Key points
Celtic eased past St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, winning 3-0 away from home.
Celtic are now on a four-game winning streak at the start of the 2024/25 season, expertly taking care of the Paisley side with goals from Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Alistair Johnston.
As the rumour and speculation of the summer transfer window rolls on, Brendan Rodgers has the team laser-focused on moving forward with positive momentum.
The continuation of a perfect start means it is back to the top of the table for Celtic ahead of next week’s derby against Rangers.
Throughout the afternoon, we’ll have the reaction and live updates after another routine victory. You can follow how it all played out below!
FULL-TIME: St Mirren 0-3 Celtic
Thanks and goodbye
That’s it for our live coverage of today’s Celtic match. We’ll be back with another live blog for the upcoming UEFA Champions League draw on Thursday.
Until then, goodbye!
[Link]Stephen Robinson reacts
The St Mirren boss told Sky Sports: “I think credit to Celtic. It was a horrible day, they came and did the dirty bits. Their players were all shouting to pick up second balls. That’s what people maybe don’t see about good teams – they do the simple things well, the free stuff.
“We didn’t do that. We didn’t pick up second balls, we didn’t land on the ball or pass it. Credit to Celtic. Were we at our best? Not at all. We have to be better than that.
“We certainly didn’t carry out the gameplan, that’s for sure. We didn’t implement it anywhere near what we wanted to.”
[Link]Brendan Rodgers has his say
The manager said after the match: “I thought the players were very, very good from the off. We played against St Mirren’s system really well, the 5-3-2. When you play against that it’s a switching game and all three goals came from that.
“It’s important for the team that you can’t just rely on your attacking players. For me, it’s about the full-backs and midfield players and the goal contribution coming from the whole team.
“There was lots of great play. There were a couple of wee careless moments with the ball which was natural with the conditions, overall, there was really good control of the game.”
[Link]Analysis and talking points
While we wait on the manager’s reaction here’s the verdict on today’s game from my 67 Hail Hail colleague Paddy Sinat.
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FULL-TIME: St Mirren 0-3 Celtic
Before kick-off, today’s match threatened to be a difficult test – poor conditions, a top-six side and a Sunday lunchtime schedule.
However, Celtic powered past St Mirren with ease thanks to goals from Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Alistair Johnston.
All of them were excellent finishes and Celtic did have the chances to inflict an even heavier scoreline on the Buddies.
That’s four wins from four at the start of the season now, with Rangers visiting next weekend. Bring that on!
[Link]Celtic substitution
It’s a big moment for youngster Francis Turley who makes his competitive debut for the club, replacing the excellent Reo Hatate.
[Link]Job done for Celtic
We’re into the final ten minutes in Paisley and the three points are undoubtedly going home with Celtic.
Brendan Rodgers will be thrilled with the way his players have gone about dismantling St Mirren today.
These away games can quickly get away from you and be reduced to a difficult, physical battle but the team have had full control since the first whistle.
[Link]VIDEO: Johnston nets Celtic’s third
Here’s that rare Alistair Johnston goal from Sky Sports, his third in 66 matches for the Bhoys.
Celtic substitutions
Anthony Ralston gets some minutes, replacing Greg Taylor at full-back.
Odin Thiago Holm also comes into the match for Paulo Bernardo.
[Link]GOAL! St Mirren 0-3 Celtic
There it is! It’s not Kyogo, it’s not Maeda but it’s Alistair Johnston of all people.
He makes an excellent run into the box to support Nicolas Kuhn’s advances. The German slips the ball to the Canadian who produces a stunning finish to end this contest at 70 minutes.
Another superb finish from the Bhoys this afternoon!
[Link]CHANCE CELTIC!
It’s Kyogo coming alive now. He makes a superb run in behind St Mirren’s offside trap to find himself one-on-one with Balcombe, who saves well from a low, angled shot. He should have buried that.
Daizen Maeda soon has an opportunity, too, but can’t direct a header on target from Paulo Bernardo’s corner.
Those were big chances to get the third.
