Celtic secured a convincing 3-0 victory over St Mirren in Paisley, reaffirming their position at the top of the Scottish Premiership and setting the stage for Sunday’s crucial Glasgow Derby against theRangers.
Goals from Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, and Alistair Johnston sealed the win, but it was McGregor’s early goal that proved decisive in unravelling St Mirren’s carefully laid plans.
McGregor’s Early Goal Disrupts St Mirren’s Strategy
St Mirren midfielder Mark O’Hara expressed his frustration at how quickly Celtic dismantled their strategy. The Buddies had hoped to keep the Hoops at bay and capitalize on counter-attacks, but McGregor’s third-minute strike upended their approach.
“Conceding early isn’t ideal when you work on a game plan,” O’Hara told the Paisley Daily Express. “To go 1-0 down early doors kind of changes things. They were pretty dominant, we couldn’t really get our game plan going. But they are a quality side.”
Despite their best efforts to contain Celtic’s fast start, O’Hara acknowledged that McGregor’s powerful shot from the edge of the box was nearly impossible to stop.
“It was a good strike – and there is not much you can do about that,” he admitted. “Ideally, we wanted to keep them out for as long as possible, frustrate them and try to hit them on the break. It didn’t work for us when we went 1-0 down.”
Celtic Look Ahead to Glasgow Derby
With another commanding performance under their belts, Celtic are now focused on preparing for this Sunday’s clash with theRangers.
Brendan Rodgers’ side has shown a habit of strong starts this season, and they will aim to maintain that momentum against their fierce rivals on Sunday. If Celtic can replicate their early dominance, Philippe Clement’s theRangers could face a tough afternoon at Celtic Park.
