Celtic have opened up a four-point lead at the summit after comfortably seeing off St Mirren 3-0 at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership.
Following a goalless first half, the Hoops raced into a two-goal advantage early in the second half courtesy of a stunning strike from Reo Hatate and a pinpoint Kyogo Furuhashi header.
Republic of Ireland international Adam Idah wrapped up a productive afternoon for Celtic by nodding over Zach Hemming, marking an occasion where the Bhoys maintained intensity late into proceedings despite failing to convert in the first half.
Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers’ men have fired the ball back into Rangers’ court amid their trip to face Ross County later today in Dingwall.
Post-match, the Irishman lauded his side’s show of patience before eventually claiming the lead against a stuffy opponent.
He stated: “These types of games, when the team are sat in, compact, tight and very well organised, then the first goal is absolutely critical. We got that early in the half and the players were then outstanding for the remainder.”
Next up, we travel to Hampden next weekend to face Aberdeen in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup, presenting an opportunity to reach our first domestic final of the season against one of Heart of Midlothian or Rangers, should the Bhoys manage to see off Peter Leven’s men.
Brendan Rodgers singles out Celtic substitutes for praise
In a swashbuckling second-half display, Celtic stuck to their guns and were rewarded for their patience; meanwhile, substitutions such as James Forrest, Callum McGregor and Idah, among others, were able to solidify our hold over St Mirren on the day.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of our comfortable victory, manager Rodgers reserved special praise for our alternatives off the bench, claiming they were ‘key’ to helping see three points over the line.
Rodgers stated [Cited via The Celtic Way]: “That was the key. We had mentioned to the players earlier that it was going to be important for us. We were going to make changes in the game and bring energy into it. I thought all the guys coming in did well. It was great for Cal to get back in, and he looked more like himself taking and passing the ball and reading the game.
“It was very good. It was nice for Luis Palma to come in, and big Adam is a real weapon for us whether he starts or comes off the bench. His physicality is great for us, except when he gets tripped up by a plastic bag! That was the only downside for him.
“He gets another goal and is contributing. All the subs did their bit, and even Welshy (Stephen Welsh) came in and settled the game and played alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers comfortably and calmly.”
Celtic deserve credit for dominant showing vs St Mirren
Granted, we have seen better first-half performances this campaign; however, Celtic had faith in their ability to get the job done at home to the Buddies, picking the lock on three occasions to settle the affair.
Overall, the Bhoys recorded 73% possession, an Expected Goal rate of 2.94, and 18 shots (nine on target), which has to go down as an impressive play against one of the Scottish Premiership’s more disciplined outfits [Fotmob].
Moving forward, Celtic can take confidence from a professional display, taking their unbeaten run to four victories in our last five fixtures.
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