It was a Christmas Eve fixture for Ange Postecoglou and the Bhoys as they welcomed St.Johnstone to the east end of Glasgow for what was certainly a thrilling and dominant match for the reigning champions.
It was a quick firing start for the hosts, as on the 14th minute , unlikely right-back for the afternoon Reo Hatate opened up for scoring for the Hoops. Four minutes later, Celtic struck again, with a goal from fan favourite Kyogo Furuhashi giving the team a 2-0 lead . As the end of the first half was close , Celtic got a third and it was a second goal from Furuhashi , who struck it home after a cross into the box from James Forrest. The scoreline was 3-0 at the end of the half.
Once again , it was a fast start from the Hoops, as seven minutes into the half, Hatate put the ball in the back of the net and it was a fourth goal for Celtic and his second goal of the afternoon. The Saints managed to pull one back after the initial disallowed goal from Drey Wright was given , after a thorough VAR check proved that Stevie May managed to stay onside
Not much action happened after the goal from the visitors , other than In stoppage time , when a late red card that was given to David Turnbull when he collided with goalkeeper Remi Matthews ,after yet another controversial VAR check. The 10 man disadvantage for the Hoops caused no threat for the champions as they continued to dominate the ball and tear apart the oppositions defense. The final result was a 4-1 for the Hoops as they retained their nine point lead at the top of the league table.
When speaking on the game, Postecoglou said : “We scored four but we probably could have had a few more with a bit of luck. So credit to the boys, I thought it was a good performance.
Overall, it was a dominant display from Celtic and the performance they produced was a huge Christmas present for the supporters as they saw their team retain their place at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
