Chinese Philosophy often speaks of Yin and Yang, the concept of positive and negative forces in constant struggle with one another. Well, it was pretty clear where the positives and negatives were in Glasgow this weekend.
Once again whether you had a brilliant Saturday night this weekend or a thoroughly miserable one was largely dependent on which team you support.
Celtic Made to Fight Hard for Three Points
Celtic battled hard against a spirited and, it must be said, very positive St. Mirren side in Paisley. Though we ran out eventual 5-2 winners, all credit must go to St. Mirren for the way they went about their business in this game. It was a joy to watch, and for large spells genuinely competitive.
Jeffrey Schlupp opened his Celtic account with a powerful drive into the bottom corner on 28 minutes.
St Mirren Come Storming Back
Not to be outdone though, St. Mirren's own full-back Declan John also scored his first goal of the season 5 minutes later, with a magnificent free-kick. The left-foot curler was one that Shunsuke Nakamura himself would have been proud of.
Celtic pressed on though, and soon had the lead again shortly before halftime. Arne Engels penalty kick went straight down the middle. Thankfully, St. Mirren's keeper was kind enough to dive out of the way. 2-1 Celtic at half time.
The hosts continued to impress however. Kasper Schmeichel made a series of crucial saves in the first half, but there was nothing he could do about St. Mirren's equalizer early in the second half. Phillips' speculative volley spun into the air at a bizarre angle, taking it beyond the keeper and just under the crossbar. 2-2 and game on.
Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Yang
Enter Yang Hyun-Jun, as a second half substitute. With just over 20 minutes to go, the Korean winger put Celtic 3-2 up with a well-taken back post header. Fellow substitute Luke McCowan then rattled a blistering shot off the post, before Yang turned provider for Daizen Maeda to put the result beyond doubt on 88 minutes. That goal was Daizen's 13th in the past 12 games, an incredible record for someone who, according to most of the media in Scotland, isn't even a striker.
Yang wasn't done however, he added a 5th, and his second of the game, with another fine header in injury time.
Celtic Now on the Brink of Claiming 4 in a Row
The 5-2 win, which manager Brendan Rodgers described as "one of the most satisfying results of the season", coupled with Rangers surrendering once again at home, to Motherwell by 2 goals to 1, means Celtic are just three wins from the title.
Victory over the Ibrox Tribute Act in our next league game, followed by wins over Hearts and St. Johnstone will confirm us as champions.
Yang Impact Gives Rodgers Food for Thought
It will be interesting to see what role Yang plays in next week's Scottish Cup tie with Hibs. Most players with this rich a vein of form would be undroppable. However, Yang is still, in the eyes of most, Celtic's 4th choice winger.
The is no denying that Yang has shown a huge improvement in form recently. However, most pundits and fans would agree he is still a fair way off of challenging Maeda, Jota or Kuhn for a starting berth on either flank.
That being said, he has been a superb impact sub in recent weeks. Let's hope that same impact will be felt again when Rangers come calling on March 15th.