Celtic extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 14 points with a 4-0 win over St Mirren this afternoon.
The visitors hit the post twice in the first half but had to wait until the 53rd minute to finally break the deadlock as Charlie Mulgrew steered his shot into the bottom corner.
Anthony Stokes added a second shortly afterwards, while Kris Commons scored two goals in as many minutes to cap off a fine second half performance for the Bhoys.
You can read how Celtic kept a seventh consecutive league clean sheet and won their ninth Premiership match in a row with Sports Mole's live coverage of the game below.
Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Scottish Premiership match between St Mirren and Celtic. Celtic are running away with the league at the moment, but today's match may not be as straightforward as it first appears. Let's take a look why...
We'll start with a look at our hosts, who are in real danger of missing out on a place in the top six unless their results improve quickly. They have shown that they are capable of pulling off big results, such as beating Dundee United 4-1, but they followed that up with a draw against Hearts and a loss to Kilmarnock in their last outing.
They currently sit ninth in the table having won just once in their last five games, a run of results made all the more disappointing by the fact that it came off the back of a spell of just one defeat in 10 games. They are seven points behind sixth place, although they do have a game in hand over most of the teams in the league.
Three points today would lift them up a spot in the Scottish Premiership, leapfrogging Kilmarnock into eighth for at least a few hours as Kilmarnock don't play until 3pm. To do that, however, they will need to improve a number of factors - not least their goalscoring ability. Only one team outside the bottom two have found the net fewer times that St Mirren's 20 in 19 games this season which, coming up against a formidable Celtic defence, doesn't bode well for the hosts.
Their defence is good compared to those around them in the table, but that will also have to improve if they plan to launch an assault on the top six. They have conceded 30 goals in their 19 matches so far this season - the lowest number in the bottom five - but the next worst record in the top seven is just 25 goals conceded.
The visit of Celtic is always going to be a tough occasion, but St Mirren will take confidence from their recent record at St Mirren Park. They are unbeaten in their last eight home matches, winning four and drawing four, and have only conceded two goals in their last five games in front of their own fans.
However, it is fair to say that Celtic are a much different proposition to any other side in the league. They have run riot since Rangers were relegated to the bottom flight a couple of seasons ago, and this season look to be even more unstoppable than usual. They are unbeaten in the league in their opening 19 matches and it is hard to see who could stop that run.
They come into this match in magnificent form in terms of results, winning their last eight league games and not conceding in their last six, while both record extend an extra game when you include their 7-0 victory in the cup recently. However, despite persistent wins and clean sheets, the level of performance has dropped of late and while they were winning by three or four goals before, they are now winning by one or two. Still, that is a nice 'problem' to have as a manager.
Unsurprisingly given their form and unbeaten record, Celtic are the runaway leaders in the Premiership, leading second-placed Motherwell by 11 points after just 19 games. They have picked up a staggering 51 points from a possible 57 this season, and have only dropped two points on their travels in the current campaign. They have won their last five away games and have not conceded in their last three.
Needless to say, they are the top scorers in the division with 41 goals from their 19 games - five more than the next highest scorers - and they also have the best defensive record in the league, conceding just 12 goals all season. That is, again, the best in the Premiership by five goals.
Celtic have only lost in the Champions League and the League Cup this season, with the latter most certainly a low point for them as they were beaten 1-0 by Greenock Morton after extra time at Celtic Park. That they lost in the Champions League is no surprise given the quality of opposition they were up against but, other than that, and that blip in the league cup, Celtic have been unbeatable this season. Incredibly, they have not been behind in an SPFL match since November 2, when they rescued a point against Dundee United.
TEAM NEWS: Time to bring you some team news, I think. Well, there isn't really much to say in terms of changes. Celtic make just the one as Anthony Stokes replaces Teemu Pukki in the side, while St Mirren field the same XI that lost to Kilmarnock on Thursday. Full team news for both sides on the way.