[Link]CHANCE CELTIC!
Substitute Nicolas Kuhn finds himself in the box and has the space to get a shot off after patient build-up play but it’s well blocked.
The most dangerous Celtic have looked so far this half.
[Link]Still work to do
We’re at that familiar stage of these games where St Mirren are hoping they can nick a goal to make it nervy for Celtic. It doesn’t look especially likely but we know these things can come from nothing.
Celtic are keeping possession, still advancing, but it’s not quite as sharp and incisive as the first half.
Still work to do to kill this off for the day.
[Link]Celtic substitutions
Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn come into the game, replacing Adam Idah and James Forrest.
The St Mirren defence won’t thank Brendan Rodgers for that.
[Link]Kasper Schmeichel is playing after all
The Danish goalkeeper has had virtually nothing to do but is finally forced into a save from a long-distance Jaden Brown effort.
It was an easy take for Schmeichel but will keep him alert to potential danger.
That’s St Mirren’s first shot on target.
[Link]St Mirren are motivated but can’t get going
No goalmouth action so far in this half. The intensity has dropped a little out of Celtic’s game, especially on the ball.
It’s patient, comfortable stuff at the moment.
St Mirren have been fired up at the interval and are desperate to get a foothold in the game but they still can’t sustain possession or really trouble Carter-Vickers and Scales.
[Link]Is this damage limitation?
Not to be too cocky, but St Mirren couldn’t cope with Celtic in the first half and that was with attempted defensive discipline.
If they try to open up and get back into this one it may only lead to more chances for the Bhoys.
In the first five minutes here Celtic continue to pressure. The home side break on the counter and force a corner from a blocked Toyosi Olusanya shot but it comes to nothing.
[Link]KICK-OFF: St Mirren 0-2 Celtic
Celtic get us back underway. A professional job is required to see this one through without drama. Let’s bag the points and go back to the top of the table!
[Link]Callum McGregor isn’t messing about
Celtic started the match with real energy and Callum McGregor was eager to get the ball rolling early, arriving onto a shot on the edge of the box to unleash a powerful low effort into the back of the net.
He knows these contributions from midfield will be even more important without O’Riley and isn’t messing about getting on with the task.
[Link]Magic Hatate
The Japanese maestro has been at the heart of everything good for Celtic. He’s constantly looking for that cutting pass, also arriving into the box to get shots off on goal, one of which hit home.
Keeping him in this transfer window is crucial. He makes the midfield tick and with O’Riley heading to England we need him to stay fit and on top form – like he is today.
[Link]The stats at the interval
Celtic have been in complete control.
Possession: St Mirren 21% – 79% Celtic
xG: St Mirren 0.08 – 1.12 Celtic
Total shots: St Mirren 1 – 10 Celtic
Shots on target: St Mirren 0 – 6 Celtic
Corners: St Mirren 0 – 6 Celtic
HALF-TIME: St Mirren 0-2 Celtic
That was about as dominant a 45 minutes as you get away from home in the Scottish Premiership.
St Mirren haven’t had a sniff of Kasper Schmeichel’s goal and at the other end Celtic have pressured consistently.
Captain Callum McGregor set the tone from distance with the quickest goal in the league so far this season, before Reo Hatate netted a beauty in off the post from Daizen Maeda’s knockdown.
It’s excellent stuff from the reigning champions without departing star player Matt O’Riley.
[Link]VIDEO: Hatate finish puts Celtic two up
Just a lovely, aesthetically pleasing goal this – here’s the highlight from Sky Sports.
GOAL! St Mirren 0-2 Celtic
There’s the cushion Celtic needed and it is another brilliant finish – this time from Reo Hatate.
A long ball forward is nodded down by Daizen Maeda to his compatriot. Hatate arrives onto the shot and guides a pinpoint effort into the far right-hand corner, in off the post.
It’s an absolute beauty and Celtic are well on the way to three points!
[Link]St Mirren can’t string anything together
In fairness to the home side they are trying to show a bit of fight and inspire the home crowd. However they can’t sustain possession.
