2023-03-05: St Mirren 1-5 Celtic, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2022 – 2023

Trivia

  • KO: 12:00; Sunday; Sky Sports TV, League match 27
  • Celtic now aiming for Domestic Treble after winning the League Cup last week.
  • Celtic remain on top now with 76pts, and 68 GD, 9pts & +28 GD ahead of Sevco.
  • Incredibly before today: it was 232 minutes since Celtic had scored away to St Mirren.
  • Postecoglu’s first win at St Mirren’s ground, he’s not won at the club ground of every top tier side in Scotland.
  • Today’s VAR assistance Andrew Dallas has awarded 10 penalties to Sevco in the last 14 games he’s reffed involving Sevco (Not including VAR appearances)
  • Greenock Morton legend Allan McGraw has passed away, RIP
  • French footballer Just Fontaine, who holds the record for the most goals scored at a single World Cup, has died at the age of 89. RIP
  • Ex-Celt Jim Goodwin agreed a deal to end of season to be Dundee United manager.  Taking his no.2 Lee Sharp and ex-Celt Charlie Mulgrew (already at the club) as his coaching team.
  • Sevco fan charged for the bottle thrown at Celtic physio at Ibrox at new years game.
  • Celtic are currently averaging 3.22 goals per match in the Scottish Premiership this season.
  • Israel manager on Liel Abada: “He didn’t want to extend his (Celtic) contract” due to lack of starts.
  • Josip Juranovic was disappointed Celtic did not try harder to keep him before he joined Union Berlin in January. (Football Scotland)
  • Celtic’s ownership structure leaves them vulnerable to a Qatari takeover, says Fergus McCann’s former advisor David Low.
  • Next season Celtic could miss out on Daizen, Kyogo, Hatate, Hyeon-gyu, Oh & Mooy for about 20 days after SPFL winter break ends if their sides make latter stages of AFC Asian Cup.
  • Ex-Celt Aiden McGeady may have played his last game for Hibs after the capital club confirmed that the playmaker has been ruled out for the rest of the season by injury.
  • Iconic Scottish bakery Morton’s Rolls is understood to have ceased trading after missing a deadline to file accounts.
  • Postecoglou said “I don’t really care” as he avoided the “soap opera” of responding to comments by Croatia right-back Josip Juranovic, who said he was “sad” the club did not try harder to keep him before his January transfer to Union Berlin.
  • Sevco got away with a dodgy penalty for, and dodgy penalty not given against (despite VAR), haven’t conceded a penalty in the league for 45 games!

Summary

“He is very determined to be the best footballer he can be,” said Postecoglou. “He’s not on his own though, this whole group has those characteristics and that helps someone like Reo because he is coming into an environment that suits that mindset.”
Postecoglu on Hatate (pre-match)

“C’mon mate. There will be numbers on their shirts and shorts and I am sure they can tell who is wearing a similar one.”
Ange not concerned with fears of strip colour clash at Love Street

“VAR doesn’t miss anything by the looks of it – especially with us.”
“We had to maintain our composure and our discipline and I think the lads did that.”
Ange Postecoglou

Alistair Johnston @_a_johnston · 1h “In case anyone was wondering – I’m claiming that goal; It felt like mine – I celebrated like it was mine!”

Sky Sports coverage struggling with the Paisley potty mouth sitting near the commentators.

joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki:

Horrible first half. Fantastic second one.
A game dominated by questions over VAR and penalties. Hard to argue with the penalty awarded to Celtic and St Mirren, but Celtic had strong arguements for two other penalties. The foul on Kyogo just before the first half was awarded a penalty but rescinded following VAR to a free kick. St Mirren player was sent off but going into the break one up was a major edge.
However Celtic were going to step up against ten men and the second half was one way traffic against St Mirren with five answered goals. Oh got his first league goal from a penalty but surely he should have been awarded one a few moments earlier for another chalkenge?
Jota, Johnston, Abada and O’Reilly also scored to give Celtic a comfortable win even though the football was not inspiring to watch most often. St Mirren know how to frustrate teams.
Real game changers was Abada on for Maeda, Abada’s directness made the big difference.
Celtic’s league hegemony continues and currently no body can challenge it head on. Enjoy it while it continues. There’s so much strength in depth currently at the club it’s wonderful to watch it in action.