ST MIRREN STARTING XI: Kello, Naismith, McAusland, Newton, Kelly, Campbell, McGregor, McGinn, Thompson, McGowan, Grainger
CELTIC STARTING XI: Forster, Matthews, Ambrose, van Dijk, Izaguirre, Forrest, Brown, Ledley, Mulgrew, Stokes, Commons
PREDICTION: With Celtic in such good form and St Mirren struggling at the wrong end of the table, the temptation is to plump for a comfortable away win. However, this won't be an easy game for the visitors. They have scraped results in their last few matches and St Mirren are a good side at home. I wouldn't be too surprised if this ended up as a draw, but I'm going to go for a 2-0 win for Celtic.
Celtic will be delighted that Joe Ledley is available for today's game. He was a major doubt going into the match but has been deemed fit enough to play from the start. For St Mirren, McGinn was also a doubt but he too starts the match having passed a late fitness test.
The last time this two teams met it ended in a 1-1 draw here, so St Mirren will know that they have a chance today. They will also be fully aware that they beat Celtic 3-2 here in January of last year in the League Cup semi-final, ending the Bhoys' treble dreams in the process.
Celtic's recent downturn in form could be put down to fatigue given their punishing schedule in the Champions League in addition to domestic duties. However, everything is relative and their 'downturn in form' has resulted in maximum points, so I wouldn't look too far into that.
KICKOFF: Celtic get us started today as they look to extend their winning streak to nine league games in a row. Can they do it, or will St Mirren stop the Celtic juggernaut?
Commons skips away from his man and has plenty of green grass to run in to. He looks up and tries to find Stokes in the middle, but his low pass doesn't have enough on it and is easily cleared. Fast start to this match from both sides.
Celtic are starting to gain control of this one now, but it was been a spirited opening from St Mirren. They certainly aren't overawed by their more illustrious opponents and are flying into tackles and making their mark in the early stages.
Celtic have a couple of corners in quick succession and, while the first is easily held by the keeper, the second causes a few more problems. It was played short before eventually being whipped into the box, where it was met by Stokes. He leapt higher than the defence but couldn't steer his effort towards goal.
There is certainly an increased energy about Celtic than there has been in recent weeks. It is one-way traffic at the moment as Celtic pour forward with wave after wave of attacks, but they are yet to really test Kello in the St Mirren goal.
The hosts are working extremely hard off the ball, but they are chasing shadows for the most part. You'd have to think that they would tire eventually if it carries on like this, and that is when the chances will come for Celtic.
St Mirren launch a rare attack and Thompson looks for a moment as if he is in a good shooting position, but his first touch lets him down and forces him too wide. Eventually the move breaks down, but that is better from the hosts.
The hosts have definitely improved in the last few minutes and Celtic are no longer having things all their own way. St Mirren are enjoying a decent amount of the ball now and Celtic are finding it much harder to break through the hosts' defence.
Mulgrew delivers a wicked cross from the left that Kello has to deal with. He flaps at it a little, but just gets enough on the ball to divert it away from Stokes, who is coming in at the back post.
Celtic made a very bright start to this match but have taken their foot off the pedal a bit in the last five minutes or so. Neil Lennon is furious at that, and is making sure his players know it from the sideline.
Some nice football from St Mirren almost sees McGinn race through on goal, but he slipped right at the crucial moment to allow the defence to nip in and clear the danger.
Promising play from the hosts down the right as Sean Kelly gets a chance to cross the ball into the box. His initial touch is terrible and Scott Brown looks like he will clear it, but his wild swing at the ball missed too, handing Kelly another chance. This time he completes his cross, but it is overhit and goes out for a goal kick.
St Mirren have been the better side for a good 10 minutes or so now, but despite both teams having time in control of the match, neither keeper has been worked yet.
Ambrose makes a vital interception as he puts Naismith's cross behind for a corner with Thompson lurking dangerously behind him. He was stretching for that one but just got enough on it to make sure the clearance was a good one and not one that could put his side in even more trouble.
