A spot of bother turns into a rout
THE latest triumph of Celtic’s recordbreaking unbeaten run was remarkable even without the furore which erupted over the contentious penalty they were awarded.
It was a shame the many positive aspects of an entertaining game which was a fine advertisement for Scottish football, if not the standard of refereeing in this country, were forgotten about afterwards amid the outcry over the spot kick.
Brendan Rodgers was once again without Stuart Armstrong and Tom Rogic and unable to field a specialist striker with Leigh Griffiths absent from his squad altogether and Moussa Dembele not deemed fit enough to start.
His side, who had started brightly and taken an early lead through the lively Liam Henderson, found themselves trailing 2-1 at half-time and staring at their first domestic defeat of the season.
Tommy Wright’s team continue to amaze and impress. They battled back brilliantly in the first half, deservedly drew level through a Keith Watson header and then edged in front courtesy of a Dedryck Boyata own goal.
Their fury about Craig Thomson’s decision to punish Watson on the hour mark was entirely justified. The rightback had turned his back on a Kieran Tierney cross inside his own area, blocked the delivery with his side and been penalised for it.
Yes, the ball took the slightest of touches off his left elbow. But his arm had not been in an unnatural position and the ball was fired at him from close range. It was the worst ruling by a match official this season – and that is saying something.
Had the score remained 2-1, as it should, St Johnstone could very well have held on and taken something, possibly even all three points. They were right to feel aggrieved.
Still, how Celtic performed after Dembele, who had just replaced Gary Mackay-Steven, had levelled with his first touch of the game was a joy to behold.
Scott Sinclair netted and then Dembele completed a hat trick – his first since the 5-1 win over Rangers at Parkheadon September 10 – to stretch their hot streak of form to 29 games and then move 27 points clear at the head of the table.
The final goal, scored with five minutes remaining, will be one of the best, if not the best, netted in the 2016-17 campaign.
Mikael Lustig, the right-back who had earlier tried, unsuccessfully, an overhead kick, received the ball from Dembele and fed Callum McGregor inside him with an audacious rabona.
His team-mate promptly back heeled it into the path of the player who had initiated the move and he drilled a powerful shot beyond goalkeeper Zander Clark.
Whenever a team is enjoying a good run it is often suggested that they may be unable to sustain it when injuries and suspensions kick in. But Celtic were missing Armstrong, Griffiths and Rogic here, did not call on the services of James Forrest and Jozo Simunovic and still demolished their hapless rivals.
Would they have prevailed by such a resounding scoreline had they not been gifted their second goal? It is impossible to say.
But Rodgers, who even gave Nadir Ciftci his first run out since July, was a contented man at the devastating manner with which his side had killed off their opponents at the end.
“It was a brilliant result for us and for large parts of the game we played really well,” said Rodgers “I am disappointed with the two goals we conceded, but, in the main, it was very good, especially in the second half where we were much more aggressive. I think our composure in the game is very good now. We stay calm in pressure moments and I thought our build-up play was good. Our positioning was good. We could have been more aggressive in our pressing in the first half, but after the break we upped it and were far more dynamic.
“Our fitness was also a major factor and we wore St Johnstone down because we have them super-fit in the mind.”
Dembele, who had been sidelined with a knee injury, took his haul of goals for the season to 23 with his latest heroics up front. He will surely have increased the interest in him, and the size of the transfer fee it takes to prise him away from Celtic, significantly.
Rodgers, though, is confident that any speculation about a player who was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea during the January transfer window will not impact on his form. He is confident the French youngster can break the 30-goals barrier in the coming weeks.
“I think he will score more than 30,”he said. “We still have a lot of games and we create a lot of chances. That was the objective when I came in, to be attack minded. If he puts the chances away then he should do.”
Paris Saint-Germain set a European record for the most comprehensive title victory last season when they won by a 31 point margin. Celtic, who still have 18 games to play, have a realistic chance of beating that on this evidence.