On the kind of icy evening when Celtic spent 45 minutes hinting that they might slip up, it fell to Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie to ensure that the Parkhead side remain on solid footing.

After a largely forgettable first-half, two goals in as many minutes from the duo unpicked a Saints side who had been fairly resolute in the opening stages.

If that first half had suggested that there might have been some encouragement offered to those in the chase, it melted rapidly at the beginning of the second period as Celtic started to turn the heat up.

The result leaves them six points clear the top of the table, with this game in hand virtue of the League Cup final at the start of December. It is the first time this season that Celtic have put significant daylight between themselves and the rest of the pack.

And while this one won’t go down as any classic, the signs are that the winter break in Dubai has breathed some fresh impetus into Celtic; since their return they have won all four games, netting 12 goals and conceding none.

And for all that the Parkhead side struggled for fluency in the opening half of this campaign, last night’s win eclipsed last season’s tally of home wins with Brendan Rodgers’ side clocking up their 12th consecutive league won on their own soil.

Not that the stats should be allowed to gloss over the fact that the current squad could still do with something happening before the closure of tonight’s transfer window. Ironically, given Celtic’s hunt for a right-back, Mikael Lustig could claim a good night at the office with two assists - on the back of two at the weekend - but at times there is a pedestrian element to Celtic’s play in the middle of the park.

Oliver Burke was charged with leading the line again but although the on-loan Scotland internationalist put in a shift, he struggled to find any real penetration against a resolute St Johnstone side.

Still, though, the youngster has offered something these past few weeks and it will be interesting to see just what he might be capable of once he finds both full match fitness married to a resurgence of confidence.

Burke whipped one ferocious effort just beyond the post but Celtic’s best chance of what was a largely forgettable opening period was a rasping free-kick from Christie that shaved the outside of the sidenetting.

And as much as Celtic probed there was little success in opening St Johnstone up.

James Forrest scorned one chance when he screwed an effort well wide of the target but it was an evening when Celtic had to content themselves with being patient.

The goal that eventually broke St Johnstone’s resistance came from nothing. Mikael Lustig’s ball to McGregor did not immediately offer any suggestion of danger. The Scotland internationalist, however, fashioned something out of nothing as he strode forward before unleashing a driving effort from the edge of the box into the bottom corner.

If the goal punctured the increasing frustration within the ground, McGregor’s own celebration told a story about the relief as the ball nestled in the back of the net. Before the visitors had adjusted their thinking to being a goal down, their night took another turn for the worse.

Lustig was involved again as he played in Christie who arched his effort high into the net to calm any nerves within the Parkhead support and effectively dismantle any lingering ambitions that St Johnstone might have had of snatching something from the game.

It was a relatively new partnership for Celtic in terms of the defensive side of things with Kristoffer Ajer and Jozo Simunovic taking their place in front of Scott Bain but aside from one first-half tussle as Ajer herded a ball into the corner flag before drawing a foul, there wasn’t too little for them to deal with.

It is a combination, though, that might be seen a little more often with Brendan Rodgers confirming that Filip Benkovic’s will not be back any time soon. The Croatian defender, on loan from parent side Leicester, sustained an ankle injury in the weekend win over Hamilton and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Nir Bitton came on for the last ten minutes of the game as he builds up his match fitness following almost a full year on the sidelines with knee ligament damage. There is always the option for Rodgers to deploy the Israeli internationalist at the back if necessary and with the minutes now ticking on the transfer window it seems like a hard push for Celtic to get another one in.

Rodgers, however, did stress that the club would strive to do some business in the final day.

“We are hopeful we can get something done,” said the Hoops manager.

Edouard made his first appearance since the turn of the year which should suggest that over the next few months there will be attacking options for Rodgers. Timothy Weah came off the bench too last night but couldn’t add to last week’s tally.

Not that Celtic needed anything else last night as their second half performance took them on. On last night’s evidence, St Johnstone may well be sick of the sight of them after getting through the first in a trio of games against Rodgers’ side.