Luke McCowan’s deflected strike earned Celtic a 1-0 victory in their Premiership opener after St Mirren had frustrated the champions for 87 minutes at Parkhead.
The substitute collected Daizen Maeda’s square pass on the edge of a crowded penalty box and fired a shot which appeared to spin off Mark O’Hara’s leg and nestle into the bottom corner of the net.
Celtic had earlier hit the frame of the goal through Benjamin Nygren, Reo Hatate and Adam Idah, while Callum McGregor had a goal disallowed after a VAR intervention.
Brendan Rodgers was pleased that his side were able to find a way through and pick up all three points. “It is a tough game and I thought it was an excellent win,” he said. “They are a very well organised team. We just had to stay persistent and we were able to do that.”
Kieron Bowie struck a first-half double as Hibernian overcame their European exertions to inflict more early-season woe on the new Dundee manager, Steven Pressley, with a 2-1 win at Dens Park.
The Scotland forward scored twice in the space of three minutes to give the away side the initiative. Dundee, bidding to ignite some positivity after a demoralising Premier Sports Cup group-stage exit that included defeats by Airdrie and Alloa, hit back swiftly through Finlay Robertson.
But Hibs – who arrived on Tayside on the back of a gruelling 120-minute encounter with Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday – were able to see out the second half in relatively comfortable fashion.
David Gray praised his Hibernian players for making light of their European endeavours and securing all three points. “I’m delighted because after everything the players put in Thursday night, everybody would be looking at today’s game wondering would there be a hangover,” he said. “The players reacted in the best possible way with a real professional performance. I thought we controlled the game from start to finish.”
Newly promoted Falkirk came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Dundee United in an entertaining match at Falkirk Stadium.
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The home fans watched the Championship flag being unfurled on the pitch before the game, marking their return to the top flight after a 15-year absence but against the general run of play Max Watters scored his first United goal in the 39th minute with a terrific volley from 14 yards.
Dylan Tait levelled in the 50th minute with a fine finish but Ivan Dolcek restored the Tannadice side’s lead in the 71st minute only for home defender Ethan Ross to level with a deflected strike two minutes later.
The Falkirk manager, John McGlynn, believes the result showed that his team are ready for the top flight. “A lot of these players have played in League One, they’ve stepped up to the Championship, dealt with that, and today I think they looked like Premiership players against Premiership players,” he said.
