Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu feels he reaped rewards for carrying out his instructions as he capitalised on a rare start.

The South Korea international netted twice in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Hibernian in only his second start under Brendan Rodgers.

The 22-year-old now has five goals for the season.

“I was very happy to get the opportunity to be in the starting XI and personally I was very happy to score two goals,” he said.

“I just tried not to be too lazy, to do what the manager told me, so it was important for me to play aggressively.

“I think I managed to do that. It’s important for me to take these opportunities whenever I am in the starting line-up.

“I don’t get that many opportunities to start but whenever they come I play like it’s my last game.

“I try to do what the manager asks and if I do my best, the goals tend to follow.

“I want to grasp these opportunities when they come. Every training session feels like a competition but the manager and coaching staff all help me with lots of advice.”

Oh showed pace, strength and finishing prowess for his second goal but his first owed much to Cameron Carter-Vickers getting on the end of a corner and guiding the ball towards goal, where it brushed off the striker on its way into the net.

Oh laughed: “It was a very important touch! I don’t think anyone realised I had touched it – none of the players believed me.

“Even the stadium announcer said it was Cameron’s goal… I said no, no no!

“I was very thankful to Cameron for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the goal.”

Oh Hyeon-gyu capitalised on a rare start to hit a double as Celtic consolidated their position at the top of the cinch Premiership with a 4-1 victory over Hibernian at Parkhead.

Oh got the final touch on Celtic’s opener from a fifth-minute set-piece before hitting the fourth shortly before making way for Kyogo Furuhashi.

Matt O’Riley’s header and a Luis Palma penalty had extended Celtic’s lead in between the South Korean’s goals.

Substitute Christian Doidge netted a consolation for Hibs to give them some reward for Nick Montgomery’s attempts to build from the back and utilise his many attacking players.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers brought in Tomoki Iwata, Mikey Johnston and Oh, who had one start between them this season.

Iwata came into the holding midfield role for his first start under Rodgers, allowing Callum McGregor to push further forward. Johnston was making his first start since February 2022, after making three substitute appearances since his return from a loan spell at Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes.

The champions got an early settler when Cameron Carter-Vickers got on the end of Palma’s corner and hit a shot which skimmed off Oh’s leg and beat David Marshall.

Oh was on the end of several crosses without seriously threatening before Marshall parried McGregor’s 25-yard strike.

The second goal came in the 36th minute when O’Riley timed his run perfectly to head home Palma’s cross after the winger had turned Lewis Miller inside out.

There were more chances at either end before the break. Alistair Johnston and Carter-Vickers both almost converted balls across the face of goal while Joe Hart made a good stop from Elie Youan.

Nat Phillips replaced Carter-Vickers at half-time and Celtic went further ahead in the 51st minute when Palma sent Marshall the wrong way from the spot.

Referee John Beaton was initially unconvinced over Lewis Stevenson’s challenge on Alistair Johnston but he did not take long to change his mind after being called to the VAR monitor by Gavin Duncan.

Oh netted four minutes later when he got on the end of McGregor’s ball down the left channel, brushed off Will Fish and guided the ball into the far corner.

Youan hit the post with a deflected effort before the wide player set up substitute Doidge for a 72nd-minute tap-in with a return pass.

Australian winger Marco Tilio had come on in the 63rd minute for Celtic for his second appearance for the club. The Australian winger created a decent shooting chance for himself but shot weakly at Marshall from 20 yards.

Celtic came closer when Marshall stopped Palma’s free-kick and both Furuhashi and Iwata missed glorious late chances.

Brendan Rodgers hailed Celtic’s traditional never-say-die spirit following their late 2-1 cinch Premiership win over St Mirren at Parkhead.

Saints attacker Conor McMenamin headed the visitors in front in the seventh minute but returning Hoops midfielder David Turnbull levelled in the 18th minute with a fine strike before hitting the post with a penalty just before the half-hour mark.

The league leaders kept chipping away in the second half and eventually got their reward in the 83rd minute when South Korean attacker Oh Hyeon-gyu took a pass from fellow substitute Odin Thiago Holm and fired high past excellent Buddies goalkeeper Zach Hemming.

The Celtic boss smiled as he said: “It was coming.”

He added: “Listen, it’s one of those ones – you know the game lasts 90 plus minutes so you trust your team.

“They’ve scored late goals already this season. It’s the make-up of this club to keep going and persevere.

“I was really just pleased with the quality of the winning goal. We saw that at Motherwell when we got that winner (Matt O’Riley) late on.

“With 80-odd minutes on the clock here, you can start to panic but we worked the ball really well.

“The goal was terrific. Of course you can never be sure but I trust the team that they will keep going until the end and when you do that opportunities will come.

“It’s part of the value of this team – that ability to keep going. When you bring in players you are always looking for players who have that resilience in their make-up.

“It’s part of what you do when you recruit a player. When you play for a club like this one, there’s no choice – you keep fighting, you keep running and allow your quality to come through and that’s exactly what happened.

“We had a penalty and Kyogo (Furuhashi) had a chance as well. So we could have been more comfortable in the scoreline.

“At 2-1, you just want to grind it out and get the result.”

It was Oh’s first goal of the season and Rodgers was pleased for the South Korean.

