Celtic continued their flawless start to the Scottish Premiership season with a 2-1 win at St Mirren, a result that maintains their three-point lead at the summit. The victory, reported by Sky Sports Football, was secured by a winner from Hyun-Jun Yang, who will now immediately depart for international duty. The Hoops remain the only team on maximum points and are already 16 points ahead of the league's current bottom side, Kilmarnock, as manager Martin O'Neill noted.

With 15 points from five games and a perfect WWWWW form, Celtic have scored 13 goals while conceding just three. Their next challenge is a home match against Hibernian on December 12th, a fixture you can find on the club's fixtures page. The squad is currently dealing with several absences, including Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand, Kasper Høgh, Kieran Tierney, and Jota, all listed on the injuries roster.

How does Yang's absence affect Celtic?

Hyun-Jun Yang's match-winning contribution at St Mirren was his second goal of the campaign, adding to an assist in seven appearances. His form last season of 10 goals and three assists made him a key attacker. However, his call-up to the South Korea squad for the Asian Cup means Celtic will be without him for their next four matches. This loss comes as the team manages other attacking options and aims to preserve its perfect record in the standings.

Martin O'Neill will need to adjust his forward line during this period. Yang's direct running and goal threat will be missed, but Celtic's depth will be tested. The manager has previously shown an ability to rotate his squad effectively during busy schedules.

What is the state of the title race?

Hearts, last season's runners-up, sit in second place after a 2-1 win over Dundee. They are unbeaten since an opening-day loss to Aberdeen under new head coach Wouter Vrancken. Rangers, meanwhile, edged Motherwell 1-0 but suffered a significant blow as striker Lawrence Shankland sustained a hamstring injury. Shankland was out for three months with a similar issue last season at Hearts, where he scored a goal every 86.5 minutes under then-manager Derek McInnes.

Rangers' attacking resources have been reshaped after a busy summer. They signed Kevin Kelsy for £9m on deadline day, but have seen Youssef Chermiti ruled out for a significant period with an ACL injury. Bojan Miovski, a previous signing from Girona, has struggled for consistent minutes despite scoring 13 goals in his first Ibrox season at a rate of one every 142 minutes.

Which other managers are under pressure?

The early season has brought scrutiny elsewhere. Hibernian manager David Gray saw his side lose the Edinburgh derby and then fall 2-1 at St Johnstone, with a League Cup tie against Ross County looming. Aberdeen's Stephen Robinson has overseen a start of one win in five league games after a 0-0 draw with Kilmarnock. His side has scored only three league goals while conceding six, despite bringing in 14 new players this summer.

Kilmarnock boss Neil McCann acknowledged his team has "let the fans down" after their draw with Aberdeen. Killie have conceded 14 goals in the league, the worst defensive record, and face Aberdeen again soon in the League Cup quarter-finals. Celtic's next league opponent, Hibernian, currently sit 8th in the table ahead of the December meeting at Celtic Park.