St Mirren 0-3 Celtic: Dominant Hoops move two points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership as Brendan Rodgers’ side secure third straight win

Celtic have started games so well this season that the final stages of the match are essentially nothing more than an intensive training session.

It was the fourth time this season that Brendan Rodgers’ side have scored twice in the first half and the third game in a row in which they have scored within the first five minutes.

Like Kilmarnock and Hibernian, St Mirren’s hopes of winning anything from the champions were dashed before they even realised what was happening.

You have to hand it to the Celtic manager. With Matt O’Riley on the verge of signing for Brighton, Manchester City interested in Kyogo Furuhashi and a raft of pedigree signings yet to be made, there’s plenty to keep him distracted at the start of the season. His team, however, haven’t dropped a stitch.

This display was as polished as the last. For the uninitiated, it might suggest that Rodgers’ team have the required quality and depth to challenge on all fronts this season.

Celtic continued their dominant start to the new Scottish Premiership season, securing their third straight win with a 3-0 victory away at St Mirren

Callum McGregor put the visitors ahead after just three minutes with a powerful left-footed shot

Reo Hatate was the Man of the Match, scoring in the 33rd minute with his left boot

But while the team seems well on their way to retaining the title at this early stage, making an impact in the Champions League is another story altogether. Unless several quality signings are made before Friday, the fear is that a familiar story will emerge.

At the moment, however, Rodgers would have been very happy with the source of the goals his team scored in Paisley.

O’Riley scored 19 goals last season, which is undoubtedly a huge loss.

But when Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate take the lead, as they did in this case, the solutions are within reach.

The Japanese doubled Celtic’s lead after just half an hour, with Rodgers’ men looking set to win and take them back to the top of the Premier League at half-time.

St Mirren made things a little harder for the visitors in the second period, without ever looking like they would get back into it. The game was decided when Alistair Johnston slotted home the third from close range with 19 minutes remaining.

Paisley’s men were absolutely unlucky to come up against a Celtic team who have been on a roll from the start of this season.

That said, Stephen Robinson will be appalled at the lack of resistance his players showed until it was far too late. A fourth loss on the spin was all too passively accepted.

Life without O’Riley began for Celtic with a strong wind and persistent rain.

O’Riley’s impending move to Brighton opened the door for Paulo Bernardo to secure his first starting place since his permanent return from Benfica.

Adam Idah also made his first start since leaving Norwich at the expense of Furuhashi.

Rodgers would have been delighted with the source of his team’s goals in Paisley

Alistair Johnston finished it off with their third and final goal in the 71st minute

Robinson welcomed back Mark O’Hara, the captain sidelined since the European match against Valur, with Killian Phillips making his first start after his loan from Crystal Palace.

You would assume that St Mirren had done their homework on the sources of Celtic’s threat, but there was little evidence of this as they were behind within three minutes.

For Nicolas Kuhn as Easter Road a few weeks ago, read James Forrest here. The winger dove and weaved down the right before identifying McGregor as his best option in the middle.

As in Leith, the captain needed one touch to steady himself before releasing the ball. This time the ball skittered across the grass and passed Ellery Balcombe low to his left. For Celtic, it was the perfect start to a potentially tricky afternoon.

Rodgers’ players found their rhythm straight away. Alex Gogic’s crude counterattack earned him a yellow card for taking down Daizen Maeda. The Cypriot midfielder was therefore walking a tightrope until he was replaced at half-time by Roland Idowu.

Celtic never relinquished control of the game. With McGregor, Bernardo and Hatate constantly moving into space, taking the ball and passing it, St Mirren struggled to make any significant impact. The game could easily have been over at half-time.

Saints were grateful to Balcombe for keeping them in the water with a double save from Hatate and then from Idah.

This was the fourth time this season that Brendan Rodgers’ team scored twice in the first half

Celtic now move two points clear of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership table

Bernardo sees a shot deflect, but after a mistake by Jonah Ayunga, Idah shoots the ball between the keeper’s legs.

The only minor gripe Rodgers might have had was that his team’s dominance hadn’t resulted in more goals. That changed just after the half hour mark.

Johnston’s deep cross took a toll on Maeda, the winger craned his neck to keep the situation alive with his header which fell to Hatate.

What a finish he produced from 16 yards, a controlled left-footed drive that crossed the ball and sent it flying towards the inside of the far post. Balcombe was helpless as the ball flashed off the post and into his net. It felt like damage limitation for the Paisley men.

Maeda was believed to have fallen to the ground after being hit by Shaun Rooney but remained on his feet to take on Balcombe again.

Saints lacked any creativity. Their best chance came when Cameron Carter-Vickers tried to win a ball he didn’t need, but Liam Scales was on the alert to prevent Jonah Ayunga from converting a dangerous cross.

After the break, traffic continued to move towards Balcombe’s goal.

Richard Taylor, by far the Saints’ best player, managed to prevent Forrest from putting the keeper under pressure with an excellent sliding block.

Kasper Schmeichel was eventually called into action at the other end, although he was always right behind Jaden Brown’s goal.

Only a fine defense in the final minutes ensured that the score remained at 2-0 until the 71st minute.

Alex Iacovitti did everything he could to prevent Nicolas Kuhn’s fresh legs from finding the target after a trademark meandering run.

Johnston then sent Furuhashi on his way with a brilliant pass. The forward did what he could. Balcombe produced an excellent stop with his legs.

Johnston was clearly in the mood to claim a rare goal. Taylor’s heroic block prevented him from scoring early in the second period, but he would not be denied it for long.

The victory was Celtic’s third league win of the season, as they host Rangers in the Old Firm next week

It was a good day for Rodgers in every way, with the points secured and he was able to protect some of his mainstays for the first derby match

Kuhn’s advance into the penalty area saw a group of black and white shirts trying to crowd him out, he still picked Johnston who hit the ball high, not the net, without breaking stride.

It was a good day for Rodgers in every respect. With the points secured, he was able to protect a number of his mainstays for the first derby match of the season next Sunday.

Odin Holm, who was somewhat forgotten last year, was given some much-needed minutes, while Francis Turley, an 18-year-old central midfielder from Northern Ireland, made his debut in the competition.