Celtic moved 16 points clear at the top of the Premiership thanks to a very comfortable 5-0 win over St Mirren at Celtic Park.
The game was all but over by half-time, as two goals from Leigh Griffiths put the Hoops in complete control of the game. The third goal, which ended the match as a contest, game early in the second-half, thanks to the prolific Odsonne Edouard.
Celtic added to the goal tally in the second-half, with Leigh Griffiths completing his hat-trick. It was a great day for the Hoops, as Neil Lennon’s side ended what was a difficult week in style.
The Scottish champions can now look ahead with relish to the upcoming Glasgow derby at Ibrox next Sunday.
Here are how the Celtic players who took on St Mirren rated:
Fraser Forster – 6
Practically had nothing to do. Made one save from a free-kick but that was about it. Will no doubt be pleased that he had a quiet day compared to the incident-filled midweek game against Livingston. Is in fine fettle for the upcoming game against Rangers.
Nir Bitton – 6
A quiet game for the Hoops centre-back, who had very little to do in the game, similar to Forster. Came close to scoring in the second-half with a shot which curled just past the post. Still, the fact that he started shows that he will be in the manager’s thoughts for the Glasgow derby.
Christopher Jullien – 6
Made some unorthodox defensive decisions, such as kneeing the ball away when he could have used his head. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a solid display from the centre-back, far more comfortable than the game against Livingston.
Kristoffer Ajer – 6
Just like his fellow defenders, Ajer didn’t have much at all to do. Only time will tell if that is a good thing ahead of next week’s Glasgow derby, but he played reasonably well enough for the Hoops.
Scott Brown – 6
A typically all-action performance from the Hoops captain, who helped Celtic control the middle of the park from start to finish. He will have bigger tests between now and the end of the season, but the Celtic skipper played well as he usually does.
James Forrest – 7
One of his better performances of recent times, as he came close to finding the back of the net on a few occasions, especially with a header. Unfortunately his recent goal drought goes on, hopefully it will end at Ibrox next week.
Tom Rogic – 8
An excellent performance from the mercurial midfielder, who was full of his usual tricks and great touches. A lovely pass helped set up Leigh Griffiths for his second goal. Judging on this performance, he should be one of the first names on the team sheet for the trip to Ibrox.
Callum McGregor – 6
Didn’t have the best of games, as he seemed to find himself on the fringe of much of the match. However, he did manage to keep his good scoring record going with a fine penalty towards the end of the game.
Greg Taylor – 6
Had a much more comfortable game than he did in midweek against Livingston, performed well enough in both defence and attack. Is obviously first choice left-sided player for the Hoops for the time being, and will face a big test at Ibrox next week.
Leigh Griffiths – 9
Fantastic performance for the Hoops striker. Showed that he is back to his best with a clinical hat-trick. There is no doubt that he fully deserves his place in the first-team, and he will be eagerly awaiting the chance to add to his goal tally against Rangers.
Odsonne Edouard – 8
Another game, another excellent performance from the Frenchman. He scored his 28th goal of the season with a fine strike, and his great pass set up Griffiths for his first goal. Undeniably the best player in Scotland.
Substitutes:
Ryan Christie – 4
Too late to have much of an impact on the game, but it does show how strong the Hoops squad is that Christie is not a first-team regular at the moment.
Mohamed Elyounoussi – 2
Just like Christie, too late for the player to make an impact, it will be interesting to see if he starts against Rangers at Ibrox next week.
Hatem Abd Elhamed – n/a
Makes his first appearance since November, and hands Neil Lennon a nice dilemma to have as Elhamed is a very good player when on form.
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