CELTIC...................3 (Griffiths 18, Rogic 45, Mulgrew 68)

ST JOHSNTONE.....1 (Boyata og 11)

In these parts they tend to reach for Irn-Bru in times of a morning-after struggle, with a swift glug of the sickly orange juice believed to contain enough sugar to stave off the worst effects of a crippling hangover.

This afternoon it was the blue hue of St Johnstone which offered Celtic a modicum of relief from their torments this week as the Parkhead side made their way to the summit of the SPFL.

There was a suggestion that St Johnstone could turn the screw on their hosts - an 11th minute opening goal nipped at the festering sore of Celtic's defensive frailties - but the Parkhead recovery grew as the game wore on.

Not that they will be allowed to forget the debacle of Malmo. They may wish to impress on those around them their desire to push forward and take care of routine business, but simmering anger within the Hoops support about the manner in which the club exited the Champions League midweek was evident.

Those who form the Green Brigade held up a blunt banner which read: ‘Gutless in Malmo, clueless in the boardroom.’ Their mood darkened further with another comical Celtic defensive showing in the opening minutes when St Johnstone were allowed to take the lead with a goal as woefully defended as the set-pieces against Malmo were.

Gary Mackay-Steven was guilty of allowing the lively Michael O’Halloran to skip inside him and the midfielder’s cross then evaded the reach of the outstretched Craig Gordon before Dedryck Boyata turned it into his own net.

Celtic, though, moved quickly to restore parity with Leigh Griffiths swiftly netting his eighth goal of the season just seven minutes after Saints had taken the lead.

By the time the interval came around Celtic had their noses in front following an impressive individual goal from Aussie midfielder Tom Rogic. The 22-year-old evaded two challenges inside the box before finding the net from an acute angle.

Shortly before that Celtic had taken to social media to tweet confirmation that Manchester United defender Tyler Blackett has agreed a season-long loan deal with the club. The 21-year-old was paraded in front of the Hoops support at the break but there were times when the watching youngster must have felt as though he could walk directly into the team so lackadaisical were Celtic at times.

In fairness, by the time Deila’s team had taken the lead they were fully in command of the game – but still that failure to kill a team off lingers like a bad smell.

At 3-1 up, John Sutton could have caused further aggro when he clipped the crossbar after Brian Easton’s shot fell to him and that soft centre continues to be a source of anxiety.

That third had come when Kris Commons was originally denied a goal by a fine stop from Alan Mannus in the St Johnstone goal who scooped away an effort that seemed net-bound by the stay of execution was a short one. From the resultant corner, Commons swung the ball where Virgil Van Dijk – still in a Celtic shirt – rose to meet the cross before Mulgrew got his head to ensure it would end up in the back of the net.

A further source of concern for Ronny Deila, other than his side's defensive issues, was the fact that Scott Brown was forced off just before the hour mark after sliding into a challenge on Chris Millar, with the Hoops captain coming off worse. Brown received treatment before re-entering the fray but was quick to signal his discomfort to the Celtic bench.

Similarly, the news will not be good for Gordon Strachan who will hope that the Scotland captain is fit in time for the double header over Georgia and Germany. Stuart Armstrong has already withdrawn from the national team with a back injury.

Gordon was forced into a double save in the final minutes as a St Johnstone corner again found Celtic all at sea. For now, though, they have steadied the shakes.

CELTIC (4-2-3-1): Gordon; Jaiko, Boyata, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Bitton (McGregor 87), Brown (Mulgrew 60); Commons (Alllan 78), Rogic, Mackay-Steven; Griffiths.

BOOKED:

SCORERS: Griffiths, Rogic, Mulgrew

ST JOHNSTONE (4-4-2): Mannus; Shaugnessy, Mackay, Scobbie, Easton; O’Halloran, Millar, Davidson (Craig 46), Wotherspoon; McLean (Sutton 68), Cummins (Kane 81).

Scorers: Boyata og

REFEREE: John Beaton