Celtic Secures Hard-Fought Win Over St Mirren to Stay in Title Hunt

Celtic maintained their pursuit of 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, propelling Martin O'Neill's team into second place, three points adrift of Hearts, who claimed a late win against Motherwell. Despite a promising start, Celtic struggled to find their rhythm, with Oxlade-Chamberlain's early strike, which came after a disallowed goal, proving sufficient for the win. The hosts created several chances to extend their lead but were unable to capitalize, with substitute Kelechi Iheanacho missing a gilt-edged opportunity in the second half. St Mirren, meanwhile, were limited to a single shot on target, as Celtic ground out a crucial, albeit unconvincing, victory. This fixture marked the first meeting between the sides since St Mirren's surprise 3-1 win in the Premier Sports Cup in December, but a repeat of that outcome never seemed likely. The Green Brigade, back in Celtic Park for the first time since November, provided vocal support in a match that served as a precursor to next week's Scottish Cup semi-final. Celtic thought they had taken an early lead when Callum McGregor's shot was parried and Oxlade-Chamberlain scored from the rebound, only to be denied by an offside flag. St Mirren's Jonah Ayunga and Miguel Freckleton attempted to make an impact with a mazy run and a shot on target, respectively, before Celtic took the lead. The goal came when Benjamin Nygren found McGregor, whose shot was blocked, and Kieran Tierney picked out Oxlade-Chamberlain to score. Tomas Cvancara nearly doubled the lead with a slide-in effort but collided with goalkeeper Shamal George, who was later replaced by Ryan Mullen due to injury. The second half was characterized by a midfield battle with few clear-cut chances, the best of which fell to Iheanacho, who missed from close range. St Mirren's Jacob Devaney and Roland Idowu tried their luck from distance but were thwarted by Viljami Sinisalo. Post-match, Celtic manager Martin O'Neill expressed concerns over his team's energy levels, particularly in the second half, where they ceded possession too easily. He highlighted the importance of cementing their lead with a second goal, which they failed to do, thus inviting pressure from St Mirren. O'Neill, however, praised his team for keeping a clean sheet. St Mirren boss Craig McLeish voiced his disappointment at not securing any points, acknowledging the difficulty of playing at Celtic Park but emphasizing the need for his team to accumulate points at this stage of the season. McLeish noted that while his team's performance showed promising signs, especially in the second half, they lacked the creative spark needed to craft more scoring opportunities.