RYAN Christie bagged his first hat-trick in senior football as champions Celtic got their Ladbrokes Premiership campaign underway at Parkhead in impressive fashion with this seven goal rout of St Johnstone.
Christie netted twice in the first-half and once in the second to take his tally for the 2019/20 season to six despite featuring in just five competitive games.
The 24-year-old was replaced by Olivier Ntcham in the 71st minute and received a rousing ovation from the Celtic supporters who had flocked to see the unfurling of the league flag.
The former Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Aberdeen player spent the final weeks of last season out injured after suffering a multiple facial fractures in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen.
But the Scotland internationalist has clearly fully recovered and is enjoying an excellent early-season run of form.
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His hat-trick ensured that Neil Lennon’s men triumphed convincingly and moved to the top of the Premiership table straight away. On this evidence, they will take some shifting.
The league flag was unfurled by Liz McNeill and Sadie Chalmers, the widows of European Cup winning captain Billy and final goalscorer Stevie respectively, in the centre circle before kick-off after a count to eight by the stadium announcer.
Lennon handed a debut to Hatem Abd Elhamed, the Israeli defender who he signed from Hapoel Be’er Sheva for £1.6 million earlier this month, at right back.
Elhamed supplied Christie with the ball in a dangerous area in the visitors’ area in just the eighth minute after making a break upfield. His new team mate, though, fired over.
Christie atoned for his failure to convert when he set up the opening goal moments later. He floated a perfectly-weighted through ball to Mikey Johnston and the winger turned St Johnstone right back Wallace Duffy before stroking a low shot beyond goalkeeper Zander Clark and into the bottom right corner of the net.
Christie got his first in the 26th minute following good work by Nir Bitton, who started at centre half in the absence of suspended duo Christopher Jullien and Jozo Simunovic, and James Forrest outside him. He curled a left foot effort into the top right corner of goal from just outside the St Johnstone penalty box.
Christie was scythed down by Matthew Kennedy just moments after scoring and the McDiarmid Park winger was promptly booked by referee Kevin Clancy for his foul.
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The Celtic forward, however, was unaffected. He added a second on the half hour mark when Clark allowed his long-range effort to slip through his fingers.
Elhamed limped off with a dead leg five minutes into the second-half and was replaced by Anthony Ralston at right back. But the home team continued to dominate with Johnston a box of tricks on the left flank and Edouard a handful in attack.
But it was Christie who impressed the most. He bagged his third in the 67th minute when he fired beyond Clark from 20 yards out and into the goal off the underside of the crossbar. He was a deserved Man of the Match.
Ntcham added a fifth a minute after replacing Christie after being supplied by his fellow Frenchman Edouard and scorer turned provider soon after that when Leigh Griffiths, who had come on for Johnston, sent him in on goal with a defence-splitting pass.
Griffiths, who has returned to action after a seven month sabbatical from football to deal with mental health issues, received the biggest cheer of the day when he got in in on the act in the 86th minute to make it seven.
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