Mark O’Hara converted a sixth-minute penalty to give St Mirren a surprise lead, but Celtic responded emphatically, finding the net five times through five different players in the second half to take their collective tally to 250 goals in 99 games under Postecoglou.
Celtic have been in particularly rampant form this calendar year, scoring at least two goals in each of their last 15 matches across all competitions.
As many as 19 different players have found the net for Celtic in this season’s Premiership, comfortably the most in the division and five more than Hearts can boast.
The Bhoys have not lost at home to Scottish opposition since St Mirren secured an unlikely 2-1 win at Celtic Park in January 2021, five months before Postecoglou’s reign began.
Robbie Neilson’s side swatted away any concerns that a limp loss to Motherwell last month may have raised by returning to top-flight action with a breezy 3-0 victory at home to St Johnstone on Saturday.
With Josh Ginnelly back from suspension and dovetailing devilishly alongside Lawrence Shankland, Hearts maintained a five-point gap above fourth-placed Edinburgh rivals Hibernian.
Hearts have kept three clean sheets in their last four away trips and only have conceded 17 goals on the road this term – the third-best tally in the Premiership
Links >> Stream 1 HD Stream 2 HD Stream 3 HD Stream 4
These sides produced a seven-goal thriller when they met at Tynecastle back in October, with Celtic prevailing despite conceding a Shankland hat-trick in what Postecoglou accurately labelled a “cracking game”.
Neilson came away from the autumnal meeting “proud of my players” but could not secure victory – Hearts have not beaten Celtic away from home in the league since 2005, when Neilson was in the visiting defence which kept a clean sheet against the likes of John Hartson and Chris Sutton.
This is the first of two meetings in four days between the sides as Hearts host Celtic in the Scottish FA Cup on Saturday.
