Celtic Edge Out St Mirren to Maintain Pressure on League Leaders Hearts

Celtic secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over St Mirren, keeping them within three points of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts. The winning goal came courtesy of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's first-half strike, which propelled Martin O'Neill's side above Rangers into second place. Despite a strong start, Celtic struggled to find their rhythm, with Oxlade-Chamberlain's early goal, scored after just 15 minutes, proving to be the decisive factor. The hosts had an earlier effort ruled out for offside, but St Mirren were limited to just one shot on target as Celtic's defense held firm. Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho missed a golden opportunity to seal the win, poking wide from close range in the second half. This encounter marked the first meeting between the two teams since St Mirren's surprise 3-1 win in the Premier Sports Cup back in December. The Green Brigade, returning to 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 a period of intense pressure, Celtic thought they had taken the lead when Callum McGregor's shot was parried, only for Oxlade-Chamberlain's rebound to be flagged offside. St Mirren's Jonah Ayunga and Miguel Freckleton attempted to make an impact, but Celtic took the lead when Benjamin Nygren found McGregor, whose blocked shot fell to Kieran Tierney, and he picked out Oxlade-Chamberlain to score. Tomas Cvancara nearly doubled the lead, but collided with goalkeeper Shamal George, who was replaced by Ryan Mullen due to injury. The second half saw a more even contest, with Iheanacho missing the best chance to extend Celtic's lead. St Mirren's Jacob Devaney and Roland Idowu tried their luck from distance, but Viljami Sinisalo was equal to the task. Celtic manager Martin O'Neill expressed concerns over his team's energy levels, while St Mirren boss Craig McLeish was disappointed with the lack of points, citing the need for creativity in the final third.