Martin O'Neill was perplexed as his laborious Celtic side secured a sixth successive Scottish Premiership win by narrowly defeating St Johnstone at Mc Diarmid Park. A much-changed lineup included Sam Johnstone, Oliver Sorensen and Dane Murray in notable debuts, Sebastian Tounekti and Kasper Hogh in the attack.

Mika Baur's first Celtic goal earned victory, but O'Neill said he was not sure what to make of the display and felt the team remained well short. Camilo Duran's omission was especially striking after his blistering start. O'Neill admitted the answer to playing without him was probably no, noting that Duran ranks second only to Daizen Maeda in closing down players.

The result leaves Celtic with a demanding schedule: Ferencvaros in the Europa League next Thursday, Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday and another league match a week later. Hogh struggled for service, while Yang Hyun-jun's replacement Tounekti was criticised for predictable, safe decision-making.