Rodgers urges his Bhoys to keep calm
Bhoys’ unbeaten run continues after tough week but only just as Saints run them close
THE Invincible crown wobbled but just about remained in place as Celtic concluded an exhausting week with a late equaliser that denied Tommy Wright’s impressive St Johnstone a famous victory.
Celtic still remain unbeaten domestically under Brendan Rodgers and have Champions League football to look forward to when they return from next week’s international break but they are no longer top of the Premiership after an abnormally tense fixture in the east end of Glasgow.
It was Callum McGregor, snubbed by Scotland boss Gordon Strachan for the qualifiers against Lithuania and Malta, who climbed from the bench to score the equaliser and settle nerves that had been jangling long before Steven MacLean gave the visitors a first-half lead.
Some form of fatigue was to be expected after the 4-3 loss to Astana in midweek but Rodgers kept his changes to a minimum, bringing in Tom Rogic and young full-back Tony Ralston for McGregor and Kristoffer Ajer.
Ralston has roundly impressed for Celtic but, up against Michael O’Halloran, this was something of a school day for the teenager.
The Perth side started with intensity and aggression but their enthusiasm cost them a player almost immediately. Youngster Aaron Comrie saw the chance to contest a high ball with Scott Brown but so did team-mate Murray Davidson. All three collided in midair but it was two Saints who ended up stricken, with Davidson having lengthy medical treatment before departing on a stretcher.
Even without their dynamic midfielder, Saints’ gameplan remained solid, with Liam Craig slotting into the middle and playing an influential role in what followed.
Celtic had endured an 6,000-mile round trip to Kazakhstan and, even allowing for a few days’ recovery time, Saints would not have been the opposition Rodgers would have hand-picked for his players’ next assignment.
St Johnstone were the last team to beat Celtic in domestic competition in May 2016 and Wright has long been proved as one of the best organisers in the game. His tactic of disruption was effective. Olivier Ntcham, normally so secure on the ball, was seen losing his balance and skewing a pass out of the pitch. Then there was the sight of Leigh Griffiths completely missing his kick when primed to shoot on his favoured left side.
O’Halloran may not be Pedro Caixinha’s type of player but he does just fine for Wright and had already served notice of his danger by shrugging off Ralston and then giving David Wotherspoon a clear sight of goal.
Goalkeeper Craig Gordon got away with making a simple save to keep out that tame shot but was much too casual in dealing with a Ralston back-pass at the goal.
His nonchalant swing at the ball allowed Craig to side-foot into MacLean’s path. The Celtic defence froze, presumably in the assumption that the striker was offside. That didn’t reckon for the fact Ralston had not readjusted his earlier position near the goal-line, giving MacLean free rein to seize up his angle and curl a shot home.
Ralston will learn — Gordon had no excuse.
Wright had doubled up on the right flank with young full-back Comrie making his first start behind Richard Foster. The tactic was to subdue Celtic’s twin threat of Kieran Tierney and Scott Sinclair and, in the main, it worked a treat.
Sinclair produced one magical run just before half-time, jinking past three tackles before forcing a save from Alan Mannus, but Rodgers needed to inject some vigour at the break.
Jonny Hayes and Stuart Armstrong arrived as substitutes for Ntcham and James Forrest and, although Celtic looked more urgent, their territorial advances also opened up more room for the visitors to counter-attack.
The 45 minutes that ensued were utterly compelling.
Celtic pushed and probed but St Johnstone ought to have extended their lead when MacLean found himself on the end of a searching cross from Brian Easton. Plum centre of the goal, the normally reliable forward nodded the ball straight into Gordon’s chest.
MacLean then got himself involved in a tangle with Tierney that continued after the ball had departed the scene.
Both had a niggle at each other and then MacLean threw an arm towards his opponent. Referee Willie Collum reacted quickly but decided a booking would suffice for an action that at the very least appeared to verge on violent conduct.
The home team were getting closer but, with Mannus showing safe hands and shots from Tom Rogic and Hayes missing the target, there was a growing anxiety that the game was drifting away.
A break of the ball changed that. McGregor, introduced immediately after MacLean’s miss, tried to work an exchange with Sinclair but Craig got a foot in to set up the midfielder for a finish which he swept past Mannus with his right foot. From there it was siege time.
Sinclair, in particular, looked on a mission to win the game and poor Comrie was extended to the point of exhaustion.
The winger hit the bar with one shot and Mannus’ goalframe again came to the rescue as Joe Shaughnessy jumped with Lustig who headed towards goal.