Celtic joined rivals Rangers and Aberdeen at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a comprehensive 4-0 win over St Mirren at Celtic Park yesterday.
The Hoops gained revenge for their 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Buddies last season as goals from Joe Ledley and Shaun Maloney gave them a first-half lead before superb strikes from Jamie Forrest and Ki Sung-Yeung completed the rout.
They joined their Old Firm rivals on six points after a Kenny Miller second-half hat-trick secured a 3-0 away win for Rangers over Hibernian in a game where both sides ended with ten men.
Injuries to Charlie Mulgrew and Cha Du-Ri forced Celtic to field midfielders Efrain Juarez and Ledley in the full-back positions while Forrest was given a rare start.
And the young winger justified his manager’s faith in him when his first forage forward produced a goal with five minutes played.
Forrest picked out Georgios Samaras after going on a rampaging run down the left and the Greek rolled the ball into the path of the on-rushing Ledley who slotted it past Paul Gallacher with the outside of his boot.
Celtic doubled their lead in the 23rd minute after some suspect defending by St Mirren. Marc-Antoine Fortune drilled a low ball across goal and Maloney nipped up at the back post between two Buddies defenders to tap in.
Forrest got the goal his display merited with a super strike in the 69th minute. Sean Lynch gave away possession to Fortune whose cross-field pass found Forrest, who took a touch before unleashing a powerful shot which flew high past Gallacher into the net.
Substitute Ki went one better when he added a screamer from 25 yards in the 81st minute. The South Korean took a touch on the chest from fellow sub Paddy McCourt’s pass before slamming a half-volley into the top corner.
At Easter Road a goalless first half finished with Kyle Lafferty and Kevin McBride sent off for an off-the-ball tussle after the Rangers forward had clattered Liam Miller.
Only a brilliant intervention from Madjid Bougherra prevented Edwin De Graaf from putting Hibs in front before James Beattie set up Miller to fire Rangers into the lead.
On-loan Manchester City winger Vladimir Weiss came on as a substitute to make his debut and the Slovakia international made an instant impact to pick out Miller to stab home his second.
The Scottish striker completed his hat-trick late on as he sent a low angled shot past keeper Mark Brown.
Premier League
Celtic 4 St Mirren 0
Dundee Utd 0 Inverness 4
Hibernian 0 Rangers 3
Kilmarnock 0 Motherwell 1
Division One
Cowdenbeath 1 Queen of South 3