Celtic draw with St Johnstone to fall 13 points behind Rangers

The pressure on manager Neil Lennon intensified further as his faltering Celtic fell 13 points behind Premiership leaders Rangers with a draw against St Johnstone in Glasgow.

The visitors went ahead when Chris Kane slid home Stevie May's cross but Mohamed Elyounoussi's header restored parity with seven minutes remaining.

It now means Lennon's men, who have two games in hand, have won just two of their past 12 games and are also winless at home since the middle of September.

Fans protested outside Celtic Park last weekend following defeat by Ross County in the League Cup, triggering club chief executive Peter Lawwell to back his manager in a statement on Tuesday.

However, this stalemate means his side have now dropped nine points in five league games.

Callum Davidson's Saints, now undefeated in 11 matches over 90 minutes, move level on points with seventh-place Kilmarnock.

• Reaction & as it happened

• 'Can I turn it around? Of course I can' - Lennon defiant as Celtic fail to win again

• Rangers thrash Ross County

It was a day of big numbers for Celtic as captain Scott Brown made his 600th appearance for the club, McGregor his 300th and Lennon himself marked 20 years since he first joined Celtic as a player.

But the stat that mattered most to the home side was whether they could register a win.

They set about doing that with Odsonne Edouard playing a one-two with Tom Rogic and getting away a shot that took a nick off a Saints defender before goalkeeper Zander Clark gathered.

Rogic should have hit the target with a header after Christopher Jullien nodded Ryan Christie's free-kick back into a busy area.

Edouard did find his mark with a shot off McGregor's through ball but Clark was well positioned to save and McGregor's rebound effort was wayward.

Kane forced in St Johnstone's opener in the 79th minute

St Johnstone, having travelled to Glasgow unbeaten in five league games, posed the hosts problems through a volley from May that was headed away by Nir Bitton near the goal line and another effort from the striker that fizzed across the face of goal.

Bitton tried to usher the ball over the line at a corner in the second half but Clark was alert again and the Perth side were soon in front.

Kane had replaced the injured Michael O'Halloran in the first half and he was left free to convert May's dangerous cross after Celtic failed to clear their lines at a free-kick.

Edouard forced another save from Clark as the hosts toiled but moments later Christie's cross was headed backwards by Elyounoussi and Celtic had a quick equaliser.

Further efforts came in from Turnbull, Christie and Elyonoussi as the home side chased victory but St Johnstone held out.

Man of the match - Zander Clark

Clark's crucial saves gave him the edge over his outfield colleagues, who also excelled

What did we learn?

Celtic have flitted between three and four at the back this season and Lennon re-established a 3-5-2 for the visit of Saints.

Defensively, the home side did not give up as many chances as they had in recent matches but the expected width did not materialise, once again emphasising the gap left by the absent James Forrest.

Distribution was poor and creativity lacking from Celtic, which only encouraged a well-drilled St Johnstone side.

For their part, Saints were not just organised, they carried a threat even before their opener and were good value for a point.

What did they say?

Celtic manager Neil Lennon: "I'm really disappointed with the result and aspects of the performance. We dominated the game possession-wise again but we looked tentative. I understand that to a certain degree but they need to rise above that.

"For me we're not working the goalkeeper anywhere near enough. There's a lack of speed in our play, lack of movement. And we can't keep a clean sheet."

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson: "The players were tremendous. They worked unbelievably hard off a good shape. We had a wee bit of sustained pressure when we got the goal.

"Could we hang on for the victory? Unfortunately we didn't but I'm really proud of my players. I'll take the draw. It's what we deserve with our efforts and application."

What's next?

Celtic complete their Europa League campaign at home to Lille on Thursday evening and host Kilmarnock in the Premiership next Sunday. St Johnstone are at home to Livingston in the league on Saturday.

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