Celtic 0 St Johnstone 0: Stuttering Celtic spill points against spirited Saints

CELTIC failed to score for the second consecutive game as they were held to a goalless draw by a spirited St Johnstone team at Celtic Park.

Yes, Celtic completely dominated the ball here as you might expect, and though they often struggled to break down the blue wall standing strong along the St Johnstone box as the second half wore on, they certainly had their chances. And squandered them. It is clear that there is still a long way for Celtic to go to get anywhere near the heights of the free-flowing, free-scoring team that Rodgers constructed during his first spell in charge of the club, and after failing to find the net against Kilmarnock last week, it was another worryingly toothless display put on by the champions.

Defensively though, they looked suspect. The first real scare came with 20 minutes to go as Scales found himself twisted inside and out by Dara Costello, the St Johnstone attacker only being denied a stunning opener by a sharp reflex save by Joe Hart. With the ineffective Daizen Maeda consistently looking to cut inside, Johnston provided the width that Celtic were badly needing, and had he been able to last the pace, he may well have made the difference.In what was a hugely frustrating afternoon for Celtic, it was Hyunjun Yang making his first start for the club on the left wing that looked likeliest to provide a spark in the final third, particularly in the first half against the deep-lying Saints defence.

He showed enough here in flashes though to suggest that he might be a useful addition to the Celtic attack once he is fully up to speed, and provide some much-needed creativity agaisnt packed defences.St Johnstone would have been viewed as mere cannon fodder by the vast majority of those who rolled up to Celtic Park expecting a demolition, but Steven MacLean’s strugglers showed they might not be such soft touches after all with a doughty display of defending.

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