Scottish PremiershipSunday, January 5, 2025Celtic Park, GlasgowCELTIC…3(Kuhn 33 & 68, Trusty 43) ST MIRREN…0 The lights may have temporarily gone out in the East End of Glasgow this afternoon but the Celts lit up Paradise as they got back to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over St Mirren thanks to goals from Auston Trusty and a double from Nicolas Kuhn. The champions started the match at a fierce pace, piling pressure on the visitors from the start and with less than two minutes played, Adam Idah almost opened the scoring when Arne Engels sent a good cross in to the box, but Idah’s header crept just wide of the post. Celtic continued to hunt for the opener, winning a number of corners and sending some tempting balls in to the penalty area. The combination of Nicolas Kuhn and Alistair Johnston on the right wing caused all sorts of problems for the St Mirren defence, with the visitors unable to cope with the passing, pace and movement of the pair. Dangerous crosses from Arne Engels were a theme throughout the first 45 minutes, and would, eventually, pay dividends for the Celts. And the Belgian was unlucky not to score direct from a corner just after the 20-minute mark, with Zac Hemming forced to tip Engels’ cross over the bar. The Hoops were rewarded for their impressive start with just over half-an-hour played when Luke McCowan sent a perfect ball out to the left wing and in to the path of Daizen Maeda. The Japanese winger had a look up, spotted Nicolas Kuhn in the box and fired the ball in towards the German’s feet. He made no mistake as he tucked the ball underneath Hemming and in to the back of the net to give the champions a deserved lead. And 10 minutes later, the Celts’ advantage was doubled. This time, the crossing ability of Arne Engels shone through as he whipped a ball in from the corner which was met by Auston Trusty. The American rose highest in the penalty area and thundered a header in to the back of the net, his first Celtic goal and a goal which gave the Hoops a firm grip on the match.Within minutes of the second half starting, the power cut which affected the East End of Glasgow played its part in the match at Celtic Park, with Paradise being plunged in to darkness for a few seconds. Thankfully, the lights came back on and the game was able to get back underway and played to a finish, albeit initially without the use of VAR, which had gone down as a result of the power outage. The Hoops continued to press St Mirren, putting them under pressure as they hunted for a third goal. And when the third eventually came in the 68th minute, it was no surprise that it came from Nicolas Kuhn who put in an excellent performance this afternoon. Engels looked like he might have a chance to finish from close range, but he opted to back-heel the ball towards the back post where Kuhn was waiting to poke the ball beyond Hemming, securing the three points for the champions. Adam Idah thought that he had added a fourth goal a few minutes later when he turned in a rebound from his own shot which had rattled the crossbar, but the linesman flagged for offside, denying Idah what would have been a tidy finish. Despite having very little to do all afternoon, Kasper Schmeichel produced a great save at the end of the game after Jonah Ayunga shot from close range. The resounding victory gives the Celts a huge 13-point lead at the top of the table as Brendan Rodgers and his men prepare for the visit of Dundee United to Celtic Park on Wednesday night.FixturesCeltic Vs. St. Mirren – Sun, Jan 5th 2025, 15:00
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