Twitter:

Rangers Tax-Case @rangerstaxcase · 3h Walker and Boyd disagree on the VAR penalty decision despite seeing it many times. This is problem of officiating in Scottish football in a nutshell. People cannot separate their personal biases from the game. Yet SFA tell us Andrew Dallas can be impartial? It’s a joke.

Inside The SPFL @AgentScotland · 2h FT: St Mirren 1-5 Celtic Ruthless second half from Celtic, St Mirren were so dogged and organised in the first half while Celtic with 83% possession didn’t look like doing much, they made the extra man count second half and absolutely blitzed the buddies, another 3 subs scoring.

Etims:1-0 down at HT, #Celtic played far better in the 2nd half to demolish the home side, who were reduced to 10 just before HT. Jota (pished 1st half) sobered up & scored! Abada excellent when he came on as were all subs. Good win for the champions.#Celtic have now scored 87 league goals (well over 100 inc Europe/cups etc) this season at slightly over 3 goals per game. I’ve got no idea the last time this happened. It’s an incredible stat. God bless Ange

Teams

Celtic

Formation 4-3-3

  • 1Hart
  • 2Johnston
  • 20Carter-Vickers
  • 4Starfelt
  • 3Taylor
  • 13Mooy
  • Substituted forIwataat 74′minutes
  • 42McGregor
  • 41Hatate
  • Substituted forO’Rileyat 66′minutes
  • 17Neves Filipe
  • Substituted forHaksabanovicat 71′minutes
  • 8Furuhashi
  • Substituted forOhat 66′minutes
  • 38Maeda
  • Substituted forAbadaat 45′minutes

Substitutes

  • 9Haksabanovic
  • 11Abada
  • 14Turnbull
  • 18Kobayashi
  • 19Oh
  • 24Iwata
  • 29Bain
  • 33O’Riley
  • 56Ralston

Goals:

  • Neves Filipe (56′ minutes), 
  • Johnston (61′ minutes), 
  • Abada (70′ minutes), 
  • O’Riley (72′ minutes), 
  • Oh (81′ minutes pen)

Assists:

  • Mooy (61′ minutes, 70′ minutes), 
  • Abada (72′ minutes)

St Mirren

Formation 3-5-2

  • 1Carson
  • 22Fraser
  • 13Gogic
  • 18DunneBooked at 38mins
  • 23StrainBooked at 37mins
  • Substituted forWattat 62′minutes
  • 11Kiltie
  • Substituted forTaylorat 74′minutes
  • 17Baccus
  • 6O’Hara
  • 16Small
  • Substituted forShaughnessyat 62′minutes
  • 10Main
  • Substituted forTanserat 75′minutes
  • 21Greive
  • Substituted forTaylorat 45′minutes

Substitutes

  • 3Tanser
  • 4Shaughnessy
  • 5Taylor
  • 8Flynn
  • 9Watt
  • 24Jamieson
  • 25Offord
  • 27Urminsky
  • 30Taylor

 

Goals:O’Hara (6′ minutes pen)
Assists:

Ref: David Dickinson
Att: 6939

Articles

  • Match Report (see below)

Pictures

Match Links

Stats

St MirrenAway TeamCeltic
Possession
Home17%
Away83%
Shots
Home1
Away16
Shots on Target
Home1
Away8
Corners
Home0
Away6
Fouls
Home14
Away7

Articles

Like hyenas preying on wildebeest, Celtic rip apart any notion of St Mirren being their nemesis

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/like-hyenas-preying-on-wildebeest-celtic-rip-apart-any-notion-of-st-mirren-being-their-nemesis-4051456

There was no trend, Ange Postecoglou claimed sniffly, when invited to assess the fact a latest trek to St Mirren Park pitched him up to the only top-flight ground yet to witness a win for his Celtic team. Or even a goal.
Andrew Smith
By Andrew Smith
Going into the 37th minute of the Premiership champions’ Paisley challenge, the possibility of the Australian having spoken too soon was entering thoughts. The concession of an opener from Mark O’Hara – in an echo of Celtic’s 2-0 defeat at the ground in September, albeit this time from the penalty spot – and vice-like clamping of the visitors’ attacking threats by Stephen Robinson’s men had made sure of that.

But Postecoglou’s team now boast substance and slaying properties that have burgeoned across the five months since. And when a red-card costing intervention from St Mirren defender Charles Dunne gave them reason to pique their predatory instincts, they pounced with a bloodlust as if a pack of hyenas preying on a helpless wildebeest.

