While Celtic’s performance against St Mirren on Wednesday might have seemed closely contested, the data reveals the Hoops’ impressive showing against a defensively resolute side.
FotMob data has revealed that the Bhoys amassed an expected goals (xG) total of 3.50 with 75% of possession compared to the Saints’ 0.62 xG, resulting in an xG differential of 2.88. This indicates that Brendan Rodgers’ side was unfortunate not to score more goals in a match that left the Celtic faithful frustrated for large spells.
Kyogo Furuhashi was the unluckiest player on the pitch with an xG of 0.95, meaning that the Japanese international was most unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet. Hyeongou Oh’s xG for the game was 0.59, he was therefore clinical in front of goal for Celtic’s winner. Oh’s goal, however, had an xG of only 0.47.
David Turnbull’s xG for the game was 0.99, mainly because of his missed penalty. The penalty itself had an xG of 0.79, while his goal only had an xG of 0.05. This makes Turnbull’s performance a statistical anomaly, as he scored from his least likely effort of the game outside the box and missed his most probable chance from the penalty spot. Turnbull was also highly effective in creating chances with an expected assists (xA) of 0.47, which was the highest on the pitch. This underscores that Turnbull was not only effective in creating goal-scoring opportunities for himself but also for his teammates.
St Mirren’s goal had an xG of 0.30, which was just under half of the team’s total xG in the game. This highlights that Celtic successfully restricted Stephen Robinson’s side for the majority of the match.
Odin Thiago Holm made a significant impact off the bench for Celtic, assisting Oh for the winning goal and creating a game-high of 2 big chances created. Holm’s impressive cameo appearance will surely give Rodgers food for thought ahead of tomorrow’s match against Ross County in Dingwall.
Greg Taylor played a pivotal role in the game, delivering the most accurate forward zone passes with 66 and chances created with four. This draws attention to his significant involvement in advancing possession down the left-hand side, particularly during the second half, alongside Hyun-Jun Yang and Holm, into the St Mirren half. Celtic aimed to exploit one-on-one situations on St Mirren’s right side by focusing on the left-wing play. This strategy is evident in the fact that both Yang and Luis Palma, Celtic’s left-wingers, successfully completed five dribbles each.
Liam Scales yet again played a crucial role in the Celtic defence, winning 12 duels and making eight recoveries, showing the consistent form of the Republic of Ireland international.
Callum McGregor was named the FotMob man of the match with a FotMob rating of 7.97, followed closely by Palma with a rating of 7.94 and Scales with a rating of 7.93.
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