Alistair Johnston a 'definite' Celtic upgrade on Juranovic as Stiliyan Petrov raves about Rangers clash heroics

Johnston was man of the match as Celtic moved 12 points clear of rivals Rangers at the top of the Premiership.

Stiliyan Petrov reckons Celtic have landed an upgrade on Josip Juranovic in new right-back Alistair Johnston.

The Canadian was named man of the match in their win over Rangers that catapulted the Hoops into an unassailable 12 point lead at the top of the Premiership ahead of the final seven games. Johnston admitted himself it wasn't a vintage Celtic performance but they did enough to emerge from a thrilling derby with a 3-2 win over their rivals and they just need ten more points to make mathematically sure of their second straight title.

It was a tumultuous January for the Hoops but it hasn't knocked them out of their stride. Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis both left but have been seamlessly replaced with Johnston arriving and nailing down the right-back spot as his own, starting all but one of the Premiership games since his arrival from Montreal. And his tough-tackling style caught Petrov's eye as the former Celtic star was left applauding his impact.

When asked if he felt Celtic had "upgraded" Petrov said: "Definitely, I think he's a definite upgrade. He's more aggressive and quicker. He was so good."

Whistler Kevin Clancy was in the firing line for many with a number of big calls but Johnston himself felt the whistler had a good game. Alfredo Morelos saw an opening goal ruled out for an apparent push on Johnston and while Michael Beale and James Tavernier both felt it was harsh, Johnston insists it was the right call.

He said: "I felt like I had a free header and then all of a sudden I didn't because I had two hands on my back. I knew as soon as the ball went in the net he was going to call it, that's what the ref is there for and thankfully he did. I felt he had a good game, it wasn't easy for him with a lot of tackles flying in. So I'm glad he made the right call there."

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