Celtic maintained their perfect Premiership record on Wednesday night by defeating St Johnstone away from home with a rotated lineup.
Mika Baur scored the all-important winner to keep the Hoops comfortably at the top of the table heading into Sunday's Old Firm clash with Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday.
The Saints had the only real opportunity of the first half, forcing Sam Johnstone into a strong save, but the opening goal came in the second half, when Baur tapped home a smart Haissem Hassan cross.
Celtic would have made it two with around 25 minutes left, when Kasper Hogh set up Haissem Hassan, but a poor decision from the line official saw it chalked off for the ball being out of play when it clearly had not crossed the line.
Sam Johnstone - 6
A really smart save in the 19th minute to tip over a point-blank effort. Johnstone did his job, but his distribution was poor. He rushed into several long throws and kicks but often found men in blue.
Liam Scales (Off at 86') - 6
Pretty controlled on the left. Defensively solid, but didn't offer Tounekti much support going forward.
Dane Murray - 7
Won pretty much everything that came his way.
Auston Trusty - 7
Solid, as ever. He controlled the box and led the back line well. The one black mark was a poor clearance that led to a good long-range strike with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Colby Donovan - 7
One of the most hardworking Celtic players here, constantly playing with his head up.
Callum McGregor - 6
The midfield lacked shape at times, and McGregor isn't the only reason for that, this was a different-looking Celtic side that was always going to look a little more fractured, but the veteran would have wanted more control. The highlight of McGregor's game came in the 72nd minute when he raced back and won the ball back from nowhere.
Mika Baur - 8 (Man of the Match)
Always demanding the ball, and he picked out some nice passes. Scored the opener when he drifted deep into the box and tapped home a Haissen Hassan cross. Baur left his stamp on this game, and not just because of the goal.
Oliver Sorensen (Off at 66') - 4
A little clumsy, in truth. Sorensen failed to take control of the game. It felt like a massive step down from Nygren, and Sorensen will want better in future games.
Sebastian Tounekti (Off at 72') - 6
O'Neill wanted to see Tounekti more involved, and he did show plenty of endeavour. Tounekti provided the cross that developed into the opening goal. He remained a threat until he went off, and while there was nothing overly special about his display, Tounekti was enough of a threat to be pleased with his efforts.
Haissem Hassan (Off at 72') - 7
Something that has been emerging over the course of his games so far, Hassan often puts too much height on his crosses, but that's a side note. He could do with more positional discipline, often drifting into the middle, which doesn't really work in this Celtic system. But he was still plenty involved and regularly beat players down the right, and he provided the assists for the all-important opener, beating his man for pace and delivering a composed low cross. He then scored what should have been a legal goal, but a poor decision from the line official saw it ruled out.
Kasper Hogh (Off at 86') - 6
Won a good few knock-ons and got teammates on the ball with layoffs. Tonight was the first time Hogh has looked as though he lacked a little confidence to take the ball and get a shot off. He largely looked for the pass first. He was robbed off an assist for the disallowed Hassan goal, though, and he did have a really good moment in the 82nd minute when he showed good footwork and tested the goalkeeper with an effort.
Substitutes
Benjamin Nygren (66') - 6
Looked sharper than Sorensen, but Celtic were a little less positive in general late in the game. Still, he got on the ball in some nice spots.
Camilo Duran (On at 72') - 5
A really quiet substitute appearance from Duran.
James Forrest (On at 72') - 6
Did well to create an opening and test the goalkeeper shortly after coming on.
Shim Mheuka (On at 86') - N/A
Not enough time to truly influence the game, but he did have a good effort saved low down right at the death.
Kieran Tierney (On at 86') - N/A
The same as above.
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