Celtic are either pressuring them to directly win it back or force them into a long ball that is mopped up by the Bhoys defence.
[Link]Idah is central to Celtic
Adam Idah’s teammates are consistently finding his direct runs up against the St Mirren defenders.
He’s running left, right and through the middle to latch on to balls forward, mixing it up well.
If another goal comes you’d expect him to be heavily involved. His movement is the main path forward into the final third.
[Link]CHANCE CELTIC!
Adam Idah breaks through the St Mirren line again, latching on to a through ball, and has sight at goal.
He can’t get any power in his shot to trouble Balcombe but it’s another sign that the new signing is causing St Mirren problems.
[Link]No route out for St Mirren
Not only are Celtic passing the ball around nicely but the energy and intent to win possession back when St Mirren have it is excellent.
The home side don’t really have an out ball at this stage, Celtic are dealing with everything even if they make a rare foray into our half.
No more clear cut chances but the manager will be delighted with this so far.
[Link]Bhoys domination
We’re through 15 minutes in Paisley and it has been all Celtic so far.
The possession stat of 83% to St Mirren’s 17% sums up the pattern of play as the champions continue to probe for openings.
[Link]CHANCE CELTIC!
Excellent combination football sees Celtic in the St Mirren box again and it’s Reo Hatate who ultimately lashes a shot at goal but it’s well saved by Ellery Balcombe.
Adam Idah attempts to follow up but can’t hit the back of the net.
It was excellent stuff from Idah to make the initial run and hold up the ball for James Forrest, who set up Hatate.
[Link]Celtic continue to push
The visitors aren’t resting on their advantage. They continue to pressure St Mirren.
Paulo Bernardo gets beyond the defensive line to force a corner. The resulting play sees James Forrest ping in a cross after reaching the byline, but the Buddies hold firm.
All Celtic at the moment.
[Link]Alex Gogic yellow card
The St Mirren man picks up a caution for a rash challenge on the pacy Daizen Maeda. Only five minutes in, he has a long afternoon not to be caught out again.
[Link]GOAL! St Mirren 0-1 Celtic
Pick that out! Captain Callum McGregor powers the Bhoys in front with a stunning long-range drive into the bottom right hand corner.
Who’s going to step up in O’Riley’s absence? Who else? Superb stuff from the main man!
A brilliant start for the champions in Paisley.
[Link]The teams are out
Celtic are wearing the resplendent yellow and green away kit, we’ll get the Huddle and the roar from the away support and then we’ll get underway.
[Link]Why Nicolas Kuhn was benched
Brendan Rodgers has told reporters ahead of kick-off that Nicolas Kuhn didn’t train all week due to an issue with his back. He did some light work and then increased his level yesterday, but wasn’t fit enough to start the game.
[Link]Pre-match Brendan Rodgers interview
The manager spoke about game time for Bernardo and Idah, as well as explaining that Kyogo only returned to training towards the end of last week.
Brendan Rodgers comments on Matt O’Riley exit
The manager was asked about Matt O’Riley in his pre-match BBC radio interview.
He said: “He’s down in Brighton completing his medical. That move should be done over the course of the next couple of days. He has been absolutely magnificent in this last year. He gave everything to the team and the club.
“Right up to his very last day, he was out doing extra work. That shows the mentality he has. So, I’m pleased for Matt in terms that he gets a move to the Premier League – and for us, we push on. That’s the model of the club.
“I said before the window opened, you pay for the player not necessarily the league. The club have done great from a business perspective. From a football perspective, we’re sad to lose a top player.”
[Link]Star man on the bench
Nicolas Kuhn has arguably been Celtic’s best player in the early stages of the season so it was head-turning to see him drop to the bench for this one.
Whether he picked up a knock through the week, or Rodgers is just freshening him up ahead of the derby, we don’t know quite yet. Nothing was indicated in Friday’s media conference.
