Match ends, Celtic 4, St. Mirren 0.
CelticCeltic4St MirrenSt Mirren0
Celtic moved a point clear in the Scottish Premiership as Oliver Burke scored his first goals for the club.
Brendan Rodgers' side now lead Kilmarnock, who beat Rangers, after a victory that causes St Mirren to drop to bottom spot.
On-loan West Bromwich Albion forward Burke scored an early header, then added the third after the break.
In between, Scott Sinclair won and converted a penalty, before substitute Timothy Weah completed the scoring.
Visitors St Mirren were well beaten, with Celtic dominant in midfield and brightly creative in the final third.
The movement of Burke, Sinclair and James Forrest, allied to the promptings of Ryan Christie, ensured a comfortable win, and Weah twice almost added to the Celtic's lead before finally making his mark.
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Burke leads from the front
Celtic quickly took command, controlling possession and establishing a foothold in the St Mirren half.
The visitors intended to be well-organised and disciplined, but Celtic's attackers were in no mood to be stifled. Burke led by example.
He is powerful and quick, but there is deftness to his movement. He offered a focal point in attack - and was capable of holding up the ball - but also moved into channels and created space for Sinclair and Forrest to break into from the flanks.
The opening goal demanded striker's instincts, and he moved into the right position inside the penalty area to meet Christie's free-kick and head the ball past Vaclav Hladky, who should have done better than meekly palm the ball into the net.
As Burke led the line, Sinclair became emboldened. One run carried him in from the left and his quick feet befuddled Stephen McGinn, who brought him down. Sinclair converted the penalty and soon after had another effort pushed away by the St Mirren goalkeeper.
Burke was the focal point, though, and one spin on the edge of the area brought the time and space to create an opening for Callum McGregor, who blasted over.
St Mirren tried to be composed on the ball, and there were elements of their play that will have pleased manager Oran Kearney, but they could not contain Celtic.
After the break, Burke added his second when the ball fell to him in the penalty area after McGregor's shot was blocked. Burke finished with composure and power.
He was replaced by Weah, who hit a post - albeit from an offside position - and had another effort saved by Hladky before eventually scoring after a fine through ball by fellow substitute Ewan Henderson.
Celtic in cruise control - analysis
BBC Scotland's Martin Dowden at Celtic Park
A canter, a stroll, a procession. Any of these comfortably describe a Celtic performance in which they were in complete control throughout. The only surprise was that they did not significantly add to their tally as they camped for long spells in the opposition half.
Of course, Celtic will face stiffer opposition but all of a sudden they appear to have considerable options up front with more to be integrated in the coming weeks.
Burke, in particular, he must be thrilled at getting games and taking advantage after a frustrating time at West Bromwich Albion. He relished the standing ovation he received when replaced by Weah, who has also made an immediate impact.
This was a night to forget for the travelling support, though, with a lot of work ahead for Kearney.
'We challenge the lads to bounce back' - reaction
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "I said to the players that it's always the mark of good teams that you play well at the weekend but then put in a better performance in your midweek game.
"I thought defensively we worked very hard, compact, pressed the game well, very co-ordinated, then really worked the ball well, showing patience but also the ability to create chances."
St Mirren manager Oran Kearney: "You have to pay respect to the level they're at and to come here and go gung ho you can easily get spanked six, seven, eight.
"It's the second time [St Mirren moved to the bottom] this season [but] there's a huge amount of football to be played."
Line-ups
Celtic
- 29Bain
- 23Lustig
- 35Ajer
- 32BenkovicBooked at 58mins
- 3Izaguirre
- 8Brown
- 42McGregor
- 49Forrest
- 17ChristieSubstituted forHendersonat 71'minutes
- 11Sinclair
- 25BurkeSubstituted forWeahat 64'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Gordon
- 5Simunovic
- 6Bitton
- 15Hayes
- 30Weah
- 52Henderson
- 73Johnston
St Mirren
- 1Hladky
- 2McGinn
- 15Baird
- 16PopescuBooked at 88mins
- 39Erhahon
- 21HodsonSubstituted forKellermanat 17'minutesSubstituted forMcAllisterat 72'minutes
- 22Tansey
- 14Lyons
- 4McGinn
- 8Flynn
- 20CookeSubstituted forJacksonat 59'minutes
Substitutes
- 11Jackson
- 17Kellerman
- 23McAllister
- 26Holmes
- 35Ferdinand
- Referee:
- Euan Anderson
- Attendance:
- 54,821
Match Stats
Home TeamCelticAway TeamSt Mirren
- Possession
- Home72%
- Away28%
- Shots
- Home20
- Away1
- Shots on Target
- Home9
- Away1
- Corners
- Home8
- Away2
- Fouls
- Home14
- Away9
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Celtic 4, St. Mirren 0.
Post update
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Simeon Jackson.
Post update
Attempt blocked. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Post update
Attempt saved. James Forrest (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Post update
Attempt missed. Mikael Lustig (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high.
Post update
Attempt saved. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Booking
Mihai Popescu (St. Mirren) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Timothy Weah (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Mihai Popescu (St. Mirren).
Goal!
Goal! Celtic 4, St. Mirren 0. Timothy Weah (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ewan Henderson.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Post update
Foul by Ewan Henderson (Celtic).
Post update
Greg Tansey (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Corner, St. Mirren. Conceded by Ewan Henderson.
Post update
Corner, St. Mirren. Conceded by Kristoffer Ajer.
Post update
Attempt missed. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Post update
Timothy Weah (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Mihai Popescu (St. Mirren).
