WORLDIE CLASS
Brown’s stunner shocks fans as Hoops romp to historic victory CELTIC..5 ST JOHNSTONE..0 MICHAEL ANTHONY GANNON AT HAGGERTY CELTIC PARK
THE sight of Scott Brown getting ready to pull the trigger from distance usually has Parkhead fans behind the goals worrying for the safety of their Bovrils.
But the punters managed to keep hold of their cups this time and it appears Celtic are determined to do likewise with theirs.
Brown’s sensational 35-yarder left Celtic Park stunned but there was nothing unexpected as Brendan Rodgers’s red-hot side took a sledge hammer to St Johnstone to stroll into the draw for the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.
The Hoops struck in the opening 10 minutes of both halves and again at the end to stuff Saints, maintain their superb 2019 form and head into Thursday’s Europa League clash with Valencia in Glasgow with a swagger.
The skipper slammed a howitzer for the second with brilliant Oli Burke setting up two-thirds of Scott Sinclair’s hat-trick and James Forrest notching in between to send Celtic into the history books.
Rodgers has now won 24 games on the spin in cup competitions – smashing the previous record set by Walter Smith’s Rangers side from 1991-94. And they did so in some style.
Brown grabbed the spotlight with his first goal in just 24 hours short of two years – his last coming against Inverness in the Scottish Cup in 2017 – but he had to share the stage with Burke and Sinclair, who didn’t wait to get stuck in.
It was a dream start for Celts inside just three minutes – and the beginning of a nightmare for Saints.
At least they don’t meet the champions again for a while after three painful league and cup encounters in 12 days and an aggregate score of 9-0.
For the opener Zander Clark got done at his near post for the finish but the goal was all about the Hoops working the angles.
Jeremy Toljan and Forrest were jammed up in a phone box by the touchline but managed to work the ball out and into the path of Burke.
He hit the burners and looked all set to hit the target, only to lay the ball across the face instead where Sinclair arrived late to tuck in between the keeper and the post.
Barely three minutes gone and game over. Tommy Wright didn’t know whether to tear his hair out or rip up the game plan but the St Johnstone team bus driver could have started the engine there and then.
It might have helped if he’d parked it in front of the Saints goal a few minutes later. Mind you, the force Brown thumped his stunner might have only taken out a few windows on the way through to the net.
Parkhead usually erupts when Celtic score but this time there were a few seconds of stunned
silence before the cheers went up as Hoops fans were left gobsmacked with incredulity when the skipper latched onto Scott Tanser’s duffed clearance to leather one into the top corner from miles out.
The St John Ambulance were on hand to re-attach jaws all around the ground but Celtic continued to sink their teeth into the Perth men.
The opening blitz led to a natural drop in intensity but the raids kept coming.
St Johnstone slogged away, tried their best to contain and hit on the break any chance they got.
It didn’t happen very often but Chris Kane did get a sight of goal and his clipped effort forced Scott Bain to get his gloves dirty, with a flying stop to his right. The opportunity inspired a flurry of activity before the interval as Celts got a little casual with minds drifting to the half-time cuppa.
There was never any panic though. This was a Sunday stroll. Even early in the second period, when they might have expected a Saints surge to get back into the game, Celtic were happy to knock the ball around in areas of the pitch that tends to give punters palpitations.
Kris Ajer – on as a sub after returning from injury – exchanging a couple of onetwos with Bain right on their own goalline was a supreme measure of confidence.
As was the constant quick switching from possession play at the back to all-out attack.
Burke was sent steaming through on goal only for Clark to save but the Celtic players kept on poking holes in the Saints backline and it wasn’t long before the third and fourth goals turned up.
Both goals were all about the supply. Jonny Hayes raced from the halfway line, cutting through a sea of blue shirts on his way inside before teeing up Forrest to drive through the legs of the keeper for the third and two minutes later it was Burke again doing the leg work for Sinclair. He exploded down the flank and laid the ball on a plate for his pal to tuck home from close range. The hat-trick was up in the final minute when sub Timo Weah’s drive deflected into the attacker’s path, he neatly dropped a shoulder and tucked away the fifth to seal the slick display. Brown hit the top corner while Celtic are staying in top gear.