LAST UPDATE | 5 Jan

CELTIC EXTENDED THEIR lead over Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 13 points with a routine 3-0 home win over St Mirren.

Brendan Rodgers’ side suffered a stinging 3-0 defeat by their Old Firm rivals at Ibrox on Thursday and the start of the game retained remnants of that struggle until the 33rd minute when star German winger Nicolas Kuhn swept in the opener.

Two minutes before the break returning United States defender Auston Trusty headed in a second for his first Celtic goal since signing from Sheffield United in the summer.

It was all relatively straightforward as Kuhn notched his second in the 68th minute for his fifth goal in five games and 16 in total for the season.

Any notion of a credible title race following the defeat at Ibrox was far fetched but Celtic’s return to winning ways against a Buddies side who worked hard but never looked like they could spring a shock, has the Parkhead men back in what is probably an unassailable position, with Rangers dropping points again in a 3-3 draw at Hibernian earlier in the day.

Changes from the trip to Govan were expected given the paucity of Celtic’s performance, albeit it was their first domestic defeat since last March.

Rodgers recalled Trusty, Arne Engels, Luke McCowan and Adam Idah, with Liam Scales, Paulo Bernardo, Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi among the substitutes.

St Mirren had lost their previous two games to Dundee and Kilmarnock, but were having a generally good season.

Goalkeeper Zach Hemming, joined on a second loan spell from Middlesbrough ahead of the trip to Parkhead and he took over from loanee Ellery Balcombe, who was recalled by parent club Brentford.

Mark O’Hara, Greg Kiltie, Caolan Boyd-Munce and Elvis Bwomono also came into a Saints side who, almost inevitably, had to withstand immediate pressure, with Idah knocking an Engels corner past the post with less than two minutes gone.

However, the home side did not build the pressure allowing St Mirren to settle into the game which was mostly free from excitement.

There was little real goalmouth action until Celtic scored, McCowan sending Japan forward Daizen Maeda scurrying down the left and his ball across the penalty area was quickly converted by Kuhn, low past Hemming who might have done better in his attempt to save.

Celtic’s second came just before the interval when Trusty glanced in a header from an Engels corner with Saints defender Richard Taylor caught out and the goal effectively sealed the points.

There was a moment of drama just into the second half when the lights inside the stadium went off, plunging Parkhead into darkness but they were soon back on.

As Celtic swarmed around the Buddies box again, Hemming then saved an Engels shot which came off Idah.

Just after the hour mark, with the game drifting, Stephen Robinson brought on Oisin Smyth, Jonah Ayunga and Owen Oseni for Mark O’Hara Greg Kiltie and Toyosi Olusanya.

Minutes later, Hemming raced from his goal to thwart Kuhn who had burst past the Saints defence but then made a costly mistake, letting an Engels backheel slip from his grasp allowing Kuhn to knock the ball in from a couple of yards out for number three.

Idah then had the ball in the Saints net after hitting the crossbar, only to be ruled offside but the points were already safe.

It followed dramatic events at Easter Road, where Hamza Igmane’s hat-trick was not enough to secure victory for Rangers as Rocky Bushiri’s late header earned a 3-3 draw for in-form Hibernian.

Gers looked on course to follow up their 3-0 demolition of Celtic on Thursday when Igamane put them 2-0 up early on.

But Hibs – who had lost just one of their previous eight matches – regained their composure after a fraught start and got themselves level with a double from Martin Boyle.

Igamane restored Gers’ lead when the hosts seemed to be in the ascendancy before Bushiri popped up with an 83rd-minute equaliser to make it six games in a row unbeaten for David Gray’s side.

Despite the euphoria of their Old Firm derby success at Ibrox, Rangers have dropped points in their last three away matches, blowing the chance to put genuine pressure on their city rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership.