St Mirren's unbeaten start to the Scottish Premiership season ended with a 2-1 home defeat to Celtic on Saturday 5 September 2026. The Paisley side took an early lead but were ultimately undone by goals from Liam Scales and Hyun-Jun Yang at the SMiSA Stadium.
The loss means St Mirren are now second in the Premiership, two points behind leaders Celtic with a record of three wins, one draw, and no losses from their four games. This result was covered by Sky Sports Football, who reported on the dramatic turnaround. The Saints had started the match brightly and were rewarded with a penalty after a handball by Celtic's Liam Scales. Nikolas Agrafiotis stepped up and converted from the spot to give Craig McLeish's side the lead.
How did Celtic turn the game around?
Celtic responded strongly to going behind. Liam Scales made amends for his earlier error by heading in an equaliser from a Mika Baur corner. The visitors then completed their comeback in the second half when Camilo Duran found Hyun-Jun Yang, who finished to put Celtic ahead. Both sides had further goals disallowed for offside, with Duran seeing an effort ruled out for Celtic and Shim Mhueka having a late strike chalked off for St Mirren in stoppage time.
St Mirren manager Craig McLeish reflected on the narrow margin of defeat. "I think it shows how far we've come as a group and what we're doing," McLeish said. "The boys are in there really disappointed that we've not taken a point from the game, at least." His team created numerous chances, registering 19 shots at goal. Jacob Chapman started in goal for the Saints, while Callum McGregor, Hussain Hassan, and Camilo Duran were among the Celtic players who missed opportunities.
What is St Mirren's current league position?
The defeat leaves St Mirren with ten points from their opening four matches, having scored seven goals and conceded three. Their recent form reads WDWW, highlighting the consistency they had shown prior to this setback. You can view the latest standings to see how the table looks. The squad is currently dealing with several absences, with Keanu Baccus, Killian Phillips, Liam Donnelly, and Malik Dijksteel all sidelined. The full list of unavailable players is on our injuries page.
What challenges did St Mirren face?
Despite the loss, there were positive signs for St Mirren. They caused problems for a Celtic side that had won all five of their league games coming into this fixture. Chris Mochrie's shot led to the penalty, while Taylor forced a save from Celtic goalkeeper Sinisalo. Nygren also created a chance by cutting the ball back to Yang, whose shot was blocked by Ramsay. Thomas missed a close-range opportunity from six yards out. The team's next challenge is a trip to face Dundee, who are fifth in the table, on 26 December 2026. Fans can check the full fixtures schedule for the rest of the season.
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill acknowledged the threat St Mirren posed, though his comments focused on an injury concern within his own squad. "He'll be a major blow," O'Neill said. "He puts in so much work for us defensively as well, and he'll be a major blow for us now." The result moved Celtic five points clear of St Mirren at the top of the table. St Mirren's next league match is away to Dundee on Boxing Day.
