Celtic secured a 1-0 victory against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park as Mika Baur scored the winning goal in Perth.
The result extends Celtic's winning start to six games in the Scottish Premiership, surpassing the total achieved under former manager Brendan Rodgers last season.
German midfielder Mika Baur tapped home early in the second half to keep the feel-good factor rolling for 74-year-old manager Martin O'Neill. The veteran coach secured his seventh win in as many matches against St Johnstone, 24 years after first facing the Perth side.
Aside from a disappointing away defeat to LASK in the Champions League qualifiers, Celtic have maintained a strong start to the campaign. O'Neill's side now prepare for a Europa League opening fixture against Hungarian club Ferencvaros, which sits between two upcoming derby matches against Glasgow rivals Rangers.
The performance was more battling than brilliant, but Celtic held on despite failing to score a second goal to seal the win. The atmosphere at Celtic Park, known as Parkhead, remains united compared to 12 months ago when the team struggled for form.
Team Selection and Tactical Lineups
O'Neill maintained his preferred 4-3-3 formation but made several notable selection choices for the match. Goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo dropped out, giving summer signing Sam Johnstone his debut in goal, while defender Cameron Carter-Vickers was left off the bench due to fatigue.
Winger Yang Hyun-jun was absent on international duty, while leading scorer Camilo Duran, who had netted six goals in six games, started on the bench. Reserve options also included Benjamin Nygren and returning defender Kieran Tierney, while Dane Murray, Oliver Sorensen, Seb Tounekti, and Kasper Hogh all featured.
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari introduced Daniel Finlayson, Matty Todd, Joel Cotterill, and Hibernian loanee Josh Campbell into his starting lineup. Josh Fowler started up front for the host side as the leading scorer in the Scottish Premiership.
St Johnstone allocated three stands at McDiarmid Park to travelling Celtic supporters, securing guaranteed ticket revenue while reducing their home crowd advantage.
First Half Chances and Defensive Errors
Celtic started with purpose as forward Kasper Hogh argued early on that a St Johnstone free-kick was being taken two yards ahead of its mark. On the right wing, Haissem Hassan attacked defenders directly, whereas Seb Tounekti on the left often opted to check back and recycle possession.
The visitors created their first major opportunity when Tounekti cut inside and found Hogh, who passed to Hassan. Home goalkeeper Toby Steward pushed Hassan's low strike past the post. Shortly after, Tounekti collected a pass but could not set up Sorensen inside the penalty area.
Hassan later delivered a deep cross for Baur, who could not get his left foot around the ball in time. St Johnstone then threatened when Enes Alic beat defender Colby Donovan and crossed for Cotterill, whose first-time shot was beaten away by a fist from debutant goalkeeper Johnstone, drawing cheers from Valakari.
Celtic grew frustrated as Sorensen had a header blocked by a Saints defender following another Hassan cross. Tounekti beat Finlayson on the wing but his cut-back missed his teammates, drawing dismay from O'Neill. Defensive slackness also surfaced when Donovan twice gave the ball away and defender Auston Trusty misplaced a pass, though Donovan recovered to block a shot from Taylor Steven.
Second Half Goal and Closing Stages
St Johnstone started the second half strongly as Reece McAlear rode two tackles to set up Steven, whose powerful shot missed the target. With Celtic playing too much side-to-side football, O'Neill instructed his players to take more responsibility on the ball.
The breakthrough came shortly after when Tounekti gained space on the left and crossed. Hogh twisted his body to control the ball and found Hassan, who outpaced Cheick Diabate along the goal line to deliver a low cross. The ball evaded the St Johnstone defence, allowing Baur to tap in his first Celtic goal at the far post.
St Johnstone were forced to push forward for an equaliser, leaving space for Celtic to counter-attack. Steward produced a save to tip away a curling shot from Hassan, before substitute James Forrest, introduced with 17 minutes remaining, tested the keeper with a bending effort from the edge of the box.
St Johnstone continued to push as Alic sent an ambitious left-footed shot narrowly wide of Johnstone's far post. Steward then made two quick saves to deny Hogh and substitute Nygren. In injury time, Saints substitute Ruari Paton had one final chance, but his central shot was comfortably saved by Johnstone as Celtic sealed all three points.