A five-goal, 35-minute mauling in the second period, during which half-time substitute Liel Abada – on for an ineffectual Dazien Maeda – proved ravenous, Celtic wrought such devastation, the afternoon ended with the visitors bagging a quintet of strikes for the third time in a month, two of these coming against the unfortunate Paisley team.
Celtic’s Oh Hyeon-gyu celebrates after netting from the penalty spot.
Celtic’s Oh Hyeon-gyu celebrates after netting from the penalty spot.

The contest flipped on its head as the result of what those of a home disposition would consider Dunne not using the grey matter in his cranium. But what Postecoglou instead chose to consider was a direct result of Kyogo Furuhashi deploying body and mind to induce a calamatious error. In truth, both explanations were relevant. Dunne was certainly at fault in underhitting a passback to his keeper as he came under pressure from the Japanese striker. The St Mirren centre-back more than compounded this initial mistake by yanking back Furuhashi after he had snuck goalside of him to pounce on the loose ball. Not every forward, though, would have been so alert to set up the panic-stations that led to Dunne doing himself in.

Referee David Dickinson was quick to brandish red but, having initially also pointed to the spot, he was then asked to consult his VAR monitor after operative Andrew Dallas adjudged the contact to have taken place a smidgen outside the penalty area. It was borderline judging from replays. The Celtic manager was terse in his analysis of a system he has little-love for. “It is what it is, mate. It doesn’t miss anything, VAR,” he said in his post-match media, having added “especially with us” in his radio interview minutes before.

No doubt this was a catty reference to the retrospective penalty awarded to St Mirren with which the contest had opened. Loud appeals from the home players had followed an Alex Greive flick coming off the away-from-his body arm of Greg Taylor as the pair tussled just inside the box. Dickinson was unmoved by any protestations but three minutes later, a break in play brought a tannoy announcement that there was an on-going VAR check for a penalty. Communicated to Dickson that he ought to take a look at the manner the ball struck Taylor, television evidence also suggested he arrived at the correct decision in then signalling for a spot-kick. An opportunity for a third goal in as many games against Celtic for O’Hara that the St Mirren captain made count, despite Joe Hart guessing correctly the midfielder would send the ball low to his right.

Even if they were pushed back before Dunne was dismissed, St Mirren will wonder whether they could have repelled Celtic for a further 45 minutes, had they began that period with their full complement as they were tasked with protecting an advantage.
There was some debate over Alistair Johnston’s goal but his manager Ange Postecoglou reckons the Canadian will vehemently claim for it.
There was some debate over Alistair Johnston’s goal but his manager Ange Postecoglou reckons the Canadian will vehemently claim for it.

In truth, the likelihood is that Celtic will still have found a way to win handsomely even in that scenario. The evidence the points to that conclusion is hardly of the scant variety. Not when Celtic re-established their nine-point advantage in the Premiership through recording a 24th win from 25 domestic confrontations without loss since their home-front invincibility was punctured in Paisley. Moreover, the fact the five-goal rampage in little more than half-an-hour means they have hit the net 250 times in their 99 games under Postecoglou demonstrates they are rarely other than meat and drink for 11-strong Scottish opponents.

It still did feel like a major turn of events for them to find goalscoring such a breeze following five halves at St Mirren Park when they had been stymied. The floodgates were prised open come 56 minutes courtesy of the ball being worked rapidly down the right. It led to an Abada back-heel into the bath of Mooy, who pinged a ball over that Jota, sliding in, was able to force over the line messily as Ryan Strain attempted to block. Five minutes later it was 2-1 when Johnston was able to rise O’Hara and head the ball off the back of his opponent and in. There were some post-match chat on Sky that the strike may not have belonged to the Canadian, and so not meant a first goal for him following his arrival in the January transfer window. “Good luck with that,” said the Celtic manager of any moves to deprive the player of a first strike for his new club. “Ali’s been really good for us and I thought he was solid defensively, as he has been, but he was a real threat [today]. He didn’t have to do a lot of defending but he had to do more on the attacking side and he contributed well, particularly with Liel on the right hand side.”

