HIGH FIVE
St Mirren 2 Celtic 5: Yang bags twice off the bench as Celts go sweet 16 points clear with goal-filled win in Paisley
The Buddies hit back at the Hoops twice but the champions eventually muscled past the hosts
CELTIC went nap for the second time in five days to edge closer to the title flag.
But the scoreline didn’t tell the whole story of a pulsating Paisley encounter.
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Loan left-back Jeffrey Schlupp fired Celtic in front but Declan John levelled from a free-kick.
Celtic went in at the break ahead thanks to Arne Engels’ penalty but battling Saints equalised for the second time through Killian Phillips.
Both sides had opportunities but Celtic grabbed the points thanks to sub Hyunjun Yang’s strike, which was followed by Daizen Maeda’s 13th goal in his last twelve games, before Yang added a late fifth.
The scoreline was very harsh on a home side who contributed plenty to an end-to-end game - but who, like so many this season, had to answer to the quality Celtic had all over the park.
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Not just ON the bobbly SMISA Stadium pitch, either. Luke McCowan and Hyun-jun Yang came off the bench and made big contributions to their side’s victory.
Saints went into the game having scored just five home goals against Celtic in the last TEN years.
The Verdict
How they rated
St Mirren: Zach Hemming 6, Ryan Alebiosu 6, Marcus Fraser 6, Alex Gogic 6, Richard Taylor 6, Declan John 6, Caolan Boyd-Munce 6, Mark O’Hara 6, Killian Phillips 7, Toyosi Olusanya 7, Mikael Mandron 7
Subs: James Scott (Mandron 57) 4, Greg Kiltie (Phillips 76) 4, Owen Oseni (Olusanya 76) 4, Roland Idowu (Boyd-Munce 82) 3
Celtic: Kasper Schmeichel 6, Alistair Johnston 6, Cameron Carter-Vickers 6, Auston Trusty 5, Jeffrey Schlupp 8, Callum McGregor 7, Reo Hatate 6, Nicolas Kuhn 6, Arne Engels 7, Daizen Maeda 6, Adam Idah 5
Subs: Liam Scales (Trusty 24) 5, Hyunjun Yang (McGregor 64) 6, Luke McCowan (Kuhn 64) 6, Jota (Idah 64) 4, Johnny Kenny (Maeda 90) 1
MAN OF THE MATCH Celtic had plenty of candidates, with Arne Engels showing in flashes, Daizen Maeda his usual non-stop self and sub Hyunjun Yang a big contributor off the bench. But Jeffrey Schlupp is growing into more and more of an influential performer, especially going forward. His goal was richly deserved for a hard-working shift down the left flank and he always looked comfortable, both as a full-back and as a creative force.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE Matthew MacDermid was kept busy in a hectic encounter which had a series of VAR inspections on incidents at both ends. To be fair to him, he did a decent job in handling the frenetic pace of the game, even if he mysteriously blanked a blatant foul on Kuhn on the edge of the Celtic box in the second-half. That aside, no complaints. Booked home trio Gogic, Phillips and Fraser for fouls.
MEN IN THE DUGOUT Brendan Rodgers’s defence was given a test by Saints’ powerhouse frontline and he will know the scoreline didn’t reflect the way the game went. But once again their quality carried the day and saw them home with a bit to spare. Stephen Robinson will know his players gave their lot and he’ll be bemused at the emphatic scoreline which didn’t reflect how much resistance his side put up.
But they had the better chances in a terrific first-half and created a few openings overall against a Celtic defence who - like their Old Firm rivals Rangers a week before - toiled against two physical strikers.
You would have got long odds on the game’s first two goalscorers - with their first goals for their respective clubs - being the opposing left-backs.
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But Schlupp had already shown his attacking value to Celtic before he struck.
The action started practically straight from the off, with Mikael Mandron firing over from Phillps’ cross inside 90 seconds.
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Schlupp then got in on the action, seeing his right-foot drive saved by Zach Hemming.
Reo Hatate blasted yards over the top after good leading-up work from Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah before another Schlupp incursion teed up Maeda, who fired over the top from close range.
Crystal Palace loanee Schlupp continued to be an influential performer and Engels should have done better than firing his curling back-post cross over.
After their bright start, Saints had been pinned back but they served notice of their threat when Caolan Boyd-Munce’s pass saw Toyosi Olusanya beat Auston Trusty for pace - but Kasper Schmeichel saved his effort.
Saints came closer to breaking the deadlock in their next attack. Marcus Fraser’s pass freed Alebiosu and though his cross was touched away by Schmeichel, it fell for Mark O’Hara but the diving Dane reacted smartly to save his rebound.
Trusty had been having problems with St Mirren’s physical front pairing and after a clash of heads with Mandron he had to be replaced by Liam Scales.
But he had no sooner arrived then Celtic were in front. Kuhn’s run across the pitch wasn’t tracked by Saints and from his pass, Schlupp beat Hemming with a drive that went in off the post.
But St Mirren were behind for only four minutes. Scales’ body-check on Phillips earned them a free-kick on the edge of the box and John’s pin-point free-kick went in off the underside of the bar.
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Suddenly Saints’ tails were up and Celtic’s defence looked wobbly. Richard Taylor’s long ball sent Olusanya in on Schmeichel and though he got there before the out-rushing Celts keeper, his touch drifted wide of the post.
The home side looked to be in the ascendancy but they gifted Celtic a half-time lead two minutes before the break.
Alebiosu’s challenge on Daizen Maeda was as daft as they come and a stone-wall spot-kick. Engels rolled it down the middle to restore Celtic’s lead.
But Alebiosu, to his credit, didn’t let his moment of rashness bother him. Two minutes after the re-start his run set up Phillips and though he didn’t make clean contact, his effort bounced up off the surface over Schmeichel and in to make it 2-2.
Suddenly it was St Mirren who looked a threat. Olusanya - who’s set to leave the club at the conclusion of his contract this summer - might have done better when he failed to make proper contact with Fraser’s cross and the ball trickled tamely wide.
Brendan Rodgers seemed to sense the way the initiative had drifted away from his side and he turned to his bench and sent on Jota, Hyunjun Yang and Luke McCowan, with Kuhn, McGregor and the ineffective Idah removed.
It proved a smart move. Yang had only been on four minutes when he took advantage of space in the home box to restore Celtic’s lead, turning in Hatate’s cross.
His fellow sub McCowan also came close to extending Celtic’s advantage but saw his drive scrambled away by Hemming as Maeda closed in on the rebound.
But St Mirren were far from finished and the home fans held their breath when Richard Taylor rose above the Celtic defence and powered in a header from Mark O’Hara’s corner that went narrowly wide.
The nature of the game was that it immediately sped to the other end, with Yang first having what looked like a nice finish flagged offside then McCowan receive Hatate’s pass and see his thunderous drive beat Hemming but rebound from the post.
Celtic then sealed the points, and there was little surprise about the identity of the scorer.
Yang’s through ball was expertly gathered by Maeda and he clinically slotted in his 26th Celtic goal of the season to make it 4-2.
And Celtic’s famed relentlessness saw them add a fifth in stoppage time, Yang scoring his third goal in two games from Schlupp’s cross.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
St Mirren XI: Hemming, Alebiosu, Taylor, O'Hara, Mandron, Goic, Boyd-Munce, Olusanya, Fraser, John, Philipps
Celtic XI: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Schlupp, McGregor, Engels, Hatate, Kuhn, Maeda, Idah
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