“Celtic Dominates St Mirren 3-0: Unstoppable Start to the Season”
Celtic’s strong start to the season remained steady with a dominant 3-0 victory over St Mirren in the William Hill Premiership match in Paisley.
Captain Callum McGregor wasted no time, putting Celtic ahead in just the third minute, and fellow midfielder Reo Hatate added a second goal in the 33rd minute, as Celtic took control despite the adverse weather conditions.
Defender Alistair Johnston rounded off the win with a third goal in the 71st minute, sealing a comprehensive triumph for the reigning champions, who are already making their intentions clear for the season ahead.
Under Brendan Rodgers, Celtic have won all four of their opening games, netting 12 goals and conceding only one. This form should give them confidence heading into their upcoming clash against Rangers at Parkhead.
Although Stephen Robinson’s side put in considerable effort, they were outmatched and have now suffered four consecutive defeats. After being knocked out of the Premier Sports Cup by Dundee United last week, Robinson made several changes, including handing a debut to Killian Phillips, who joined on loan from Crystal Palace.
On a wet and windy day in Paisley, Adam Idah and Paulo Bernardo were brought into Celtic’s starting lineup, with Rodgers confirming that Matt O’Riley is set to join Brighton. Meanwhile, Nicolas Kuhn started on the bench.
The early stages of the match saw McGregor capitalize on a pass from James Forrest, sending a low shot past St Mirren keeper Ellery Balcombe for his second goal of the season, matching last season’s tally. Balcombe was kept busy, making saves from Hatate and Idah as Celtic pressed forward.
Celtic had a penalty appeal in the 30th minute after Daizen Maeda was brought down in the box by Alex Gogic, but play continued following a VAR check. However, Celtic soon doubled their lead, with Johnston’s cross finding Maeda, who set up Hatate to drill the ball into the net off the far post.
Another VAR check came after Maeda was tackled by Shaun Rooney in the box, but no penalty was given. Despite changes from St Mirren at the start of the second half, Celtic remained in control.
Celtic continued to threaten, with substitutions bringing Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn into the fray. Balcombe briefly denied Furuhashi after a clever pass from Johnston, but Celtic’s pressure paid off as Kuhn set up Johnston to fire the ball into the net from close range, securing the 3-0 win.