Abada’s driving from that area proved a menace that made a mauling. A dreamy touch took him into the box and allowed him to tee himself up to smash into the corner in the 70th minute, before he crossed for Matt O’Riley to knock-in on the half turn within a further 180 seconds. The flurry was completed by VAR not missing in favour of Celtic, Dickinson awarding a penalty after another trip to his monitor following Oh Hyeon-gyu hitting the deck after a push and pull of his jersey by Alex Gogic. It allowed the South Korean striker to place his name on the scoresheet with a little hop and skip run-up before tucking his 81st-minute penalty into the corner. By then, Celtic were hop, skipping and jumping all over what had early felt like an opponent that could once again prove a nemesis on their own patch.

Celtic lavished with praise for the way they dealt with St Mirren’s ten men – ‘with them it’s different’

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-lavished-with-praise-for-the-way-they-dealt-with-st-mirrens-ten-men-with-them-its-different-4051392

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson looked beyond the shortcomings of his own players in maintaining that Celtic warranted “credit” for making the Paisley side pay for the actions of Charles Dunne in earning a red card 37 minutes in.
Andrew Smith
By Andrew Smith
1 hour ago
Updated 1 hour ago
St Mirren defender Charles Dunne is sent off by referee David Dickinson for fouling Celtic
St Mirren defender Charles Dunne is sent off by referee David Dickinson for fouling Celtic

Robinson had no doubt the defender’s “poor decision” last-man pull on Kyogo Furhashi with his team 1-0 up was they key turning point that allowed Celtic to score five without reply in the second period. But that was not the only facet at play in the 5-1, with the industry and rotations of Ange Postecoglou’s men rendering them unstoppable.

“If you have 11 men against Celtic you have more of a chance, I think that’s stating the obvious,” the St Mirren manager said. “When you have ten men, you have to give them credit as well, they move you about so much. Sometimes the spare man is the centre-half and it’s still the exact same all round the pitch, but with them it’s different. They play their full-backs so narrow and high they are like midfielders and they overload in areas all the time. Ultimately they break you down, they make you tired, they make you make tired decisions defensively, and I think three or four of their goals were tired decisions defensively when they move the ball about.

“Celtic are a very difficult proposition to play against with 11 men. We make the perfect start, it’s our perfect scenario as a team. They have to come out and commit men forward, we play with two centre forwards where we can hit them on the break. You think you’re in total control of it but we’ve made a poor decision when we were in total control of the ball. Ultimately in the second half we lost goals that weren’t because of the 11 men … but because they wear you down. I have to be very clear now that we don’t let that define our season. We’re still very much in control of our destiny. We will reset the boys and there is no blame game here.”

Ange Postecoglou refuses to laud Celtic’s Liel Abada for ‘not throwing toys out of pram’ over team selection
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/ange-postecoglou-refuses-to-laud-celtics-liel-abada-for-not-throwing-toys-out-of-pram-over-team-selection-4051382

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou was cool over commending Liel Abada for not taking the hump amidst a paucity of recent starts on the back of Israeli winger’s match-turning showing as a half-time substitute in the 5-1 Premiership victory away to St Mirren.
Andrew Smith
By Andrew Smith
1 hour ago
Updated 1 hour ago
Liel Abada made a huge difference for Celtic when coming on as a half-time substitute against St Mirren, with the visitors going on to win 5-1 in Paisley.
Liel Abada made a huge difference for Celtic when coming on as a half-time substitute against St Mirren, with the visitors going on to win 5-1 in Paisley.

The Australian was glowing in acknowledging Abada’s impact on a contest that began poorly for Celtic after going behind to a VAR-driven penalty for handball against Greg Taylor, before Charles Dunne was red-carded just before the break. The 21-year-old was central to Celtic captalising on their man advantage across a five-goal second half burst that brought him a 12th strike and seventh assist from a campaign in which he has made the first XI for only 16 of the club’s 39 outings. But Postecoglou was withering over the suggestion the player deserved credit for “not throwing his toys of the pram” owing to his rationed minutes.

“What do you reckon would happen to players who throw their toys out of the pram, mate?” said the 57-year-old, patently not a man open to tolerating any signs of questionable attitude. “He’s a really ambitious guy who wants to be at a big football club. He wants to win things and be the best he can be. That’s exactly where he is at. All our players, particularly the younger ones who want to go on to further opportunities, maybe to a stronger league, do you think they are going to go to a club where they are guaranteed game time? No, so it’s no different here. We are a big club. Nothing is guaranteed. You’ve got to earn everything and these boys do that.

