Christmas arrives early at the Celtic football club as they claimed a thumping 4-1 victory against St. Johnstone to maintain their nine-point cushion over Rangers at the top of the Premiership standings. Their Japanese pair Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi fired in braces to secure all three points on Saturday afternoon.
Below are the Celtic players rated in their win against St. Johnstone
Joe Hart: 7
A second-half strike from Drey Wright denied him a clean sheet, but the veteran Englishman made a couple of decent saves to exhibit his mastery between the sticks.
Reo Hatate: 9
Was deployed as a makeshift right fullback with Josip Juranovic on holiday following a great World Cup run. He, however, proved to be a revelation for his relentless runs and attacking expertise. The midfielder broke the deadlock early into the game, and also made it 4-0 minutes after the half-time break.
Cameron Carter-Vickers: 7.5
Played a lot of passes out from the back. The USMNT centre-half made some crucial recoveries but, at the same time, was a bit clumsy while tackling.
Carl Starfelt: 8.5
Did extremely well to win the aerial duels. Was spot-on with his interceptions and no-nonsense clearances. Was in the right place at the right time during his defensive duties.
Greg Taylor: 7.5
Another decent outing for the left fullback who balanced his game between defence and attack. Made timely overlapping runs to link up with his attackers using the width of the pitch.
Callum McGregor: 8.5
Pulled the strings from his deep-lying midfield role and set it up for Hatate’s second goal of the afternoon. Was successful with his dribbling attempts as well as duels, interceptions and recoveries.
Matt O’Riley: 8
Dominated the midfield game with his box-to-box movements. Carried the ball forward from the deep to operate in the advanced areas of the pitch. Also laid on for Kyogo minutes after Hatate’s opener. Made way for Sead Haksabanovic around the hour mark.
Aaron Mooy: 8.5
Returned to the starting XI after a couple of late appearances in the previous fixtures. Made his presence known by assisting Hatate around the 14th-minute mark. Was replaced by David Turnbull late in the contest.
Daizen Maeda: 7
Worked hard down the right and combined well with fellow compatriot Hatate. His crosses, however, lacked accuracy. Was replaced by Jota midway through the second half.
James Forrest: 7.5
Menacing down the left as he not only tested Remi Matthews in the Saints goal but also set it up for Kyogo for his second minutes before the break. Was taken off for Liel Abada around the hour mark.
Kyogo Furuhashi: 8.5
Showed his sharpness high up the pitch with 100% shooting accuracy. Matthews saved two but failed to do so on the other occasions. Received plaudits from the Parkhead faithful while making way for Giorgos Giakoumakis.
Celtic Subs vs St. Johnstone
Liel Abada: 6.5
Looked lively down the wide since replacing James Forrest.
Sead Haksabanovic: 6
Lost most of the duels, but he played a number of passes into the final third.
Filipe Jota: 6.5
Depicted his flair and finesse as a second-half substitute.
Giorgos Giakoumakis: 6
His attempts were on target, but the keeper was not beaten.
David Turnbull: 4
Came as a late substitute. Received marching orders in the injury time.
