Celtic 6-0 St Mirren: Turnbull hat-trick as hosts storm to league summit

Liel Abada (left) grabbed two goals against St Mirren

David Turnbull scored a first career hat-trick as Celtic stormed to the Scottish Premiership summit for the first time in year after a relentless six-goal thrashing of 10-man St Mirren.

Odsonne Edouard added a fifth just after the hour before Turnbull completed his hat-trick to move the home side top on goal difference.

St Mirren, still without a league win this term, drop to 11th.

The Paisley side, missing their manager Jim Goodwin due to a positive Covid-19 test, will need to put a sobering afternoon's work behind them as they face a tough test against St Johnstone next weekend.

As for Celtic, Ange Postecoglou's men are preparing themselves perfectly for a seismic week which sees them go to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday, followed by the first Old Firm derby of the season at Ibrox next Sunday.

• Reaction & as it happened

The last meeting between these sides at Parkhead resulted in a grim 2-1 defeat for Celtic in January - St Mirren's first victory at Parkhead in 31 years.

That result left Neil Lennon's side 23 points adrift of Rangers, but the mood has completely flipped seven months on as Celtic delivered a scintillating performance in front of a packed home crowd.

Postecoglou's side set their stall out early, as Turnbull rattled the inside of Jak Alnwick's left-hand post from 25 yards.

Abada was next to threaten, seeing an effort deflect and loop just over the bar, but he would find the net moments later when he cut in from the left all too easily before bending a shot into the far corner.

It was already going to take a huge effort from St Mirren to get anything from the game with the urgency Celtic were showing, but that task become so much tougher when a late sliding challenge from Power caught Turnbull out on the left wing.

Wherever Goodwin was watching, he would have been looking on through the cracks in his fingers as just three minutes after Power's sending off, Celtic made it 2-0.

Greg Taylor's clipped cross to the back post was met by Abada who headed down into the ground and into the top-left corner of the net.

The visitors thought they had one back when Scott Tanser's looping cross was met by Greg Kiltie. Curtis Main provided the finishing touch but the assistant referee determined the striker was offside.

The hosts responded to that scare by adding a third, as Turnbull got his angles right this time to blast past Alnwick from 25 yards out.

As with Celtic's opener, Alnwick got a hand to the ball but failed to keep it from finding the net.

Kyogo Furuhashi then forced a close-range effort over as Edouard hit the bar, before Alnwick again looked suspect.

Abada - who tormented St Mirren's defence all afternoon - delivered into the box, and the St Mirren goalkeeper could only parry the cross into the path of Turnbull, who tapped home Celtic's fourth goal.

Alnwick could do nothing about Celtic's fifth, though, as Edouard stabbed home from close range at the second attempt, after his first strike was blocked.

And Turnbull capped off a stunning display when a lovely move resulted in substitute Tom Rogic sending the Scotland midfielder through to stab past Alnwick.

More to follow.