“Liel was really good. It’s important — and it’s a weekly thing — that the guys who come on make an impact. The fact they’re not starting doesn’t affect their mind set. I just thought the way the game was going it was a good game for him to come on into. I knew he would get a bit of space out wide to run at them. He’s handful when he does that and he’s always a goal threat. It doesn’t matter what opposition he is up against. He was really good today. He’s played a lot of football over the last 18 months for us and he’s scored a lot of goals and supplied a lot of assists. He’s still got a way to improve, I’m sure, but again he’s another within the group who just wants to be better. Consistently when he is asked to contribute he makes a contribution.”
PremiershipSt MirrenVAR

Celtic not happy with choice of strip for St Mirren match – ‘I don’t like it either but it is what it is, mate’

It has been well documented that the SMiSA Stadium in Paisley has not been a happy hunting ground for Ange Postecoglou since the Australian arrived in Scottish football.
Mark Atkinson
By Mark Atkinson
18 hours ago
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-not-happy-with-choice-of-strip-for-st-mirren-match-i-dont-like-it-either-but-it-is-what-it-is-mate-4050900
Celtic’s only domestic blemish this season came against the Buddies on their own turf when they put in an uncharacteristically poor performance in the 2-0 Premiership defeat back in September. That reversal follows on from a 0-0 draw in the 2021/22 campaign which means that Postecoglou has not watched his team score a goal on Greenhill Road, never mind pick up a win.

“Yeah, they are a difficult team to play against,” Postecoglou said as he prepares for Sunday’s high-noon league showdown with Stephen Robinson’s men. “If you look at their position in the table you can see they are very consistent. Particularly at home, they have got some great results so yes they are always a challenging opposition. But for us nothing really changes. We just have to play our football and when we do that, when we successfully impose our style upon games we are hard to stop.”

Amid the fallout of losing last year to St Mirren, there was also a mini-stir caused by Celtic wearing their third kit, a silvery grey number. Television viewers did not like it, feeling that it clashed too much with the hosts’ black and white stripes. Postecoglou is also not a fan of the attire, but it will be the same outfit for this match, at the request of match referee David Dickinson.

“I think we are going to play in grey again,” confirmed Postecoglou. “I don’t like it either but it is what it is, mate. I think what people said on the day and what I thought on the day was it is harder to distinguish between players then it would be if there was a clearer distinction between the strips. But it is the referee’s decision and we abide by the referee’s decision.”

When asked if the shirts interfere with the players’ peripheral vision, Postecoglou laughed. “C’mon mate, c’mon,” he said. “There will be numbers on their shorts and socks and I am sure they can tell who is wearing a similar one.” It will help the contrast if St Mirren wear their black away kit, as has been suggested.

Celtic will hope to be wearing grins come 2pm on Sunday. The trip to St Mirren is the start of yet another important week for the club, with a double-header against Hearts coming up, firstly in the league at home on Wednesday and then the Scottish Cup at Tynecastle on Sunday. Those two matches against Robbie Neilson’s team will go a long way to deciding their treble fate after snaring the League Cup last month.

Quizzed on whether it is a good or a bad thing playing the Jambos twice in quick succession, Postecoglou replied: “That is part of the landscape here. That is how it works and what we try to do as a group is not to lump things together but treat every game as a new challenge and an opportunity to improve. When you do that even when you are playing the same opponent again you can still tackle things in a different way. Still have a really strong mindset about it.

“We went through it with Kilmarnock with a league game backing up into the semi-final of the League Cup four days apart. So you kinda understand with the quirk of the fixtures here that is how it happens but we never lump them together. They are different opportunities.”

BBC

By Andy CampbellBBC Sport Scotland

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64775002

2 hours ago2 hours ago.From the section Scottish Premiership
Jota scores for Celtic against St Mirren
Jota’s goal pulled Celtic level before they went on to record a comfortable win

Celtic restored their nine-point Scottish Premiership lead with a ruthless second-half showing against 10-man St Mirren.

Mark O’Hara converted an early penalty for the hosts after VAR ruled Greg Taylor had handled, but the hosts had Charles Dunne sent off for pulling back Kyogo Furuhashi when he was in on goal.

