Celtic managed to overturn a first‑half setback and keep their flawless opening run in the Scottish Premiership, while St Mirren suffered their inaugural loss of the campaign. The encounter in Paisley pitted the only two unbeaten clubs in the top tier against each other, with the Buddies eager to extend their blistering start and seize the league lead. They began brightly, creating the perfect opening salvo. The turning point arrived when Liam Scales inadvertently handled Chris Mochrie’s shot while attempting to block it.
Referee‑assistant pointed to the spot and Nikolas Agrafiotis calmly slotted the penalty, putting Celtic ahead. The Hoops thought they had equalised moments later when Camilo Duran nudged a ball in from a Hyun Jun Yang cross, but a VAR check ruled the effort off‑side, nullifying the goal.
Both sides continued to test each other. Callum McGregor, Hussain Hassan and Yang each produced chances, yet it was Scales who redeemed his earlier mistake. Rising to meet Mika Baur’s corner, he powered a header into the net, restoring Celtic’s lead. Duran then supplied a precise pass to Yang, who finished calmly past goalkeeper Jacob Chapman, sealing Celtic’s comeback and allowing them to withstand a resilient St Mirren that kept pressing for an equaliser.
In stoppage time, new signing Shim Mhueka appeared to have secured his first goal, only for the assistant referee to signal off‑side, erasing the moment. The match concluded with Celtic maintaining a perfect five‑point tally, sitting five points clear at the summit of the table. Key moments in chronological order: - 18’: Taylor fires from the edge of the box; Sinisalo makes the save. - 19’: Penalty awarded to St Mirren after Mochrie’s strike clips Scales’ arm; referee points to the spot.
- 22’: Sinisalo dives to the right, but Agrafiotis’ powerful drive finds the bottom corner for St Mirren. - 29’: Duran responds for Celtic, restoring parity. - 31’: VAR intervenes, ruling Celtic’s equaliser off‑side.
- 40’: McGregor meets Baur’s corner poorly; Chapman saves. - 42’: Hassan’s cross lands at Duran’s feet; the Buddies keeper reacts swiftly.
- 48’: Hassan delivers a brilliant ball to Yang, who inexplicably shoots wide. - 51’: Scales heads in from Baur’s corner, redeeming his earlier handball. - 55’: Scales rises again on a corner but heads wide. - 64’: Nygren feeds Yang; Ramsay blocks the attempt.
- 68’: Duran wins the ball, Yang faces Chapman one‑on‑one and scores. - 74’: Sinisalo denies Thomas as St Mirren refuse to relent. - 86’: Thomas misses from six yards, only managing a desperate stretch. - 90+3’: Mheka appears to slot home, but the referee overturns it after consulting the monitor.
Post‑match analysis from Sky Sports’ James McFadden highlighted Celtic’s deserving victory: “They were worthy winners, they deserved to win. They had the pressure, they had the possession, they had the chances and took them when they came.” He praised St Mirren’s adherence to Craig McLeish’s instructions, noting their willingness to take risks and press high despite the danger of looking foolish against a side of Celtic’s calibre. “A very brave performance.
You can see exactly what he wants to do with his team,” McFadden added. Former Celtic captain Jackie McNamara echoed a similar sentiment, calling the result fair and commending St Mirren’s tenacity: “They never gave up and were in the game right up until the very end.” He observed that Celtic’s loss of impetus after the wingers dropped deeper contributed to a tighter finish, but ultimately the visitors earned the three points.
St Mirren manager Craig McLeish, speaking to Sky Sports, reflected on his squad’s progress: “It shows how far we’ve come as a group. The boys are disappointed not to have taken a point, but we know Celtic are a threat and they gave us problems at times.
We still created our own threat – 19 shots on goal – which is a good sign. We’ll dust ourselves off and move on; there’s always another game around the corner.” Celtic boss Martin O’Neill admitted the evening was challenging: “We created chances but didn’t feel a phenomenal fluency. We really dug it out at the end, coming from behind against a team in brilliant form. They played splendidly for periods, but we saw it through, which was great.” He also addressed the impending loss of Hyun Jun Yang to South Korean international duty, describing it as a “major blow” due to Yang’s defensive contributions and his sparkling start to the season.
Overall, the match showcased Celtic’s resilience and St Mirren’s fighting spirit. While Celtic secured another three points to stay atop the league, the game provided a valuable lesson in perseverance for both sides and set the tone for what promises to be an exciting season in Scottish football.