Chris Sutton delivers instant verdict after Celtic punish St Mirren, lauds ‘top class’ standout

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Celtic stormed back to the Scottish Premiership after their win against St Mirren at the SMISA Stadium this afternoon.

Goals from Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Alistair Johnston sealed the 3-0 win to restore Celtic’s two-point advantage over Rangers at the top of the table.

There may have been a worry amongst the Celtic support at how Brendan Rodgers’ midfield would cope without Matt O’Riley as he was left out of the squad to finalise his £30m move to Brighton.

But those fears were instantly banished within the first half an hour after Callum McGregor’s third-minute strike and Reo Hatate’s 33rd-minute effort put Celtic on easy street.

And after the full-time whistle blew, Chris Sutton shared his thoughts on how Celtic are looking minus their star midfielder.

Sutton lauds ‘top class’ Reo Hatate

Whilst delighted with Celtic’s win over St Mirren, Sutton did warn that there is a stern test ahead for the club whilst joking that ‘who needs Matt O’Riley’.

Sutton said, “Who needs Matt O’Riley?… (that’s a joke). Hatate top class today. Very impressive performance at a tricky venue.

“Big week ahead for Celtic. Actions speak louder than words. Tremendous start to the season but it’s crucial quality additions are brought in.”

Hatate was excellent pulling the strings in the heart of the Celtic midfield and playing alongside McGregor and Bernardo, the Hoops midfield is still head and shoulders above any other in the Scottish Premiership.

Celtic’s storming start to the season continues

Celtic really have been storming the opposition this season with early goals as Brendan Rodgers has his team firing on all cylinders.

The 3-0 win over St Mirren takes Celtic’s goal tally to nine for the season with none conceded in the Scottish Premiership.

And although Sutton was joking about the loss of O’Riley, this performance does give the Celtic fans hope that the Danish international’s departure can be coped with on the domestic stage.

Rodgers just now needs to ensure that his Celtic team are prepared for the Champions League without O’Riley and to do that, a large portion of that £30m fee will need to be splashed out this summer.