Nobody at Celtic had more shots or goals in the opening two league matches – also ranking highly with successful dribbles and touches in the opposition box – so others will need to provide that attacking spark.
He’s a certainty to come into the match in the second half if the game is in the balance.
[Link]Warm-ups are well underway
Both teams are going through their pre-match preparations on the pitch and warming up is very much needed.
It’s a bracing 12°C in Paisley, as well as grey and damp. Not quite the glorious late summer we’d all love to see.
The surface at the SMiSA stadium has been relaid at a significant expense so hopefully it plays well for all today.
Half an hour away from the noon kick-off.
Rodgers on Celtic centre-forwards
Despite offering the third striker role to Rocco Vata earlier in the summer and Hyeongyu Oh’s exit to Genk, Brendan Rodgers has explained why he won’t be pursuing another central option in the final week of the transfer window.
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Saturday’s Scottish Premiership results
Dundee United 2-0 St Johnstone
Hibernian 2-2 Dundee
Rangers 6-0 Ross County
The Ibrox (Hampden) side moved to the top of the table overnight, a point ahead of Celtic and Aberdeen.
A win today would restore the Bhoys’ two-point lead over Philippe Clement’s outfit ahead of next week’s derby at Celtic Park.
Aberdeen host Kilmarnock later today, with Hearts also travelling to Motherwell in the 3pm kick-offs.
[Link]Bernardo’s the Bhoy
Paulo Bernardo has had a pretty quiet start to the season after arriving from Benfica, making two substitute appearances.
This afternoon’s match is his first go in the spotlight since his permanent transfer. Like Idah, there’ll be a lot of attention on his performance.
Bernardo took a little while to build into his loan spell last term but once he got up to speed he became a solid depth option for the manager and popped up with a few important contributions. Today’s a step forward for his match fitness if nothing else.
He doesn’t directly replace O’Riley in terms of playing style, most would accept that. But it’ll be interesting to see how he impacts the game in Paisley and how much license he is given to run beyond the opposition defensive line.
[Link]All eyes on Idah
Idah scored nine goals in 19 matches last season. Without him, Celtic wouldn’t have won a league and cup double. That’s why big money has been spent, reported to be £8.5m with add-ons.
With that permanent move and fee comes bigger expectations. I fancy the Ireland international to shoulder that well. He has a great mentality and personality on the pitch. I suspect he enjoys all the attention, it’s a motivating factor for him and apparently gave him confidence on loan here.
He declared himself ready to go this week, stating: “I feel good. There has been a lot said that I have not done much in pre-season, but I did. I was training every day when I was back at Norwich and although I did not play many minutes there, I was training hard every day.
“So I think I have come into Celtic in good shape, and I feel quite sharp. I feel good now. Obviously, I came in wanting to play games — that is the main aim for me. To get as sharp as I can and score some goals.”
Make yourself a hero again Adam!
[Link]Celtic and St Mirren 2023/24 meetings
Premiership 1st Nov – Celtic 2-1 St Mirren (Turnbull, Oh)
Premiership 2nd Jan – St Mirren 0-3 Celtic (Maeda, O’Riley, Taylor)
Scottish Cup 11th Feb – St Mirren 0-2 Celtic (Kyogo, Maeda)
Premiership 13th Apr – Celtic 3-0 St Mirren (Hatate, Kyogo, Idah)
Premiership 18th May – Celtic 3-2 St Mirren (O’Riley, Kyogo, Palma)
The verdict on today’s Celtic line-up
It’s no shock to see Adam Idah and Paulo Bernardo in Brendan Rodgers’ eleven. They’ve now had plenty of training preparation and will be desperate to make an impact after the hype of their permanent arrivals.
Nicolas Kuhn dropping to the bench with James Forrest in the team is more of a surprise but the manager has seen them in training all week and apparently prefers what the veteran will bring.
The bench in general looks pretty strong with Kyogo Furuhashi again available to offer something different in the second half if needed.
There are only two changes from last week, it’s a settled outfit and has more than enough to get the job done today.