OFF THE POST! That is the closest we have come to a goal by some distance. It is good football from Celtic as Commons flicks the ball inside for Mulgrew, who just tries to pass the ball into the bottom corner. It was a decent effort, but it thumped back off the foot of the post and into the grateful arms of the keeper.
Commons swings a corner in towards the front post where Van Dijk is attacking. The defenders meets it, but it was at an awkward height and his attempted volley skewed the wrong way and fell at the feet of a defender, who was able to clear.
That Mulgrew effort that came back off the post seems to have galvanised Celtic a little, and they are now attacking with more confidence and look a lot more dangerous. Ominous signs for the hosts.
Good play from Forrest down the right as he beats his full-back to reach the byline. He plays a low cross into a dangerous area, but it is well defended and cleared behind for another corner.
OFF THE POST! Oh, how has that one not gone in?! Commons almost has his back to goal as he digs out a looping effort that goes over the keeper and hits the same post that Mulgrew hit moments ago. This time it comes off the inside of the woodwork and trickles across the line before going out for a corner. What an effort that was from Commons, who is so unlucky not to have given his side the lead.
YELLOW CARD! The first booking of the match goes the way of Scott Brown, and he can have no complaints. It was a cynical challenge to stop the hosts from breaking away, and the Bhoys skipper would have known he was going into the book before even making the tackle.
St Mirren have certainly held their own against the champions so far today, but even they would have to admit that they are fortunate not to be behind. Celtic have hit the post twice, both with efforts that looked destined to nestle into the corner.
Neither goalkeeper has had a save to make so far this afternoon, unless you count Kello collecting the rebound from Mulgrew's effort that hit the post. There hasn't been enough quality in the final third from either side really, especially the hosts.
The two Celtic centre-backs have had a fairly easy time of it so far, but there is just a hint of Campbell's pace being able to cause them problems. If the hosts can exploit that mismatch more often then they would have more success.
CHANCE! Ledley begins a move on the edge of the St Mirren box before moving unmarked into the box for the return cross. The delivery is just too high for him, but Commons is there at the back post to header a couple of yards over under pressure from a defender.
Celtic could do with getting Commons on the ball a little more often. He has looked like their most dangerous player today, showing flashes of skill to beat defenders as well as producing that fine effort that hit the post just over 10 minutes ago.
The hosts are awarded a free kick within shooting distance, although the angle is slightly against whoever decides to go for it. It is Grainger who steps up, but his curling effort ends up a few yards over the bar.
HALF TIME: St Mirren 0-0 Celtic
The referee blows his whistle right on 45 minutes, with not even one second of added time. St Mirren and Celtic go into the break goalless after an intriguing half that wasn't blessed with a plethora of scoring chances. Both sides enjoyed spells in the ascendancy and, overall, it was an even half of football.
While it was quite even in general play, St Mirren are fortunate to still be level at the break. They couldn't turn their pressure into chances, and Forster did not have anything to do in that opening 45 minutes. Kello in the hosts' goal didn't have too much more to do, but the visitors have hit the post twice, through Charlie Mulgrew and Kris Commons.
Mulgrew's effort came at the end of a good move from Celtic, with Commons flicking the ball inside for the left-back, who steered his shot onto the foot of the post. Commons came even closer a few minutes later as he looped a fabulous effort over the keeper that struck the inside of the post and rolled across the line before going out for a corner.
It is quite clear why Celtic have not won by more than a goal in four of their last five games. Apart from the start of the match, the visitors have looked quite laboured in attack and aren't really aggressive enough. However, they showed in their two shots that hit the woodwork that they can score a goal even when not playing their best football.
It is also easy to see why they haven't conceded in so long. Despite St Mirren having a decent amount of the ball, Forster has not been troubled and the defence have dealt with everything very comfortably. Van Dijk and Ambrose seem to be immovable objects in the middle, and Thompson and Campbell have not posed any real threats to their dominance so far.
I said before the game that this one would not be an easy match for Celtic, and that is certainly the case so far. However, this one just has the feeling of a Celtic win, no matter how well St Mirren are holding their own. It has 1-0 or 2-0 Celtic written all over it in my opinion.
