Celtic Secure Narrow Victory Over St Mirren in Tense Premiership Clash
On a day where anything less than a win was simply unthinkable for Celtic, Martin O'Neill's side scrambled to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over St Mirren at Celtic Park. The result keeps their Scottish Premiership title defence alive, though the performance left much to be desired.
Results Over Performances at This Critical Stage
We are now at that stage of the season where results matter far more than performances—a fortunate reality for a Celtic team that remains largely unconvincing. On the overall balance of play, they just about deserved the three points, but were made to sweat and toil by a progressive and well-organised St Mirren side who strained every sinew in their own bid to avoid the relegation play-off spot.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's early goal might have been expected to provide Celtic with a platform for a more comfortable afternoon. Instead, they retreated into a defensive shell at times, particularly during a spell in the second half when St Mirren looked the likelier side, though they failed to seriously test home goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo.
Oxlade-Chamberlain's Moment of Quality
Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn't made the impact O'Neill might have hoped for when he recruited the former Liverpool and Arsenal man as a free agent in February, but the 32-year-old still possesses flashes of star quality. Before putting Celtic in front, he had already displayed his technical prowess with a sweetly struck volley beyond St Mirren goalkeeper Shamal George, after the keeper parried a long-range shot from Callum McGregor. That effort was quickly and correctly ruled out for offside.
There was no dispute over his 16th-minute breakthrough, which came in similar circumstances. St Mirren had actually settled into the game after a difficult start but were undone when another McGregor shot was blocked by Alex Gogic, whose fellow defenders were slow to react to the loose ball. Oxlade-Chamberlain was onto it like a flash and whipped an emphatic low finish beyond the helpless George.
St Mirren's Resilient Display
If the home fans expected an onslaught to follow, they were disappointed. While Celtic dominated possession, St Mirren dug in and kept the ball with good composure whenever it came their way. Mikael Mandron should have done better than head wide from a Miguel Freckleton cross as the visitors indicated they would carry a threat of their own.
They suffered a blow, however, in the 32nd minute when George was hurt in a painful clash with Tomas Cvancara as he bravely challenged the big Czech striker, who was trying to get on the end of Daizen Maeda's low ball across the face of the six-yard box. George was unable to continue after lengthy treatment and was replaced by former Celtic youth player Ryan Mullen.
Growing Anxiety for Celtic
Celtic looked increasingly nervy as the first half ticked into six minutes of stoppage time, and Liam Donnelly almost grabbed a leveller for Saints when he headed narrowly over from Declan John's corner. The anxiety levels continued to escalate for the hosts after the break. There was a lack of fluidity in their work, while St Mirren grew in confidence and ambition, albeit without being able to create clear-cut openings.
Cvancara delivered yet another underwhelming display up front for Celtic, and the Borussia Moenchengladbach loanee was replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho for the final half-hour. The Nigerian's fitness issues make his inability to play the full 90 minutes another source of concern for O'Neill, who has already conceded that Celtic's striking problems mean they have no chance of winning the title on goal difference if it comes down to it.
Missed Opportunities and Tense Finish
Iheanacho did show he could still have a crucial role to play when he came off the bench to grab the winner at Dundee last Sunday, and the former Manchester City man had an opportunity to ease the tension for Celtic here. He was picked out by Maeda's low cross from the left but miscued his near-post effort and sent it wide from inside the six-yard box.
Celtic ultimately saw the game out and proceeded on a lap of honour to acknowledge their supporters. As they reached the Green Brigade section, new banners were unfurled reading 'Celtic Board - Unfit For Purpose' and 'Unbowed, Unbroken'. Unity, it seems, is still very much a fragile concept at Celtic Park.
Looking Ahead
It remains difficult to envisage this Celtic side putting together a run of five straight wins when the post-split fixtures commence in a fortnight, even if three of their games are at home. Yet they are still in there pitching and have a degree of tenacity under O'Neill which means they remain contenders for a Premiership and Scottish Cup double. To win the latter, they will need to overcome St Mirren again at Hampden next Sunday, and that is no foregone conclusion.
Interim Saints boss Craig McLeish oversaw another admirable display from his players here, which will give him belief they can steer clear of that dreaded 11th place in the table. They are now just two points clear of Kilmarnock but look to have enough to survive.
Celtic's decision to welcome the unrepentant Green Brigade back to the stadium, with the ultras group even demanding an apology from the club in response to the news their five-month ban was being lifted, was perhaps an exercise in pragmatism by the board of directors. Whatever the politics of the situation, there was certainly a more buoyant and noisy atmosphere inside Celtic Park as the defending champions sought to build a sense of unity on and off the pitch for the title run-in.
