‘Maeda awful, Forrest heroic’ – Celtic player ratings v St Mirren
Celtic salvaged a 1-1 draw with St Mirren thanks to James Forrest’s stoppage-time equaliser.
Brendan Rodgers’ men struggled to break down St Mirren in the opening 45 minutes at Celtic Park, as the half-time score stood at 0-0.
Adam Idah did not enjoy the sort of service he usually thrives off in the first-half, as both Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn failed to threaten down the wings.
Matters took a turn for the worse early on in the second half, when Stephen Robinson’s men took a 1-0 lead through Jonah Ayunga, but one which they ultimately failed to hold onto.
Football Insider dishes out the Celtic player ratings following their dramatic draw on Saturday, 17 May.
Kasper Schmeichel – 6
Kasper Schmeichel could do very little to deny Jonah Ayunga’s goal for St Mirren, and can be annoyed that his defenders did little to help him from the set piece situation.
Alistair Johnston – 5
Had a quiet first half, as he was rarely threatened by his opposite number Declan John, but rarely got forwards.
Alistair Johnston also failed to display his best qualities in the second half.
Cameron Carter-Vickers – 6
An unspectacular but largely solid display from the United States international.
Cameron Carter-Vickers failed to make use of his presence at set-pieces, even though Celtic had a high corner count.
Liam Scales – 5
A very similar day at the office to that of his defensive partner, as the Ireland international failed to make the best account of himself.
Liam Scales squandered an opportunity to snatch a late equaliser, and can be thankful that Forrest stepped up as the hero.
Greg Taylor – 5
Like Johnston, Greg Taylor was rarely threatened by the St Mirren front line, nor did he help Rodgers’ men get up the field to great effect.
Arne Engels – 5
A largely anonymous display from the 21-year-old, who was far from his creative best.
Celtic would have expected more from a man who has notched 10 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this term.
Callum McGregor – 6
Callum McGregor was the standout performer in the engine room for Rodgers’ side, who failed to create opportunities for their attacking teammates for the majority of the afternoon.
Paulo Bernardo – 4
Paulo Bernardo had an exceptionally quiet match against St Mirren.
It was no surprise to see the 23-year-old substituted as soon as Celtic had conceded, as he offered very little.
Nicolas Kuhn – 5
Kuhn ironically demonstrated his pace and direct style just moments before Rodgers chose to hook him.
A disappointing afternoon at the office for the German, who has enjoyed an otherwise stellar season for the Glasgow giants.
Adam Idah – 5
Courtesy of the poor first-half performances from Maeda and Kuhn, Idah was forced to feed off scraps before being subbed off in the 54th minute as part of Rodgers’ triple change.
The former Norwich man did not do well with the limited service he was given, and could have no complaints when he was hooked.
Daizen Maeda – 3
An uncharacteristically very poor afternoon in Glasgow for the 27-year-old who delivered a wayward cross in the first half, which went out of play for a St Mirren goal kick.
Maeda than missed an opportunity from close range with a header that looked easier to score than miss before being replaced by Johnny Kenny.
Substitutes
Luke McCowan (for Bernardo, 54) – 5
Luke McCowan impressed as he scored in the 5-1 win over Aberdeen on Wednesday, but he could not produce more of the same against Robinson’s men.
The midfielder was rightly annoyed with himself when he fired an effort well over the crossbar after latching onto the loose ball following a corner.
Hyun-Jun Yang (for Kuhn, 54) – 6
Hyun-Jun Yang injected energy into Celtic’s performance after Kuhn failed to impress, but he lacked clinical instincts in the areas where it mattered most.
James Forrest – (for Idah, 54)- 8 – Man of the Match
The Bhoys legend deservedly got a great reception from the Celtic faithful, and immediately whipped in some dangerous crosses after being introduced to the action.
Forrest then proved just why he is so popular at Celtic Park, salvaging a late equaliser and scoring in the 16th season running.
Johnny Kenny (for Maeda, 72) – 7
The young forward impressed off the bench, and helped establish the positive momentum which eventually helped his side snatch a point.
Johnny Kenny was unlucky that his surging run ultimately resulted in a double save from Zach Flemming, as opposed to a goal.
Jeffrey Schlupp (for Engels, 79) – 5