Neil Lennon will be urging his side to show more energy in attack in the second half. They started really brightly and it was one-way traffic in the opening 10 minutes or so. However, they seemed to take their foot off the pedal a little and that allowed St Mirren back into this match.
KICKOFF: St Mirren get us back underway for the second half. Can they build on their first-half performance and become the first team to beat Celtic in the league this season? The next 45 minutes will provide the answer!
Mulgrew plays an awful cross-field ball that doesn't even make it halfway across the pitch before being picked off. Luckily for him, the subsequent pass from St Mirren is equally poor and easy for Ambrose to deal with. It has been so easy for the Celtic defenders today.
McGregor bursts down the unfamiliar position of the left wing, but the centre-back must have got a nosebleed from being so far up the pitch as he ran it straight out of play before falling over on the sidelines! Back into the middle of defence he goes, probably to stay for a while.
There doesn't seem to be much more urgency in this second half performance than there was in the first for Celtic. You have to wonder whether the ease with which they are running away with the title has made them complacent of late.
GOAL! St Mirren 0-1 Celtic (Charlie Mulgrew)
Of course, just as I say that, Matthews shows great urgency to burst into the box, beating a couple of defenders in the process before backheeling it Mulgrew. He takes a touch before steering it into the bottom corner and, while his one in the first half bounced back out off the post, this one nestled into the net via the post. That is the first shot on target in this match, and it is a familiar scoreline for Celtic.
Commons looks to double his side's lead straight away, progressing into the box and finding space to shoot. However, his effort is disappointing as he blast high and wide of Kello's goal.
Good defending from Ambrose as he gets a vital foot to a Newton cross, narrowly beating Thompson to the ball. That was just about as tough a task as he has had to do today, and he pulled it off expertly.
GOAL! St Mirren 0-2 Celtic (Anthony Stokes)
Celtic are in complete control now! A second goal in the space of five minutes for the Bhoys gives them a comfortable cushion over the hosts now. Ledley fed the ball to an unmarked Stokes, who took a touch inside the box before curling it into the bottom corner. It was a very neat finish from the striker, who had now scored 100 career goals.
That was poor defending from the hosts in the build-up to that goal. I think it was McGregor who drifted into the middle when Ledley had the ball, leaving Stokes all alone with time and space to pick his spot and apply the finish.
Suddenly, the game is being played with a completely different feeling. Celtic look like those two goals have whet their appetite for more, and while they didn't really look dangerous before you wouldn't bet against them extending their lead here. St Mirren, meanwhile, seem deflated now.
Lovely football from the visitors as Ledley, Stokes and Commons combine on the edge of the area. The final pass just lets them down, however, as Commons's lay-off to Ledley was too hard and robbed the midfielder of a shooting opportunity.
Mulgrew plays the ball out to Izaguirre on the left, and the low cross picks out Brown in the area. The skipper mis-hits his shot and it bounces back to another yellow shirt, causing a bit of a scramble in the area. Eventually, the ball loops up and Brown gets his head to it, but can only steer his effort wide.
Inventive play from Kello as he comes out to claim a cross, but volleys it clear rather than going to catch it. It isn't a tactic I would recommend to goalkeepers on a regular basis, but it worked effectively there.
WHAT A SAVE! What an effort, and what a save! A corner was nodded back by Mulgrew to Brown on the edge of the box, and he unleashes a ferocious shot with his supposedly weaker left foot. It is flying towards the top corner, but Kello springs to his left and makes a superb shot to deny the Celtic skipper a screamer.
GOAL! St Mirren 0-3 Celtic (Kris Commons)
That is surely game over now. Izaguirre delivers a high, hanging cross that takes the keeper out of the equation and finds Commons storming in at the back post. He produces a diving header into the large part of the goal that Kello has left open, scoring his 50th goal for the club in the process. That wasn't great goalkeeping, to be honest.
