Celtic late show gets SPFL title defence off to winning start
Celtic began its Scottish Premiership title defence with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over St Mirren.
Going into the clash at Celtic Park as overwhelming favourite, the Bhoys were frustrated until the 87th minute, when Luke McCowan netted.
Predictably, Celtic dominated in front of a full house, but was unable to make its unrelenting possession count in the first half.
Captain Callum McGregor had a goal ruled out for offside via a tight VAR call, and Reo Hatate and Adam Idah saw their respective efforts cannon back off the woodwork.
Fortunately for Celtic, substitute McCowan was on hand to grab a crucial winner, with his deflected effort from the edge of the area nestling into the bottom-right corner.
McCowan's goal ensured Celtic avoided the same fate as rival Rangers, who were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw at Motherwell in their opening game.
This victory represents Celtic's fifth consecutive opening day win, and they have won 17 of their last 18 such league outings. Rodgers, meanwhile, is unbeaten in each of his last 12 matchday one games as a manager across spells with Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester City (W10 D2).
Celtic also continue to hold the upper hand against St Mirren, winning 12 of its last 14 meetings in all competitions, though it was held to a 1-1 draw by it on the final day of last season.
