There was no belated Christmas cheer for St Mirren as they lost to champions Celtic on Boxing Day.
Despite starting well enough, Saints fell behind when Callum McGregor scored after his initial shot had hit the post. James Forrest doubled the lead when he rounded Vaclav Hladky to score as the visitors headed into the break in front.
The Buddies arguably had the better of the chances in the second half with Ryan Flynn and Jon Obika going close, and they finally got themselves back into things thanks to a late Cammy MacPherson free-kick, however there wasn't enough time left to snatch a point.
Jim Goodwin's side enjoyed a bright beginning and created the first chance, Ilkay Durmas' shot from Jon Obika's cutback being comfortably dealt with by Fraser Forster. It was a similar story at the other end as Vaclav Hladky easily gathered Olivier Ntcham's curler from the edge of the box. The visitors were able to force a couple of corners in quick succession but Kristoffer Ajer's headers were well off target, Odsonne Edouard then firing just over after being given a bit too much time and space to run forward.
The Buddies hadn't looked in too much trouble in the opening quarter of the game but a misplaced pass from Sam Foley was to prove costly. The ball was intercepted and sent through to Edouard, who had built up a bit of steam and was charging through on goal. The Saints defence tried to crowd him out and it seemed to work as the ball ran loose, only to fall to McGregor who rattled the post before tapping away the rebound.
In the aftermath the home side looked shaky as Celtic pushed for a quick second and it arrived just after McPherson had drawn a decent save from Forster. The Saints management team appealed for offside as Edouard gathered a Forrest pass, however he looked to have started his run inside his own half, and he again burst forward before slipping a return pass through the defence for Forrest, who drew Hladky off his line and squeezed a shot into the net from a tight angle. It was almost three just before the break as Ntcham's looped up in the air after taking a wicked deflection, however it dropped the wrong side of the bar.
Edouard had the ball in the net early in the second half but the flag had long gone up for offside. Hladky then found himself rather busy as he blocked Forrest's shot with his legs before tipping a Jeremie Frimpong effort around the post. Having survived those scares, Saints should have got themselves back into the game moments later when Junior Morias delivered a decent cross for Ryan Flynn but he could only put it wide.
Christopher Jullien headed over from Ryan Christie's free-kick as Celtic went back on the offensive before the defender made a big mistake at the other end, completely failing to deal with a high ball. That let Jon Obika in but with a tightening angle and no support the odds were always stacked against him – Forster saving the first shot before his defence mopped up as the striker tried to have another go. Another chance came when MacPherson fired in a cross but Obika was always stretching for it and the ball skidded off his head.
After his early saves, Hladky had had a pretty quiet second half but was back in action when he kept out Ntcham's drive as well as an attempt from Frimpong.
Jullien crudely brought Obika's run to a premature end with a wild swipe and was duly booked for his efforts, however the real punishment was yet to come. MacPherson's free-kick hit the top of the wall and Forster was unable to react before the ball ended up in the net.
It set up an exciting final few moments but Saints were always going to be up against it, especially with just two minutes of injury time, and they were unable to grab a second and earn a draw.
Full-Time: St Mirren 1-2 Celtic
St Mirren: Hladky, Flynn, P.McGinn, McLoughlin, Waters, Durmus (Andreu 65), Foley, MacPherson, Magennis (c), Morias (Cooke 82), Obika
Subs Not Used: Lyness, S.McGinn, Djorkaeff, Jamieson, Mullen
Celtic: Forster, Frimpong, Jullien, Ajer, Bolingoli, McGregor, Brown (c), Forrest (Johnston 69), Ntcham, Christie, Edouard (Griffiths 87)
Subs Not Used: Gordon, Bauer, Taylor, Bitton, Rogic
Referee: William Collum
Assistant Referee: Douglas Ross
Assistant Referee: Andrew McWilliam
Fourth Official: Barry Cook
Attendance: 6,797