Jota levelled and Alistair Johnston forced the ball in off O’Hara for Celtic’s second, with Liel Abada and Matt O’Riley’s strikes and Oh Hyeon-Gyu’s penalty completing the rout.

With a vastly superior goal difference to nearest challengers Rangers, Celtic effectively need eight more wins from their remaining 11 games to retain their title.

St Mirren remain sixth, having been overtaken by Aberdeen on Saturday.

Keep up to date with St Mirren news
Follow the latest at Celtic

Stephen Robinson’s side are the only domestic opponent to have beaten Celtic this season and home fans sensed the possibility of another landmark win when Alex Greive flicked the ball up and Taylor’s arm connected. The crowd had an extended wait until the next break in play for a VAR review but referee David Dickinson made his mind up quickly and pointed to the spot.

O’Hara struck powerfully to Joe Hart’s right, a third goal in three games against Celtic for the midfielder.

It took Celtic until midway through the first half to get a meaningful attempt, in-form Reo Hatate unable to keep his effort down on this occasion. Jota was next, the winger racing off a Hatate backheel and forcing an excellent save from Trevor Carson at the goalkeeper’s left-hand post.

The pair combined again with Jota’s shot turned wide by the boot of Dunne but the defender’s day was about to take a turn for the worse. His short pass back allowed Kyogo to chase and Dunne pulled back the forward, leaving referee Dickinson with no other option but to produce a red card.

VAR then had to assess whether the foul took place inside our outside the box. Outside was the call, meaning the hosts faced and dealt with a free-kick.

Half-time substitute Abada got more joy on the right side than either Daizen Maeda or Jota had and combined with Aaron Mooy in the run-up to Jota’s goal, the Portuguese winger squeezing the ball over the line despite Ryan Strain’s attempt to clear.

And it was quickly two for the visitors after Jota won a free-kick on the left. Mooy’s delivery to the back post was attacked by Johnston and O’Hara could only carry the ball past Carson.

Celtic could have put the game to bed with their next break as Jota, Kyogo and Abada all had attempts with Carson, Marcus Fraser and Taylor all getting in the way.

But the third duly arrived from Abada, a sumptuous finish from the right-hand side of the box taking his season’s tally to 12.

The winger then turned provider for fellow substitute O’Riley, who turned the deflected cross beyond Carson.

VAR got involved again after Alex Gogic pulled back Oh and the striker took the responsibility himself to net his first league goal for Celtic and second against St Mirren. It was the 250th competitive goal of the Ange Postecoglou reign.
Player of the match – Liel Abada
Liel Abada scores for Celtic against St Mirren
The Celtic winger scored one and set up another in a stunning 45-minute performance, once again proving himself to be one of Postecoglou’s shrewdest signings
Red card makes it a long day for St Mirren – analysis

Of the first-half’s two big turning points, the Dunne red card by far had the biggest impact. Until that point, St Mirren had restricted Celtic. Dunne in particular made a number of interceptions as the hosts left men spare in the box in anticipation of Celtic deliveries from wide areas.

St Mirren did well to make it to half-time ahead, but the sheer amount of possession Celtic had after the break and the impact of Abada turned the match into a routine Celtic win.

Viaplay Cup winners Celtic have won 11 of their 12 matches so far in 2023 and an early title win seems more and more likely.

Last week against Rangers in the cup final, Celtic’s starters had the biggest impact. This week, it was the substitutes. Finding ways to win comes in many forms.
What the managers said

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: “You go 1-0 up, Celtic have a lot of possession and we try and hit them on the break. It was a perfect game plan and it was working. A moment of madness, decision-making has obviously changed the game. We all make mistakes, I’m not going to hang anyone out to dry.

“Celtic are a huge proposition to beat with 11 men, with 10 it becomes virtually impossible. It ends up being damage limitation. We’ll reset ourselves. It’s a set-back. It hasn’t affected our belief. It’s something we can’t let define our season.”

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: “VAR doesn’t miss anything by the looks of it, especially with us. We had to keep our composure. We always know in these kind of games, whether it’s 10 or 11 men, we’ll overrun the opposition. Again, a really good impact from the guys coming on, I thought they were outstanding.

“It would’ve been very easy say at 3-1, for us to just cruise through the rest of the game but it’s not who we are. We’re going right to the final whistle. It doesn’t matter what the opposition are doing and what the context of the game is.”

