Celtic sink St Mirren to extend flawless start

Celtic extended their flawless commencement to the Scottish Premiership play arsenic the champions cruised to a 3-0 triumph astatine St Mirren connected Sunday.

Callum McGregor fired Brendan Rodgers’ broadside into an aboriginal pb successful Paisley and Reo Hatate doubled the visitors’ pb earlier the interval.

Alistair Johnston netted the 3rd successful the 2nd fractional to underline Celtic’s superiority.

The Hoops person won each 4 games successful each competitions this season, including 3 successful the league, scoring 12 and conceding conscionable 1 successful the process.

They spell into adjacent Sunday’s Old Firm crippled against Rangers astatine Parkhead erstwhile again looking steadfast favourites to triumph the title.

Celtic’s Adam Idah and Paulo Bernardo came successful to the starting line-up, with Rodgers confirming the absent Matt O’Riley is connected his mode to articulation Premier League nine Brighton.

There were little than 3 minutes played erstwhile McGregor picked up a walk from James Forrest extracurricular the container and drilled a changeable debased past Buddies keeper Ellery Balcombe for his 2nd extremity of the season.

There was a VAR cheque for a Celtic punishment connected the half-hour people erstwhile Daizen Maeda went down successful the country pursuing a situation by Alex Gogic, but the determination went against the visitors.

Celtic accrued their pb anyhow arsenic Johnston’s lofted transverse to the acold station was headed backmost by Maeda for Hatate to lash a changeable debased successful disconnected the acold post.

Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn replaced Idah and Forrest conscionable earlier the hr mark.

Balcombe thwarted Furuhashi aft the Japan striker raced connected to Johnston’s defence-splitting pass.

But determination was nary halting Celtic’s momentum and successful the 71st minute, Kuhn drifted into the St Mirren container and acceptable up Johnston to sound the shot precocious into the nett from 10 yards.

There was besides clip for 18-year-old Francis Turley to marque a precocious debut for Hatate arsenic Celtic, who showed they stay a potent unit adjacent without the services of influential Denmark midfielder O’Riley.