Celtic produced a controlled 4-1 win at St Johnstone to maintain their nine point lead at the top of the table, as Postecoglou’s side show no signs of faltering in their title pursuit.
On his 600th club appearance, veteran defender Andrew Considine had an afternoon forget in Perth, putting through his own net after 12 minutes before being shown a red card in the dying embers of the match.
Kyogo made it two with just over 20 minutes played before St Johnstone pulled a goal back minutes later, with Drey Wright’s long range strike zipping past Joe Hart.
Fans were left questioning whether the ex-England man could’ve done better with the effort, however any concerns of a comeback were dampened when Aaron Mooy pulled off an audacious chip to restore their advantage before the break.
Callum Davidson’s side were passed out of the game by the champions in the second half, but there was still time for a fourth.
Substitute David Turnbull rifled home a free kick after Considine had completed his nightmare performance by picking up a straight red card for a cynical foul on Oh Hyeon-gyu.
Ange Postecoglou’s men started in traditionally quick fashion, taking the lead after only 12 minutes. Kyogo broke through the lines of the Saints back line before his square ball across goal was sliced into his own net by Considine.
On his landmark afternoon, the former Aberdeen man could do nothing but lash past his helpless goalkeeper to set the visitors on their way to an early advantage.
Kyogo didn’t have to wait long to get his own name on the scoresheet, doubling his side’s advantage after 22 minutes. Jota danced his way into space on the right wing, before drilling a low pass to the Japanese forward who finish emphatically from close range.
There was to be a third before the half mark though, with the hosts pulling on back just three minutes later. Midfielder Drey Wright unleashed a crisp strike into Joe Hart’s bottom corner, from outside the area, to immediately reduce the deficit.
Celtic were soon back in control after St Johnstone had threatened to make a game of it, with the in form Mooy restoring the Hoops two goal lead. Jota was the creator for the second time in the afternoon, his delightful chip through allowed the Australian to lift the ball over Matthews.
There was an inevitability about the outcome of Mooy’s delicate chip, his confidence encapsulating the dominance Celtic had on the game and the league.
Jota continued to cause the Perth side problems into the second half, the winger’s effort from range clipping the top of the crossbar just before the hour mark.
Celtic delivered a controlled second half performance to reassert their league table adavantage. St Johnstone meanwhile, will feel as though they have enough quality not to get sucked into the relegation mire.