Match ends, St. Mirren 1, Celtic 5.
90’+5′
Full Time

Second Half ends, St. Mirren 1, Celtic 5.
90’+4′
Post update

Attempt missed. Oh Hyeon-Gyu (Celtic) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Assisted by Matt O’Riley following a corner.
90’+3′
Post update

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Marcus Fraser.
90′
Post update

Foul by Matt O’Riley (Celtic).
90′
Post update

Richard Taylor (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
88′
Post update

Attempt blocked. Liel Abada (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Tomoki Iwata.
88′
Post update

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Fraser Taylor.
81′
Post update

Goal! St. Mirren 1, Celtic 5. Oh Hyeon-Gyu (Celtic) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
80′
Post update

VAR Decision: Penalty Celtic.
79′
Post update

Penalty Celtic. Oh Hyeon-Gyu draws a foul in the penalty area.
79′
Post update

Penalty conceded by Alexandros Gogic (St. Mirren) after a foul in the penalty area.
79′
Post update

Attempt blocked. Sead Haksabanovic (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Liel Abada.
75′
Substitution

Substitution, St. Mirren. Scott Tanser replaces Curtis Main.
74′
Substitution

Substitution, St. Mirren. Fraser Taylor replaces Greg Kiltie.
74′
Substitution

Substitution, Celtic. Tomoki Iwata replaces Aaron Mooy.
72′
Goal!

Goal! St. Mirren 1, Celtic 4. Matt O’Riley (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Liel Abada.
71′
Substitution

Substitution, Celtic. Sead Haksabanovic replaces Jota.
70′
Goal!

Goal! St. Mirren 1, Celtic 3. Liel Abada (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Aaron Mooy.
67′
Post update

Foul by Aaron Mooy (Celtic).
67′
Post update

Mark O’Hara (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
66′
Post update

Delay over. They are ready to continue.
66′
Substitution

Substitution, Celtic. Oh Hyeon-Gyu replaces Kyogo Furuhashi.
66′
Substitution

Substitution, Celtic. Matt O’Riley replaces Reo Hatate.
65′
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Delay in match because of an injury Marcus Fraser (St. Mirren).
64′
Post update

Attempt blocked. Liel Abada (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Aaron Mooy.
62′
Substitution

Substitution, St. Mirren. Tony Watt replaces Ryan Strain.
62′
Substitution

Substitution, St. Mirren. Joe Shaughnessy replaces Thierry Small.
61′
Goal!

Goal! St. Mirren 1, Celtic 2. Alistair Johnston (Celtic) with an attempt from the right side of the six yard box to the top right corner. Assisted by Aaron Mooy with a cross following a set piece situation.
60′
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Jota (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
60′
Post update

Foul by Ryan Strain (St. Mirren).
56′
Goal!

Goal! St. Mirren 1, Celtic 1. Jota (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom left corner.
55′
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Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Thierry Small.
50′
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Greg Taylor (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
50′
Post update

Foul by Curtis Main (St. Mirren).
49′
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Greg Taylor (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
49′
Post update

Foul by Ryan Strain (St. Mirren).
Second Half

Second Half begins St. Mirren 1, Celtic 0.
45′
Substitution

Substitution, Celtic. Liel Abada replaces Daizen Maeda.
45’+5′
Half Time

First Half ends, St. Mirren 1, Celtic 0.

45’+4′
Post update

Attempt saved. Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Reo Hatate.
45’+3′
Post update

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Marcus Fraser.
45’+3′
Post update

Attempt blocked. Reo Hatate (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
45′
Substitution

Substitution, St. Mirren. Richard Taylor replaces Alex Greive.
41′
Post update

Attempt blocked. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jota.
40′
Post update

VAR Decision: No Penalty Celtic.
40′
Post update

Delay in match (Celtic). VAR checking.
38′
Dismissal

Charles Dunne (St. Mirren) is shown the red card.
38′
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Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
38′
Post update

Foul by Charles Dunne (St. Mirren).
37′
Booking

Ryan Strain (St. Mirren) is shown the yellow card.
36′
Post update

Greg Taylor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
36′
Post update

Foul by Ryan Strain (St. Mirren).
36′
Post update

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Charles Dunne.
36′
Post update

Attempt blocked. Jota (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Reo Hatate.
35′
Post update

Attempt blocked. Reo Hatate (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Callum McGregor.
31′
Post update

