Simo Valakari did not hide his disappointment after St Johnstone suffered a narrow 1–0 defeat to Celtic at McDiarmid Park, but the St Johnstone manager also delivered a striking assessment of the Scottish champions that has quickly become one of the major talking points surrounding the match.
Celtic arrived in Perth looking to maintain their perfect domestic start under Martin O’Neill, while St Johnstone were hoping to produce another major home performance after their impressive 2–1 victory over Hibernian.
In the end, Mika Baur’s second half goal separated the two sides.
However, the scoreline did not tell the entire story.
St Johnstone created several opportunities and, for long periods, made Celtic work extremely hard for every inch of the pitch. The hosts were particularly dangerous before half time, with Joel Cotterill coming close after a dangerous delivery from Enes Alic.
Only an excellent save from Celtic debutant Sam Johnstone prevented St Johnstone from taking the lead.
That moment proved crucial.
Celtic eventually found the breakthrough in the 52nd minute when Haissem Hassan created the opening for Baur, who calmly finished from close range to register his first goal for the club.
Yet Valakari refused to allow the result to overshadow what he believed was a highly encouraging performance from his players.
Speaking after the final whistle, the Finnish coach made it clear that he was proud of the way his team competed against the champions.
His message was simple: St Johnstone had created enough opportunities to take something from the game.
That assessment was significant because Celtic were not at their most dominant. The champions enjoyed more possession and created more attempts overall, but St Johnstone repeatedly threatened them and remained in the contest until the closing stages.
Valakari also acknowledged the quality of the opposition.
His post match assessment recognised why Celtic continue to win difficult matches, even when their performances are not at their best. The St Johnstone boss effectively pointed to the champions’ ability to find a way through difficult situations.
That was exactly what happened.
Celtic did not produce a spectacular attacking display, but they showed the efficiency that has helped them begin the league campaign with a perfect record.
Two Celtic players in particular stood out during the contest.
Haissem Hassan was heavily involved in the decisive moment, beating his marker before delivering the low ball that allowed Baur to score. He also looked dangerous throughout the match and later thought he had scored himself, only for the effort to be ruled out after the officials determined that the ball had gone out of play.
Sam Johnstone was equally important.
Making his Celtic debut, the goalkeeper produced a superb first half save to deny Cotterill and keep the champions level. Without that intervention, the entire match could have developed differently.
And that is perhaps the biggest lesson from Valakari’s reaction.
Rather than simply blaming his players for the defeat, he focused on the performance and the progress St Johnstone are making since returning to the Scottish Premiership.
The result leaves Celtic with another three points and a perfect league record, while St Johnstone can take considerable encouragement from pushing the champions so close.
For Celtic supporters, however, the bigger picture is already becoming clear.
Their team may not win every match comfortably, but they continue to find solutions.
And Valakari’s post match reaction only reinforced that point.
St Johnstone lost the game, but the performance suggested they are capable of making life extremely uncomfortable for some of the biggest teams in the league.
For Celtic, meanwhile, attention now turns toward another huge test.
The champions are preparing for their upcoming Old Firm showdown with Rangers, with Sunday’s clash now carrying even greater significance.
Celtic remain unbeaten domestically and continue to lead the way.
But after what happened in Perth, Martin O’Neill will know his team cannot afford to take anything for granted.
