Celtic vs St. Johnstone. Scottish Premiership.
Celtic ParkAttendance54,563.
Wednesday 30 January 2019 23:58, UK
Celtic moved a healthy six points clear at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership with a 2-0 win over St Johnstone at Parkhead.
The home side struggled to break down the defensively diligent Saints in the first half of the rearranged fixture.
But seven minutes after the break Callum McGregor powered a drive in from 25 yards before fellow midfielder Ryan Christie curled in a second to ensure a less frustrating second period.
The victory made it 12 home wins out of 12 in the league so far this season, putting pressure on rivals Rangers and Kilmarnock with Aberdeen a further two points behind in fourth place.
The first 45 minutes did little to heat up the freezing fans, as Celtic kept the ball and probed while a well-organised Perth team that defended in numbers.
Saints midfielder Murray Davidson curled just wide after 13 minutes, before Celtic's Scott Sinclair headed from close range only to be denied by a fantastic save from Zander Clark.
The second half started along similar lines with Saints compact and resolute but two goals in three minutes changed the complexion of the match.
McGregor took it upon himself to fire in a left-footed drive from 25 yards and it sped past Clark and into the corner of the net, and before Saints could regain composure, they were 2-0 down thanks to a smart finish by Christie, who curled into the roof of the net.
Brendan Rodgers' side face Saints at McDiarmid Park on Sunday and again a week later in the William Hill Scottish Cup following a home game against Hibernian next week.
And with four successive wins this year after returning from the winter break, the Hoops look to be building momentum in their bid to make it eight titles in a row.
