Celtic thrash St Johnstone

Celtic have cruised to a 4-0 win over St Johnstone at Parkhead in the Scottish Premier League this lunchtime.

© PA Photos / Chris Clark

The home side took the lead inside the opening two minutes, as Joe Ledley smashed the ball past Alan Mannus with a strike from outside the penalty area.

Mikael Lustig tried to level for the visitors in the 10th minute, but his header was wide of the post.

The champions continued to apply pressure and were able to double their lead towards the end of the first half, when Charlie Mulgrew curled the ball in from a free kick after Scott Brown was brought down by Gregory Tade.

Celtic's strong performance continued after the restart, as Gary Hooper picked out James Forrest, who tapped in from close range.

Liam Craig sent in a pair of dangerous looking crosses towards the end of the match as St Johnstone looked to reduce the deficit, but Ledley was back to make the clearances.

As the hosts pushed for a fourth in the final minutes of the game, Frazer Wright turned the ball into his own net while trying to defend a Mulgrew corner.

It is the first time that Celtic have beaten St Johnstone in four meetings in the SPL this season.