GOAL! St Mirren 0-4 Celtic (Kris Commons)
The goals are flying in now! Commons has a second in as many minutes as he hammers a Forrest cutback into the top corner. He was moving at pace when he hit that from just inside the area, so it was a really good finish from him. If it wasn't game over at 3-0, it certainly is now.
Celtic will extend their unbeaten streak at the start of the season to 20 games, then, while their winning streak in the league will grow to nine. If they manage to keep St Mirren from scoring, it will also be seven league clean sheets in a row for Neil Lennon's side.
ST MIRREN SUB: The first change of the day sees Lee Mair come on in place of Grainger for the hosts.
CELTIC SUB: Celtic also make their first switch of the day as Mulgrew, who opened the scoring for the visitors today and also hit the post, is replaced by Derk Boerrigter.
ST MIRREN SUB: Another change for the hosts as Steven Thompson is replaced by Anthony Brady. It seems like Danny Lennon is deciding to give his youngsters a run out here.
CELTIC SUB: Once again, Celtic follow in kind with a sub of their own, captain Scott Brown, who is on a yellow card, being replaced by Nir Biton.
YELLOW CARD! Moments after coming on as a sub, Lee Mair goes into the book for a trip on Forrest. That is quite a harsh one as it looked accidental.
CELTIC SUB: The visitors' final change of the day sees Forrest replaced by Amido Balde.
CHANCE! Commons is so close to getting his hat-trick, and it would have been a perfect one! Having already scored with his head and with his left foot, his right-footed effort deflects just wide when it was goalbound. The ball dropped to him after St Mirren failed to clear a free kick, and he immediately let fly from inside the box.
Stokes takes a touch in the middle of the park and has only one thing on his mind. His next touch is a powerful effort that swerves in the air on its way just over the bar. The keeper seemed to have it covered, but it was a decent strike from Stokes.
CHANCE! Another chance for Celtic as a poor mistake from Mair allows Balde clean through on goal. He takes his time with the ball, and that allows McGregor to get back and make a vital last-ditch tackle to deny the sub.
ST MIRREN SUB: The final change of the game sees Campbell make way for Thomas Reilly. Campbell has looked a little dangerous at times, but he wasn't given much chance against a dominant Celtic defence.
Forster hasn't had anything to do all day, but he makes a mistake in the closing stages. He came to claim a cross but couldn't hold on to it, only succeeding in gifting the ball to the opposition. The resulting shot was well blocked by the Celtic defence, who keep hold of their clean sheet despite the keeper's error.
YELLOW CARD! Izaguirre picks up a silly yellow card at this stage in the game. He flew into a challenge when the ball was never his to win, and the referee had no choice but to book him.
The fourth official indicates a minimum of two minutes added time at the end of this match.
YELLOW CARD! Celtic make a quick break and have a really good chance in the middle. Ambrose is coming back and is the last man as he commits a foul, so the crowd want to see a red. The referee, however, only gives him a yellow, and that is probably the right decision as the attacker was going away from goal.
FULL TIME: St Mirren 0-4 Celtic
Well, that ended up being a lot more comfortable for Celtic than it appeared at half time. The visitors scored four goals in the second half to thrash St Mirren and move 14 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. The hosts simply couldn't deal with Neil Lennon's side in the second 45 minutes and they ran riot.
The goals came from Charlie Mulgrew, Anthony Stokes and a Kris Commons brace, while it could have been even more as Mulgrew and Commons both hit the woodwork in the first half and Commons missed a good chance for his hat-trick in the second. For a Celtic side that have been short of goal recently, Neil Lennon will be delighted with his side's ruthlessness in that second half.
The victory is Celtic's ninth in a row in the league and extends their unbeaten run to 20 at the start of the season. They must now be setting themselves the target of going the whole campaign unbeaten, and it is hard to see who could stop them doing so. They have also now kept seven clean sheets in a row in the league, last conceding on November 23.
Right, that's all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what turned out to be a very entertaining match despite the cautiousness of the first half. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for plenty more live football throughout the day. There are three more matches in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon while the FA Cup also provides another five. From me, though, it is goodbye!
