Celtic Edge Out St Mirren to Maintain Pressure on Leaders Hearts

Celtic secured a crucial 1-0 win over St Mirren to remain in the hunt for the Scottish Premiership title, moving into second place and staying within three points of leaders Hearts. The decisive moment came in the 15th minute when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain struck the winner, following an earlier effort that was ruled out for offside. Despite dominating possession and creating several scoring opportunities, Celtic struggled to extend their lead, with substitute Kelechi Iheanacho missing a golden chance to seal the victory. St Mirren, on the other hand, were limited to just one shot on target, with their best chance coming when Jonah Ayunga fired wide after a mazy run into the box. The visitors' goalkeeper, Shamal George, was forced off with an injury, and his replacement, Ryan Mullen, made several crucial saves to keep his team in the game. Celtic manager Martin O'Neill expressed his concerns over his team's lack of energy, particularly in the second half, where they surrendered possession too easily and allowed St Mirren to gain a foothold in the game. The win was a welcome boost for Celtic ahead of their Scottish Cup semi-final next week, and the return of the Green Brigade to Celtic Park added to the electric atmosphere. In the post-match interview, O'Neill stated, "We won the game, which was the most important thing, but we lacked energy. We didn't seem to have that spark, and it's concerning. Sometimes it happens when you're chasing the title and playing catch-up all the time." St Mirren boss Craig McLeish, meanwhile, was disappointed with the result, saying, "We're missing that little bit of creativity and spark in the final third to create more chances from open play. It's such a difficult place to come and pick up points, but we have to put points on the board, especially at this stage of the season."