Celtic restored a 13-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership this afternoon with a comfortable win over St Mirren at Celtic Park.
Brendan Rodgers made four changes to the Celtic team that left Ibrox empty-handed in the Glasgow Derby defeat just three days earlier.
Out went Liam Scales, Paulo Bernardo, Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi as Rodgers gave starts to Arne Engels, Luke McCowan, Auston Trusty and Adam Idah.
And those changes worked as Celtic ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in a game that the Bhoys dominated for much of the game.
Celtic players ratings vs St Mirren as a 13-point gap opens up from Rangers
Kasper Schmeichel – 6
The big Danish international didn’t have much to do but did make a save in the first half. His passing was crisp as he tried to release Celtic on a quick counterattack in the Parkhead win.
Alistair Johnston – 6
The Canadian defender had a much better game against the Paisley side as he caused problems with Nicolas Kuhn on the Hoops’ right flank. Was solid in defence and starved the St Mirren winger of any real service.
Cameron Carter-Vickers – 6
Carter-Vickers was solid enough as he nullified the threat of St Mirren’s Toyosu Olusanya. Passing was excellent as Celtic looked much more solid from the Ibrox shambles.
Auston Trusty – 8
Auston Trusty was restored to the Celtic first team in place of Liam Scales and he repaid Rodgers with his first goal in the green and white Hoops. Didn’t really have that much to do as the Bhoys dominated the play but will find confidence in his performance and goal.
Greg Taylor – 6
Despite the speculation surrounding the defender’s Celtic future, Taylor put in another good shift on Celtic’s left flank. Linked up well with Daizen Maeda as he made numerous efforts to create space in that inverted fullback role.
Callum McGregor – 7
The Celtic captain dictated the play and was solid in the centre of the Hoops midfield. Offered more support from Luke McCowan and Arne Engels as he looked back to his best.
Luke McCowan – 7
A rare start for the former Dundee captain and was instrumental in creating the opening for Celtic’s first goal with a fine pass to Daizen Maeda for Nicolas Kuhn’s finish. Got 70 minutes under his belt and has done his chances of a start against Dundee United midweek.
Arne Engels – 8
The Belgian looked dangerous as he tried penetrating runs through the heart of the midfield to break down a dogged St Mirren defence. Engels’ delivery from set pieces was excellent and was unlucky not to score from a corner as he created Trusty’s opener from the set piece.
Nicolas Kuhn – 9
Nicolas Kuhn looked dangerous from the first whistle as the German winger looked to threaten the St Mirren defence. He was a pest the whole game and got his two goals as Kuhn was clearly itching to put that poor Ibrox performance behind him.
Daizen Maeda – 8
The Celtic winger caused St Mirren all sorts of problems as his pace and power left the Paisley side’s defence in his wake. Full of energy and was unlucky not to open the scoring in the first five minutes. Created the assist for Kuhn’s opener after latching on to McCowan’s through ball.
Adam Idah – 6
Another rare start for the Irishman as he was preferred to Kyogo but couldn’t really put his stamp on the game. Worked hard and also put in a defensive shift. Was almost rewarded with a goal but it was ruled offside.
Reo Hatate- 5 (sub)
Brought on in the 71st minute but never really made an impact on the game. Will have a fight on his hands to win his place back in the Celtic first team after the performance of Engels and McCowan.
Hyunjun Yang – 6 (sub)
Created one chance in the 20-odd minutes he was on the pitch but, in truth, will probably need to settle for more time on the Celtic bench after Maeda and Kuhn’s performances today.
Kyogo Furuhashi – 5 (sub)
Got just over ten minutes as he replaced Idah and fashioned one chance but never really had much to do or had the opportunity to make a material impact on the game.
Luis Palma – 4 (sub)
A rare appearance for the Honduran but didn’t get enough time to prove to Brendan Rodgers he still has a future at Celtic
