Neil Lennon spots 'exceptional' ace who triggered Celtic flop vs St Johnstone as he sees where Hoops failed

Celtic were beaten 1-0 away at St Johnstone on Sunday afternoon. Daniels Balodis’ early goal was enough for the hosts to take all three points. The Hoops pushed for an equaliser after the interval but weren’t able to beat Andy Fisher.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table above Rangers. They are still on course to win the title but won’t be able to clinch it next weekend now which is a blow. Their defeat to the Saints was only their fourth in the league this season.

Neil Lennon reacts to Celtic loss at St Johnstone

Ex-Celtic manager Neil Lennon was on Sky Sports pundit duties along with James McFadden and Kris Boyd. He felt the Hoops were poor in the first half but got better atfer the interval. He has said: “I thought Fisher was amazing second half. They got the goal early on and were able to hold out. I thought Celtic were absolutely excellent second half and did everything but score. They just wasted 45 minutes in the first half really. They never really got going.

“You have to give St Johnstone an enormous amount of credit. The last 20 minutes they really had to batten down the hatches. You need your goalkeeper to play well against Celtic and he was exceptional today. A huge win, an unexpected win. For Celtic, they’ve got to wait another couple of weeks to win the title. In terms of St Johnstone, it was a hugely significant three points.”

St Johnstone signed Fisher in January on loan from Swansea City. He joined his parent club back in 2022 after spending two years at MK Dons. The Blackburn Rovers academy graduate is due to return to the Swans later this year and they have a decision to make regarding his future.

What is former Celtic boss Neil Lennon up to these days?

Lennon is currently manager of Dunfermline Athletic. He was appointed as their head coach in March on a deal until the end of the campaign. The Northern Irishman has recently landed Victor Wanyama on a free transfer.

The 53-year-old spent seven years of his playing career at Celtic and has managed them twice in the past. He has also had spells in the dugout at Bolton Wanderers, Hibernian, Omonia and Rapid Bucuresti.

Following his recent move to Dunfermline, he said: “I’m very excited about the prospect of joining Dunfermline Athletic Football Club. Once I spoke to James Bord he put across a very compelling proposition on his ambitions for the club. However, short term our aim is obviously to be in the Championship next season.

“Having watched the match against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup it’s clear there’s talent in the squad, perhaps just a little low on confidence at the minute. What we want to do is bring an energy, confidence and an exciting brand of football. It may not happen instantly but we want to play on the front foot, excite supporters and get the players believing in what we’re doing.”