Celtic further solidified their commanding position at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a dominant 3-0 victory over St Mirren at Celtic Park, extending their lead to 13 points. Brendan Rodgers' side displayed their dominance throughout the match, with St Mirren holding firm until the 33rd minute before Celtic finally broke the deadlock. The opening goal came from Nicolas Kuhn, who pounced on a well-placed assist from Daizen Maeda after a move initiated by Luke McCowan, giving Celtic the lead.
The momentum continued to build for the hosts, and just ten minutes later, they doubled their advantage. Auston Trusty, making his return to the starting lineup, scored with a powerful header from an Arne Engels corner, putting Celtic firmly in control of the game. As the match continued, Kuhn nearly added to his tally with a brilliant counter-attack, launched by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, but St Mirren's Zach Hemming denied him with a superb save.
However, Kuhn wasn’t to be denied. He completed his brace in the 66th minute after a mistake by Hemming, whose mishandling of the ball allowed Kuhn to finish into an empty net. Celtic's dominance was clear, and although Adam Idah's effort was ruled out for offside, it didn’t take away from the fact that Celtic had delivered a commanding performance.
This victory allowed Celtic to increase their lead over second-placed Rangers, who had briefly closed the gap with a 3-0 win in the Old Firm derby earlier in the week. However, Rangers' momentum was halted when they were held to a 3-3 draw against Hibernian in an exciting encounter. Philippe Clement’s side initially seemed in control after taking a 2-0 lead, thanks to two early goals from Hamza Igamane. But Hibernian, led by Martin Boyle, responded strongly, with Boyle scoring two goals, including a penalty after Ianis Hagi fouled Josh Campbell.
Despite Igamane completing his hat-trick with a well-taken first-time finish, Rangers couldn’t find the winner, and Hibernian struck late with an equalizer from Rocky Bushiri, who headed in a corner to make it 3-3. The result left Rangers unable to reduce the gap at the top, and Celtic were able to extend their advantage, further consolidating their position in the league.
As both teams look to build on their performances, Celtic will take great confidence from this victory and their significant lead, while Rangers will be left to regroup after failing to capitalize on their previous success. The race for the Scottish Premiership title remains exciting, but at this stage, Celtic remains firmly in control.
