There was more to St Johnstone’s weekend defeat than Steven Anderson being absent.
As important as the Scottish Cup final hero is to this Saints team, even his presence probably wouldn’t have saved the Perth men in a bit of a mismatch of a first half.
Too many men in blue weren’t as aggressive as they needed to be, none passed the ball like it needed to be, and there was a collective defensive slackness that crept in during a 15-minute spell that gave up three goals and effectively ended the contest.
Things went wrong that don’t usually go wrong for Saints and probably won’t go wrong too often this season.
But even if Tommy Wright’s side had brought their A game, it might not have been enough.
Celtic were that good.
Brendan Rodgers was rewarded for prioritising momentum over protecting key men from injury when he decided to make just two changes to his midweek Champions League team.
He has put down a marker.
People expecting and/or hoping for a title race may be disappointed.
