St Mirren 1 Celtic 3: A hat-trick from Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen gave Celtic victory yesterday and moved them 15 points clear of Rangers in the Scottish Premier League title race.
Gravesen slotted home the opener in the second minute from the right of the penalty box. He then finished a fabulous run past three defenders by cracking a low shot from 20 metres which deflected off St Mirren's Andy Millen and beyond goalkeeper Tony Bullock on 21 minutes.
Saints striker Billy Mehmet sent a 15-metre header crashing against the post after the interval before the home side pulled a goal back with a John Sutton header in the 56th minute. He raced in to meet a cross by Simon Lappin from 10 metres and knock it past Artur Boruc. But Gravesen grabbed his treble with a glancing header from a corner by Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura on 68 minutes.
"We all know the Scottish League is becoming stronger . . . and St Mirren created problems for us today," Gravesen said. "It was good to score, I am not known as a scorer."
Rangers beat bottom club Dunfermline 2-0 to end a dreadful week by moving into second place in the league on Saturday.
ST MIRREN: Bullock, van Zanten, McGowne (Reid 30), Millen, Broadfoot, Brittain, Murray, Brady (Burke 73), Lappin, Sutton, Mehmet (Kean 75). Subs not used: Smith, Molloy, Mackay, McKenna. Booked: Murray, Mehmet. Goals: Sutton 56.
CELTIC: Boruc, Telfer, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, Lennon, Gravesen, Maloney (Sno 66), Miller (Zurawski 61), Vennegoor of Hesselink (Jarosik 86). Subs not used: Marshall, McGeady, O'Dea, Balde. Goals: Gravesen 2, 21, 69.
Referee: S Dougal (Scotland).
