edge in the final third was lacking, and the home team deservedly went in level at half time.
Celtic started to push more with even central defenders bombing forward. However, Zander Clark was a brick wall in goal. Timothy Weah finally provided that moment of spark as he moved into space well and brought down a tight ball under his control and crossed well. James Forrest latched on and scored the most important goal of the day for Celtic. Weah added another at the end of a brilliant counterattack to secure the game.
Here is how the Bhoys fared.
Scott Bain 7
Made an important stop in the early minutes of the first half. Looked calm and composed with the ball at his feet. Secured another clean sheet.
Emilio Izaguirre 7
Bombed forward at every opportunity and did a decent job defensively as well.
Kristoffer Ajer 6
Went down early with a facial injury but Rodgers would be glad that he carried on given the injury crisis at the back. Looked decisive in his defending and read the situations well. However, Ajer made a silly challenge in the dying moments after he was robbed off the ball and received his marching orders. Would have been rated 7 if not for the stupid red card.
Jozo Simunovic 7
Looked assured at the back and even came close to scoring in the second half.
Mikael Lustig 5
Didn’t provide much while going forward and we aren’t sure yet why he was substituted early. Could be an injury or could be a tactical sub as well.
Scott Brown 7.5
His performance against Rangers might have brought a lot of doubt among the fans, but Celtic’s favourite son was back to his best as he dictated the play from midfield. He was also robust in his challenges.
Callum McGregor 8
One of the most important players in the starting lineup as he continues to pull the string from the middle of the park. His pass to Weah for the second goal was inch perfect, and he went about his business as usual.
Scott Sinclair 6.5
Got in some good positions but couldn’t deliver the killer blow. His movement was worth mentioning as the Englishman found himself in some dangerous areas.
Ryan Christie 6.5
Worked hard but wasn’t his day as he failed to finish off some good moves. His set-piece deliveries were disappointing.
James Forrest 7
Was having an off game overall but popped up to score the first goal as he was alive in the box. Went off with a hamstring injury and Celtic ended up playing the last few minutes with a man down as Rodgers had exhausted his subs.
Oliver Burke 6
Was brilliantly denied by the opposition goalkeeper on occasions but wasn’t clinical enough to take his chances.
Substitutes
Jeremy Toljan 7
Came on as a substitute for Lustig and created a positive impact as he produced some good low crosses from the right. Defensively he looked solid too.
Odsonne Edouard N/A
Took one decent goal attempt but went off with an injury. Fans would hope that the substitution was just a precautionary measure. However, the signs didn’t look right from the visuals.
Timothy Weah 9
Had to come on for the injured Edouard and what an impact the American international created. Produced two clinical moments which the Hoops were lacking throughout the game. The touch and the pass for the first goal was brilliant. Also, rounded the ball off in the end with a brilliant counter-attacking goal.
