Celtic nonetheless want two wins to safe the Scottish Premiership title after struggling a shock 1-0 defeat at rock-bottom St Johnstone.
Daniels Balodis surprised the champions-elect with a fourth-minute header from Graham Carey’s scrumptious free-kick supply to inflict solely a fourth loss within the league on Brendan Rodgers’ aspect.
Rangers’ 2-0 defeat at residence to Hibernian on Saturday left Celtic realizing they may have wrapped the title up at residence to Kilmarnock subsequent weekend earlier than the fixture break up had they overwhelmed St Johnstone – however they failed to attain for the third time within the league this season.
St Johnstone goalkeeper Andy Fisher was excellent in maintaining Celtic out whereas Stephen Duke-McKenna made a vital interception to cease Nicolas Kuhn from equalising within the first half.
Daizen Maeda was denied by Fisher from a decent angle after latching onto a free again go within the opening interval though Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo did have to avoid wasting from a curling Duke-McKenna shot.
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Reo Hatate got here near a Celtic equaliser
Rodgers introduced on Hyun-Jun Yang and Greg Taylor at half time which helped the guests dominate the second interval.
Reo Hatate smashed an effort off the left submit earlier than blazing over when well-positioned within the field earlier than Fisher took centre stage late on.
The goalkeeper made an excellent, sprawling save right down to his proper to parry substitute James Forrest’s close-range shot after which denied Luke McCowan in damage time.
St Johnstone are actually six factors adrift of security whereas Celtic stay 13 factors away from Rangers.
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Andy Fisher produced an excellent save
Rodgers studying which gamers can deal with expectation
Celtic supervisor Brendan Rodgers advised Sky Sports activities:
“I want to give credit to St Johnstone because I thought from the first minute their fight was better than ours. They’re obviously desperate for the points, we should be desperate for the points. They made it really difficult for us and we started off too soft.
“We had probabilities and, particularly the second half, a number of stress, actually good moments, however we had been actually, actually disappointing.
Does it shock you? “No, it shouldn’t. We’ve got three sides of the ground all expectant but what it’s telling me over the course of this part of the season, expectation vs the underdog and the players who can cope with that.
“How we have began video games over this era hasn’t been adequate, however that tells me one thing as a coach.
“The players have been fantastic up until this point of the season. When you’re presented with an opportunity like that, you have to get out of your comfort zone and really show you have that will and want right from the first whistle to get the points. It was only when we were behind that it came about.”
‘We have now to win subsequent week to make this rely’
St Johnstone goalkeeper and Participant of the Match Andy Fisher advised Sky Sports activities:
“It’s massive but if we go into next week and lose, it counts for nothing. We need to keep out heads down and focus on the next game.
“The lads in entrance of me had been glorious the entire recreation. I could make saves in these video games and I believe I did that. Hopefully I confirmed what I can do.”
‘We needed heroes’
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari told Sky Sports:
“We would have liked the factors, we wanted a win. We would have liked to place our coronary heart and soul on the market.
“We were very badly hurt by last week and our performance. The boys worked hard, we needed some heroes, Andy Fisher some great saves, our defenders, the strikers, how they defended. Then you give yourself a chance.
“The underside line is nothing has modified. We acquired the three factors and must hold combating.”
