HOOPY NEW YEAR
Celtic 4 St Johnstone 0 – Rampant Hoops extend league lead as Kuhn, Kyogo and Maeda all strike ahead of Rangers clash
The Hoops extended their lead at the top ahead of facing beleaguered Rangers
THIS time last year, Nicolas Kuhn was enduring 12 days of Christmas misery after agonising dental surgery.
Now he can’t smile wide enough.
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Kuhn was still sweating on his dream move from Rapid Vienna to Paradise in the final days of 2023.
Twelve months on, the Player of the Year frontrunner has virtually gift-wrapped Four in a Row for the Hoops.
And now he can’t wait to start the New Year by putting the bite of crisis-torn Rangers at Ibrox on Thursday afternoon.
Kuhn kickstarted this routine home win over St Johnstone with another fantastic finish.
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It’s now 14 goals for the season - a Rapid response to the critics who watched him toil in those early, post-surgery days in Glasgow.
No-one has played a bigger part in this procession to the title, not even Kyogo Furuhashi - who bagged a second-half double before sub Daizen Maeda also found the net.
This was as one-sided as you’d expect from a Premiership top versus bottom clash.
Reo Hatate had an early effort blocked before stand-in captain Cameron Carter-Vickers was off target.
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The big American - linked with Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen - was one of five changes from the Boxing Day romp against Motherwell.
Callum McGregor was rested on the bench ahead of January 2 duty at Ibrox.
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Simo Valakari also made five Saints changes after the home defeat to Dundee United which left them at the foot of the table.
Those alterations saw 17-year-old Fran Franczak handed a first league start of the season on the right of a five-man defence.
That rearguard was stretched from the opening moments and enjoyed a number of escapes before Kuhn’s opening goal.
The German winger first threatened as he danced round a line of Saints defenders but couldn’t squeeze a shot on target.
Alistair Johnston then coaxed the ball into the box but Kyogo was off target.
The strong gusts of wind could have become a real factor - but Saints were more concerned with the brewing storm in their box.
Alex Valle fed Arne Engels for a fierce shot into the side netting from an acute angle on the left of the box.
Liam Scales was next to try as he came up for a corner, only for his header to drop into the arms of keeper Josh Rae.
Valle and Engels linked again, this time working Rae for the first time in the game. It wouldn’t be the last.
Celts came close after Hatate was chopped by Aaron Essel in the centre circle as he played a pass to Yang Hyun-jun.
Ref Matthew MacDermid played a good advantage, with Yang feeding Engels for another shot repelled by the busy Rae.
It seemed only a matter of time until the Saints defence was breached - and Kuhn answered the call on the half hour mark.
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Hatate threaded the pass from midfield and Kuhn cut off the right flank before squaring up Bozo Mikulic and lashing past Rae.
Kuhn threatened again moments later, this time Rae spectacularly tipping his left-foot curler away for a corner.
The over-worked Saints keeper used his fists to beat away Alex Valle's shot as Celts hunted a second goal before the break.
Valakari made three changes at the break, including a new frontline with Benji Kimpioka and Adama Sidibeh sent on.
Celts had a goal chalked off shortly after the restart, with Johnston offside before his cross struck Kyle Cameron and flew past the helpless Rae.
Kyogo attempted a scissors kick but it flew straight at the keeper - but the Japanese ace wouldn’t be denied for long and he scored on 59 minutes.
Celts worked a quick corner routine with the ball ultimately fed to Paulo Bernardo for a close-range shot which Rae could only claw into the path of Kyogo for a diving header from point-blank range.
Kyogo struck again from close-range on 64 minutes after Engels had swung in a superb cross from the right, with the Saints spirits now understandably wilting.
Those spirits wouldn’t have been lifted by the sight of McGregor, Maeda and Adam Idah springing from the Celts bench with Engels, Kuhn and Kyogo granted a pre-derby rest.
Maeda poked home the fourth goal on 73 minutes after Scales and Bernardo linked to create space on the left of the box.
The winning margin was just about right, with the gap between top and bottom fully exposed by Brendan Rodgers’ champions-elect.
Saints are now staring at the prospect of being cut adrift at the bottom after ending the year with a fourth straight league loss.
They crashed 6-0 at home to Celts last September - with Kyogo again at the double - but initially kicked on under Valakari.
Now they have back to back home clashes with Hibs and Dundee in which they must somehow earn points to stay in touch with the pack.
Celts, who also granted Johnston and Hatate early rest ahead of Ibrox, have now disappeared over the title horizon.
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This was almost a training exercise against the massed ranks of Saints defenders but, just like against Motherwell on Boxing Day, they unpicked the lock.
Sub Anthony Ralston saw a late cross smuggled away to safety by Andre Raymond as they chased a fifth - with Maeda and Bernardo also going close as the game lapsed into four minutes of stoppage time.
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