Neil Lennon’s Celtic troubles continued when his team drew 1-1 at home to St Johnstone to leave them 13 points behind the Scottish Premiership leaders Rangers.
Chris Kane put St Johnstone ahead in the 79th minute and the visitors held the point after substitute Mohamed Elyounoussi headed the equalizer four minutes later.
Lennon stuck to his job following angry protests outside Parkhead after last weekend’s Betfred Cup loss to Ross County.
But Celtic’s board will come under increased pressure to make a change with their hopes for a 10th straight title that recedes even further after the Rangers’ 4-0 win over the county on Sunday.
Image: Celtic players show their dejection at the final whistle
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They have two games in hand, but any other slip would put the title race out of their hands.
Celtic lacked breadth and penetration in an even first half and failed to find a clinical touch despite pushing their visitors back for much of the second period.
Under normal circumstances Celtic would welcome the opportunity to play St Johnstone, having scored the previous 34 goals in the match. However, Callum Davidson’s side was the form team that entered the game.
Since Celtic won 2-0 in Perth two months ago, they have recorded just two wins in 12 games, conceding 28 goals. They had suffered three straight and four trotting losses at home before the Saints visit, which extended their unbeaten streak to 11 games.
The Saints got their first chance when David Wotherspoon’s free throw finally fell kindly to Stevie May, but the forward’s effort was diverted from the line by Nir Bitton.
The hosts soon had a good chance with their own free kick, but Tom Rogic headed wide.
The only other real chance of the half came after Callum McGregor played Odsonne Edouard but the Frenchman’s effort hit Zander Clark’s legs.
The Saints lost Michael O’Halloran after he couldn’t escape the effects of a Scott Brown foul but, with Kane in place, they continued to fight back.
Lennon had lined up with a three-man central defense with full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Diego Laxalt tasked with providing breadth, but they were struggling to get on the outside of an organized visiting defense.
Greg Taylor replaced Laxalt at halftime and May beat the half chance 30 seconds after the restart.
Celtic soon came close after a corner kick, but Clark made another save by Edouard after the forward hit Christopher Jullien’s header and Brown couldn’t convert the bouncing ball.
Brown’s 600th appearance at Celtic lasted 59 minutes before being replaced by Leigh Griffiths. The midfielder handed the bracelet to McGregor, who was playing his 300th game for the club.
Edouard hit a free kick off the wall before Jullien headed wide from a Griffiths corner. Clark got off well to push off substitute David Turnbull’s long-range shot, but the visitors soon took the lead when Kane converted May’s low cross from the left at the far post.
Clark made a save from Edouard before Elyounoussi leveled off with a header from Ryan Christie’s cross, which passed over Clark and landed just below the bar.
Turnbull and Elyounoussi headed wide when Celtic pressed for a winner, but fell short again.
