Celtic join Rangers and Aberdeen on top

GLASGOW, Scotland (AFP) – 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 on Sunday.

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 join 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.

St Mirren manager Danny Lennon said his side had not gone out and performed as he had wanted.

“We caught them on a very good day today,” he said.

“Everything we spoke about prior to the game we ended up doing the opposite.”

His Celtic counterpart Neil Lennon – no relation – heaped praise on his side.

“Some of our football, attacking-wise, was breathtaking at times,” Lennon said.

“You can’t play like that all the time but in certain games it’s good to get the tempo up.”

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 he 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.

In a rare attack from the visitors Garry Brady’s cross from the right was snatched from the feet of Darren McGregor by keeper Lukasz Zaluska. However, this proved to be just a short respite for the Buddies as Celtic doubled their lead in the 23rd minute after some suspect defending.

Marc-Antoine Fortune drilled a low ball across goal and Maloney appeared at the back post between two defenders to tap in.

Maloney nearly added another in the 36th minute when his low drive from 25 yards hit the upright and Fortune smashed the rebound off the same post.

Celtic started the second-half as they had ended the first and Gallacher had to be at his best to first save Scott Brown’s shot before tipping a Samaras drive round the post.

Fortune and Jos Hooiveld were both off-target before 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 Slovakian World Cup star 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.