Scottish Cup: Celtic 5-1 St Mirren
- Published
Aaron Mooy (number 13), Reo Hatate (number 41) and Matt O'Riley (33) head on to add four goals
Celtic reached the Scottish Cup quarter-finals with victory over 10-man St Mirren but their joy may be tempered by an apparent shoulder injury sustained by striker Kyogo Furuhashi.
Daizen Maeda turned in Aaron Mooy's cross for Celtic's first and after the break three substitutes scored four.
Reo Hatate slammed home a penalty after Richard Taylor had been sent off for handball and Oh Hyeon-gyu poked home.
Saints' Mark O'Hara scored a penalty before Matt O'Riley and Hatate strikes.
Supporters seemed to be in the mood for a Saturday night cup tie. They created a noisy, smoky scene at kick-off but St Mirren goalkeeper Trevor Carson could see enough through the smog to palm Jota's fierce shot away after the Portuguese winger's early mazy run.
Stephen Robinson's side are the only team in Scotland to have beaten Celtic this season. They showed an appetite to get the ball forward quickly, with the impressive Keanu Baccus feeding Scott Tanser down the left, though Carl Starfelt snuffed out the danger.
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou had made only one change from the team that beat St Johnstone last weekend - David Turnbull in for Hatate - but he was forced into another early on when Kyogo suffered a shoulder injury after falling awkwardly.
On came Liel Abada and within two minutes he had slipped a pass into the box for Aaron Mooy, who slid the ball across for Maeda to turn in the opener. By that point the Japanese forward had already hit the far post with a wayward cross.
St Mirren responded admirably and Cameron Carter-Vickers bravely diverted a goal-bound shot from Alex Greive over the bar after the forward had spun Starfelt. Greive later limped off to be replaced by Tony Watt, while Starfelt was only denied a goal late in the first half by a vital block by Curtis Main.
Celtic held Saints in a stranglehold for much of the second half, spraying the ball across midfield and causing St Mirren to spend a lot of energy matching runs.
The visitors survived a scare when Fraser knocked Alistair Johnston's cross against his own post and, following a triple substitution when O'Riley, Oh and Hatate replaced Mooy, Jota and Turnbull, Abada put a header horribly wide from Maeda's cross with the goal at his mercy.
Taylor was sent off for handball, preventing a goal-bound shot following a VAR check by referee Steven McLean. Hatate lashed the spot-kick inside the post and Oh scored his first Celtic goal when he responded quickly to Carson's parry from Callum McGregor's drive.
Trailing 3-0, St Mirren captain O'Hara tucked away his late penalty with aplomb after Greg Kiltie had been upended by Starfelt, but the Paisley side were left reeling by two goals in added time by O'Riley and Hatate, both blasting shots past Carson from central positions as Celtic attacked to the final whistle.
Player of the match - Daizen Maeda
Daizen Maeda has scored nine goals for Celtic and one for Japan in 39 appearances this season. His constant movement and seemingly endless energy cause problems for defenders and it was his performance that set the tone for his team-mates in the Scottish Cup tie at Celtic Park.
What they said
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: "St Mirren put in a hell of a shift to stop us. It was a great contribution from the guys off the bench.
"We knew they would come at us. Cameron [Carter-Vickers] and Carl [Starfelt] were really strong, they handled it well.
[On Kyogo's shoulder injury] "We'll see how it is, we'll get a scan for him tomorrow. He's a pretty quick healer."
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "Anybody who watched the game for 75 minutes, there was nothing in it, which is an amazing thing to say with the talent they have on show. We came, we pressed them and we made one mistake in the first half that we were punished for.
"The penalty [and red card for Richard Taylor] changed the whole aspect of the game. It's hard enough with 11 men. I have nothing but praise for my players. We were very much in the game, we were brave on the ball. But that decision - rightly or wrongly, I haven't seen it back - changes the dynamics of the game."