Celtic instant analysis as holders ease into last eight

A goal in each half by Kyogo Furuhashi - his 12th goal of the campaign - and compatriot Daizen Maeda were enough to settle the contest in the visitors' favour. It was a comfortable win for Brendan Rodgers's side who saved their best for their trip to Paisley once again after they had registered a 3-0 Scottish Premiership success early last month.

Rodgers sprung a surprise with his team selection when he opted to play both Adam Idah and Kyogo in the same starting line-up. It was Kyogo who opened the scoring in 15 minutes when he drilled home first time after latching on to Luis Palma's low cross from the left following a superb defence-splitting pass by Celtic captain Callum McGregor.

St Mirren did threaten occasionally and Alex Gogic thrashed an effort off the crossbar as they tried to gain a foothold and lifeline back into the game. However, Maeda made sure that Celtic's name would be in the hat for the last eight draw when he hammered high into the net after Matt O'Riley's effort had come thundering back off the crossbar.

It was all in all a satisfactory day at the office for Rodgers' men. With that being said, here is what The Celtic Way made of today's proceedings...

Classy display from Kyogo in the number 10 role

Rodgers may have inadvertently stumbled upon the best way to deploy Kyogo. Ironically that's lightning struck twice in two games after the Northern Irishman unearthed a penalty taker in the shape of Adam Idah on Wednesday night at Easter Road. The Japanese talisman returned to these starting eleven and played the number 10 role perfectly as he was bang at it from the off. He was given a free role behind Idah and he just drifted into pockets of space time and time again and the hosts couldn't handle him. He was adept at linking the play with ease as he continually shunted the ball away with his first touch and looked on a different wavelength to the rest at times. It was also great to see him get back on the scoresheet as he expertly tucked away Palma's accurate low cutback to give the visitors the lead on 15 minutes. Well, you never lose that predatory striker's instinct, do you? That took his tally to 12 for the season in all competitions. Perception is everything and Kyogo looked as if he touched the ball more times in this match than in all of his games combined since the turn of the year. It was a welcome return to form for Kyogo. Newsflash Kyogo and Idah can play in the same team after all. Who'd have thought it?

Magical McGregor but still a touch of mediocre Matt

The Celtic captain inspired his team to victory today and his contribution cannot be underestimated. He was determined to make his mark on this Scottish Cup tie and he did just that. He was brave at all times and he wanted the ball under pressure even when he was being hunted down by the St Mirren midfield pack. The skipper was hugely instrumental in the opening goal as his Paul McStayesque pass released Palma in acres of space down the left and Kyogo did the rest following his early delivery. It was the definition of a defence-splitting pass as McGregor led by example big time. He totally enjoyed his afternoon and sprayed passes about right, left and centre. Sadly it does not appear to be happening in the engine room for his partner O'Riley who struggled to influence proceedings once again. The Denmark international's impact has been posted missing in the last few matches as his form has seriously dipped. However, he did smash a volley off the crossbar from which Maeda profited to make it 2-0 and put the last 16 Scottish Cup tie to bed. Rodgers and the Celtic faithful will be hoping that this is only a temporary blip and normal service will be resumed for O'Riley as soon as possible.

Welsh giving Rodgers much food for thought

The centre-back shrugged off an injury scare after limping off at Easter Road in midweek to take his place at the back of the pack and he performed admirably once again. In the continued absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers the Scotsman is certainly staking his claim to be given more regular game time. He coped with ease at everything St Mirren threw at him and he certainly caught the eye. He reads the game well and is solid in the air as he is very aggressive and attacks every ball. He got in the way of lots of attacks and put the block in when required. When it comes to distribution he ain't no slouch either. However, one criticism could be that he passes the ball back or square too much. Although going by current form Welsh is clearly impressing his manager in games and in training and is clearly doing the stuff in both that Maik Nawrocki isn't. He is giving his manager food for thought and that is all to his credit.

A similar Paisley pattern

Celtic returned to the scene of one of their better performances of the campaign as they turned it on again in Paisley to advance to the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup. Rodgers's men had triumphed 3-0 in the Scottish Premiership on January 2nd in a one-sided contest and they were at it again in this tie. The mood music may have been drastically different heading into this last 16 clash especially as the champions' form had been off the boil of late despite the fact they were still notching up results. The writing was on the wall for the Saints after 15 minutes when Kyogo fired the men in green ahead following a superb three-man move involving McGregor, Palma and Kyogo. Alex Gogic cracked the crossbar for the Saints in the first half but that was as close as they came to scoring. However a second goal by Maeda just after the hour mark effectively killed the game as a contest as Rodgers's men significantly upped the tempo after the break. Saints huffed and puffed to try and get back into the match but Celtic expertly kept them at bay. The holders ain't letting their vice-like grip on the trophy go anytime soon. Rodgers's men clearly like performing in Paisley as they put on another show in this one as they marched relatively comfortably into the last eight of the competition.