Rogic, Benkovic, Simunovic

So what went right?  Tom Rogic was back to his imposing best, using his frame to hold-off opponents, while delicately pinging balls into the box to create clear goal-scoring chances.  When he faded, Celtic faded.  There will be games ahead when we need Scott Brown (Murrayfield, Ibrox), but he was not missed yesterday.  Using the skipper more sparingly is something we should be prepared to contemplate.  He is 33-years-old and has enjoyed good fitness for two years, but we cannot take this for granted.

James Forrest needs space to fully utilise his talents and he found acres of it at McDiarmid Park.  On this form, in this space, he is unstoppable.  Danny Swanson’s lunge at James’ ankles was payback for earlier punishment.  There were no legal ways to stop the Celtic winger.  It is early, but there are signs Odsonne Eduard has recovered confidence.  I noticed an uplift after he struck the bar with a shot against Aberdeen a week ago, the opener in Salzburg and yesterday’s second indicates the player is back on form.

Those saying St Johnstone were poor are correct, but you can only beat the team in front of you and Celtic managed this in near historic quantities, despite kicking off only 67 hours after leaving the field in Austria.  This could be the last time for some months we see a Scottish team be bold enough to create two attempts on target in the opening minutes of a game.

The six goal thrashing aside, the return to action of Filip Benkovic and Jozo Simunovic was a major boost.  Jozo has had his moments, but both are comfortable on the ball and will be needed in the months ahead.  We have been relatively solid defensively this season, but getting it right at the back contributes to more than just goals against.