[Link]Confirmed Celtic team
Starting XI – Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Bernardo, Hatate, Forrest, Maeda, Idah.
Substitutes – Sinisalo, Palma, Kyogo, Kuhn, Yang, Holm, Ralston, Welsh, Turley.
The Matt O’Riley gap
Celtic are without Matt O’Riley today, and for the foreseeable future, after he flew to England yesterday to sign for Brighton.
He’s been an incredible attacking talent for the Bhoys. His 19 goals and 18 assists last season are evidence enough of that.
Today we get a look at how the Bhoys will move forward without him. He leaves a gaping hole in that midfield area.
Reo Hatate will be the team’s primary creative force but everyone must take responsibility to break down the Buddies.
Signings are potentially on their way to help out but today’s three points are as important as any other. Who’s going to step up?
[Link]Watch all the goals from last week
The Bhoys made it three wins from three last time out.
Versatile Japanese hero Daizen Maeda netted an early double playing in the centre-forward role before Nicolas Kuhn made it comfortable in the second half against Hibs.
The 3-1 win ensures Celtic continue in the Scottish League Cup with Championship side Falkirk waiting in the next round.
You can check out all the official highlights via Premier Sports below.
Celtic transfer latest
Celtic’s primary transfer links right now are in the attacking midfield area.
Reporting this weekend suggests Celtic are making their move for 20-year-old Belgian talent Arne Engels of Augsburg.
The Bhoys are also pursuing LAFC star Mateusz Bogusz and will re-open negotiations for his signature on Monday.
Celtic are said to want both players, not one or the other, as Matt O’Riley makes the move to Brighton.
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Brendan Rodgers press conference
You can watch the entire press conference from Brendan Rodgers via the club’s official YouTube channel below.
He covered, amongst other topics:
– The Kyogo and Manchester City speculation
– Recruitment and the transfer window in general
– Bringing youngster through Celtic
– The ‘third striker’ situation after Daizen Maeda’s double last week
Brendan Rodgers on today’s match
The Celtic manager said: “St Mirren is always a tough game. We managed the games against them well last season I felt.
“Stephen is an excellent manager. I really like him. He’s very honest to the game, he works tirelessly and for St Mirren to have been in Europe is a real testament to the work they’ve done there.
“We always respect the opponent that we’re playing. We’ll be ready for the weekend. We’re in a good flow, working really hard in training and taking that into games and we look forward to Sunday.”
[Link]How to watch Celtic vs St Mirren
Today’s match is live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football in the UK & Ireland.
Global subscribers to Celtic TV outside of the region will also be able to watch live coverage.
The fixture is being broadcast in many countries around the world outside of that option including on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network in the United States, beIN Sports 3 in Australia, ESPN across Africa and Disney+ throughout South America.
A full list of worldwide channels can be found via LiveSoccerTV.
[Link]Team news and potential Celtic XI vs St Mirren
Matt O’Riley is not available for today’s match. He’s travelled to Brighton to undergo a medical before sealing a £25m+ move to the English Premier League side.
Mikey Johnston is the only other confirmed absentee after picking up a facial injury at Easter Road earlier this month.
Kyogo Furuhashi is available again after a shoulder problem ruled him out of last week’s Hibs clash.
We could see Adam Idah make his first start since a permanent move, similar for for Paulo Bernardo.
Predicted Starting XI: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Bernardo, Hatate, Kuhn, Maeda, Idah.
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Hello and welcome
Good morning! I’m John McGinley and I’ll be your guide through everything that happens on another important Celtic matchday.
Every game is a big one but with a derby next week, there’s added importance to continue the good feeling around the team in a chilly, drizzly Paisley this lunchtime.
Celtic picked up five wins from five against St Mirren last season but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy today.
Stephen Robinson has his team very well drilled and after a couple of early setbacks, they’ll be looking at this one as a potential springboard to truly launch their campaign.
The Bhoys must be at their best. We’re expecting the confirmed line-ups at 10:45am and we’ll have lots of preview updates before then so keep refreshing for the latest!
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