Celtic managed to keep the pressure on Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts with a narrow 1-0 victory over St Mirren. The decisive goal came in the first half courtesy of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, allowing Martin O'Neill's team to leapfrog Rangers into second place, just three points behind Hearts, who secured a late win against Motherwell.
Despite starting strongly, Celtic were not at their best and failed to capitalize on their early advantage, with Oxlade-Chamberlain initially having a goal ruled out for offside before scoring the winner. The hosts' best chance to extend their lead came when substitute Kelechi Iheanacho missed from close range in the second half, but they managed to grind out a hard-fought win.
This match was the first encounter between the two sides since St Mirren's surprise 3-1 win in the Premier Sports Cup back in December, but a repeat of that outcome never seemed likely. The Green Brigade, back in Celtic Park for the first time since November, were in high spirits as the team prepared for next week's Scottish Cup semi-final. After relentless pressure from Celtic, the hosts thought they had taken an early lead, only for Oxlade-Chamberlain's rebound to be flagged offside.
St Mirren's Jonah Ayunga and Miguel Freckleton attempted to make an impact with shots, but it was Celtic who broke through when Benjamin Nygren set up Callum McGregor, whose blocked shot was then picked up by Kieran Tierney, who found Oxlade-Chamberlain for the goal. Tomas Cvancara nearly doubled the lead but collided with goalkeeper Shamal George, who was later replaced by Ryan Mullen. The second half saw a more evenly matched midfield battle with limited scoring opportunities, the best of which fell to Iheanacho, who missed at the near post.
St Mirren's Jacob Devaney and Roland Idowu tried their luck from distance but were denied by Viljami Sinisalo. Celtic manager Martin O'Neill expressed concern over his team's lack of energy, particularly in the second half, and acknowledged that they invited pressure by not cementing their lead with a second goal. St Mirren boss Craig McLeish was disappointed not to take any points, citing the need for creativity and a spark in the final third to create more chances.