Rodgers said: “It was a great finish. Nice little very combination with Kyogo and Odin can shoot if he’s selfish. But he plays a lovely pass in and the big guy takes his touch and it’s a wonderful finish.

“I’m really pleased for him. For the guys who aren’t playing so much, you always have to recognise and acknowledge their efforts which I did with them.

“He looks after his body, his diet, everything is superb. He’s so professional, he looks at his training and he knows when asked upon he can come in and make an impact. And what an impact.”

St Mirren remain in third place and boss Stephen Robinson also praised his side as he acknowledged the quality of Celtic’s goals.

He said: “We got beat by a fantastic goal. Sometime you look for fault but it was a fantastic goal and so was the first one.

“Defensively we were excellent, Zach Hemming made three fantastic saves.

“I have nothing but credit and praise for the players.

“To be disappointed shows we have come a long way but we are a good side and I have a lot of confidence in these players.

“We got beat by quality but in terms of where we want to go it was a big statement in terms of performance.”

A late strike by substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu gave Celtic a hard-fought 2-1 cinch Premiership win over St Mirren at Parkhead.

Saints attacker Conor McMenamin headed the well-organised visitors into a shock lead in the seventh minute but the Hoops responded as expected.

Returning midfielder David Turnbull levelled in the 18th minute with a terrific strike before hitting the post with a penalty just before the half-hour mark.

Brendan Rodgers’ men kept working away in the second half and eventually got their reward in the 83rd minute when South Korean attacker Oh, on for Turnbull, fired high past excellent Buddies goalkeeper Zach Hemming for his first goal of the season.

Rodgers’ side had dropped points at the weekend with a goalless draw at Hibernian but the main talking point ahead of the game was the Green Brigade’s ban from Celtic Park for “increasingly serious escalation in unacceptable behaviours”.

The move came after incidents including the fan group’s co-ordination of a display showing solidarity with the people of Palestine at last week’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid and their absence impacted on the atmosphere.

Rodgers, however, had to get on with winning a game of football and with centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers rested he brought in Nat Phillips, with Turnbull and winger James Forrest reinstated as Paulo Bernardo and Daizen Maeda dropped to the bench.

The visitors, with Ryan Strain back from suspension and Caolan Boyd-Munce and Toyosi Olusanya back in the side, stunned the home side with the early opener.

Greg Kiltie’s curling cross from wide on the left was met by Northern Ireland attacker McMenamin and he gave keeper Joe Hart no chance with his header from close range.

The goal concentrated Celtic minds while the fans began grumbling at St Mirren taking the lead.

But they had cause to cheer when Turnbull picked up a Matt O’Riley pass 20 yards from goal and curled a shot high past Buddies keeper Hemming.

There was a handball check by VAR when Turnbull’s shot came off the sliding Buddies midfielder Alex Gogic and when referee John Beaton checked his pitchside monitor he inevitably pointed to the spot.

Turnbull’s spot-kick struck the post, Luis Palma’s effort from the rebound was well-saved by Hemming and then Matt O’Riley headed past the post and Saints breathed again.

Celtic increased the pressure just before the break with Hemming preventing Gogic inadvertently slicing a clearance into his own net before making a good save from Palma’s low drive.

An intricate move early in the second half ended with Hemming making a fine save from Forrest’s drive from 10 yards before the winger and Palma made way for Maeda and South Korean attacker Yang Hyun-jun.

Celtic kept knocking at the door and seven minutes from the end Oh took a pass from fellow substitute Odin Thiago Holm inside the box and drove high into the net.

The hosts should have scored again in added time when Kyogo Furuhashi was clean through, only to be foiled by Hemming.

Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu could be out for up to six weeks with a calf problem.

The 22-year-old South Korea international originally picked up the injury in James Forrest’s testimonial match against Athletic Bilbao but did not declare it before taking his place on the bench for the cinch Premiership opener against Ross County at Parkhead on Saturday.

“Oh will probably be out for a few weeks,” said Hoops boss Rodgers, who refused to elaborate on Celtic’s interest in Swedish centre-back Gustaf Lagerbielke, which had been revealed by Elfsborg manager Stefan Andreasson.

“He hurt his calf against Athletic Bilbao but no one knew and he trained on.

“He was involved in the game at the weekend and then he trained on the Sunday and afterwards he spoke to the medical team to say he felt his calf and it has ended up that he has a calf problem which might put him out for four to six weeks. So that’s where he is at.

“Apart from that, the injured guys are doing really well.

“Ali Johnston is back on the grass, running, working, he is increasing his intensity so that is really good news for us.

“Marco Tilio is also now out on the grass and moving well so we expect him to be another month or so away.”

Swedish central defender Carl Starfelt has been linked with a move to Celta Vigo after Rodgers confirmed at the weekend he was keen to move on, but the manager said: “It is progressing but nothing definitive to add on that.”

Asked if he could say reveal anything on Lagerbielke, the Northern Irishman said: “No. Clearly if we lose a centre-half I want to bring in another one, but I have got nothing to add.

“There’s probably be a few other names that will be mixed in there and if I spoke about every one we might be here for a little while.

“There is a number that we are looking at, but nothing definitive.

“There are other areas I would like to improve on.”