St Johnstone and Celtic met in the Premiership's third round of the regular season on Wednesday evening, and the visitors took all three points with a 1:0 victory. Mika Baur's 52nd-minute goal proved enough against a stubborn home side that refused to fold. Celtic remain unbeaten after five matches, sitting top of the table with 15 points. St Johnstone, meanwhile, sit seventh with seven points from five games.
The opening half passed without incident, though Celtic controlled the tempo. By then the hosts had already shown they weren't going to make things easy. St Johnstone kept their shape and limited the space around their penalty area. Celtic pushed forward but found the visitors well-organised.
The breakthrough came after the break. Baur found space in the box and finished clinically in the 52nd minute. From that point the game opened up with substitutions coming thick and fast. St Johnstone brought on Jason Holt and Josh Fowler in the 63rd minute, trying to find a way back into it. Celtic responded with Oliver Sorensen for a fresh leg up front.
Discipline became a concern as the match wore on. Josh Campbell picked up a yellow card in the 55th minute, followed by Reece McAlear in the 63rd. Liam Scales went off the ball in the 82nd minute, and Baur collected his own booking in stoppage time. Four yellows between them told you this was getting tight.
The numbers tell the story of a one-sided affair. Celtic held 61 per cent possession and created four big chances compared to St Johnstone's single opportunity. They registered seven shots on target against three, though only one found the net. The hosts managed 41 attacks to Celtic's 69, but quality over quantity won the day.
What it means is straightforward. Celtic extend their winning run to five matches and keep pace at the summit. St Johnstone's recent form shows flashes of promise — a 2:1 win over Hibernian last weekend — but the gap remains. Three points separates them from the leaders, and the work is never done in this league.