Celtic Secures Slim Victory Over St Mirren to Maintain Pressure on Leaders Hearts

Celtic maintained their pursuit of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts with a narrow 1-0 victory over St Mirren. The winning goal came from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the first half, allowing Martin O'Neill's team to leapfrog Rangers into second place and remain three points behind Hearts, who secured a late win over Motherwell. Despite a strong start, Celtic struggled to find their rhythm, with Oxlade-Chamberlain's early strike, which came after a disallowed goal for offside, proving to be the decisive moment. The hosts created several chances to extend their lead but were unable to capitalize, with substitute Kelechi Iheanacho missing a golden opportunity in the second half. St Mirren, on the other hand, managed only one shot on target, as the home team ground out a hard-fought win. This match marked the first encounter between the two teams since St Mirren's surprising 3-1 victory in the Premier Sports Cup in December, but a repeat of that outcome never seemed likely. The Green Brigade, who were allowed back into Celtic Park for the first time since November, were in high spirits, setting the tone for next week's Scottish Cup semi-final. After a period of intense pressure from Celtic, the hosts thought they had taken the lead when Callum McGregor's shot was parried by Shamal George, only for the rebound to be ruled out for offside. St Mirren's Jonah Ayunga and Miguel Freckleton attempted to make an impact, but Celtic took the lead in the 15th minute through Oxlade-Chamberlain's strike. Tomas Cvancara nearly doubled the lead, but his effort was thwarted by George, who was later replaced by Ryan Mullen due to injury. The second half was characterized by a midfield battle, with few clear chances created by either side. Celtic manager Martin O'Neill expressed concerns about his team's energy levels, stating, 'We won the game, which was the most important thing, but we lacked energy. Sometimes it happens, and we didn't seem to have that.' St Mirren boss Craig McLeish was disappointed with the outcome, citing the need for his team to accumulate points and acknowledging the difficulty of playing at Celtic Park.