Foul by Greg Taylor (Celtic).
31′
Post update

Greg Kiltie (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
30′
Post update

Foul by Alistair Johnston (Celtic).
30′
Post update

Thierry Small (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
28′
Post update

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Trevor Carson.
28′
Post update

Attempt saved. Jota (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Reo Hatate.
25′
Post update

Aaron Mooy (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
25′
Post update

Foul by Charles Dunne (St. Mirren).
23′
Post update

Attempt missed. Reo Hatate (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
18′
Post update

Foul by Alistair Johnston (Celtic).
18′
Post update

Mark O’Hara (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
17′
Post update

Jota (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
17′
Post update

Foul by Mark O’Hara (St. Mirren).
16′
Post update

Jota (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
16′
Post update

Foul by Mark O’Hara (St. Mirren).
12′
Post update

Aaron Mooy (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
12′
Post update

Foul by Charles Dunne (St. Mirren).
11′
Post update

Hand ball by Keanu Baccus (St. Mirren).
7′
Post update

Daizen Maeda (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
7′
Post update

Foul by Ryan Strain (St. Mirren).
6′
Post update

Goal! St. Mirren 1, Celtic 0. Mark O’Hara (St. Mirren) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
5′
Post update

Delay over. They are ready to continue.
5′
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VAR Decision: Penalty St. Mirren.
3′
Post update

Penalty conceded by Greg Taylor (Celtic) with a hand ball in the penalty area.

3′
Post update

Foul by Aaron Mooy (Celtic).
3′
Post update

Alexandros Gogic (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
2′
Post update

Greg Taylor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
2′
Post update

Foul by Greg Kiltie (St. Mirren).
1′
Post update

Hand ball by Curtis Main (St. Mirren).
Kick Off

First Half begins.
Posted at 11:2811:28
Post update

Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

St Mirren 1-5 Celtic – Redemption, Songs and Celtic, Putting on the Style
By Paul Gillespie 5 March, 2023 No Comments

St Mirren 1-5 Celtic – Redemption, Songs and Celtic, Putting on the Style

That one started very poorly today and was looking in the first 45 minutes of the match that it would be another one of those days the Celtic supporters would have to endure. The early VAR call by Andrew Dallas to direct David Dickinson to the monitor to review the Greg Taylor handball incident, once again proves the “interpretation” fault that lies within the technology at hand.

That first-half was a reminder of the awful football that is used at times within the Scottish Premiership to try and thwart Angeball. But look at the final results… it’s madness on these managers’ part to employ this type of game management style when they still get hammered the vast majority of the time.

As always, we showed that there is no hiding place and no guarantees when you put ten-men behind the ball and play anti-football. That first half was as pathetic from St Mirren as it was from us. He’s a decent manager as well Robinson but that low-block tactical set-up is just so boring and worn out now it’s a wonder he keeps doing it against us.

On the other decision in the first period of the match, it was 100% a red card for Charles Dunne who sold his team down the river. For me, my initial reaction was that it was a free-kick and having seen it back, I would stick by that decision. However, my issue with this yet again is the inconsistency shown by one Andrew Dallas in the VAR room, whom I seem to recall had given this to his favourite team from Ibrox not that long ago…

Now compare…

Me thinks Baby Dallas is at it!

But to avoid any grey areas: I think both are freekicks.

But what about that second-hand recovery and renaissance from Ange Postecoglou and his intrepid Celtic side? First off, Liel Abada is solid gold and we should be fighting tooth and nail to keep the little Israeli at Parkhead as he’s worth his weight in goals. He totally changed the dynamic of the match and had St Mirren backtracking and on the back foot continually.

The goals were great and showed a real determination and grit to go from one down to an erroneous VAR call, to finishing the game 5-1 against a tricky side at times. Liel’s goal was the pick of the bunch for me and highlighted just how important our whole squad is. The bench this season has been an absolute revelation and has helped us out of a hole on several occasions.

Today will have been another hammer-blow for the 11-year-old club across the city; especially after the energy sapping defeat to us just last week in the League Cup Final. It’s another big step on the road to Two-in-a-row and will give the squad an even bigger boost as we chase down that elusive Treble. We started poorly but showed, as we always do, that this team just doesn’t know when it is beaten. It was a five star showing in that second half from the Bhoys and sets us up nicely for the visit of Hearts midweek in the Scottish Premiership.

Paul Gillespie