Celtic Dominate St Johnstone 4-0 in "Exceptional" Year-End Victory

Celtic concluded what manager Brendan Rodgers called one of the club’s “exceptional years” with a dominant 4-0 victory over St Johnstone. The win extended their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership this season, with the team having dropped points just twice as they approach the halfway point of the campaign. Rodgers praised the players’ dedication and mindset, highlighting their ability to take risks and learn from losses.

The victory widened Celtic’s lead over second-place Rangers to 14 points ahead of their upcoming trip to Ibrox. The match was one-sided, with St Johnstone offering early resistance but ultimately failing to withstand Celtic’s attacking pressure. Nicolas Kuhn opened the scoring with a well-taken goal after Reo Hatate set him up. Kuhn also forced a fantastic save from St Johnstone’s keeper, Josh Rae, shortly after.

Kyogo Furuhashi doubled Celtic’s lead following a well-executed corner, marking their 50th league goal of the season in just 18 games. Kyogo then added another with a low cross from Arne Engels before substitute Daizen Maeda rounded off the win with a late goal after Paulo Bernardo delivered a brilliant assist. Despite St Johnstone’s early resistance, they ultimately succumbed to Celtic’s relentless pressure.

Manager Simo Valakari acknowledged the challenge of facing such a strong opponent and emphasized the need for his team to improve their mentality. St Johnstone, now without a win in five matches, face a tough challenge ahead as they aim to avoid becoming further detached from the rest of the league. Celtic, on the other hand, continue their domestic dominance and position themselves well for their upcoming derby against Rangers.