Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has bemoaned the absence of several important players after the Hoops were beaten at St Mirren on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Celtic beaten by St Mirren

Ange Postecoglou's side were back in Premiership action on Sunday afternoon as they sought to continue their perfect start to the league season.

Instead, Celtic were defeated 2-0, their first league defeat in just under a year, never looking anywhere near their best and paying the price for a number of key players being named on the substitutes' bench. Regular starters Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota and Reo Hatate were among those who were omitted from the XI on Sunday.

It was a decision which, by his own admission, ultimately backfired by Postecoglou, as he took a gamble but saw a drop-off in quality throughout the team.

The Latest: Sutton bemoans team selection

Taking to Twitter after the match, Sutton name-checked three players who he felt were hugely missed from the starting line-up, giving a negative all-round assessment of the game. He stated:

"Lots of changes for Celtic today and maybe too many key players left out. Not the same without CCV, Jota, Hatate and missed McGregor’s speed of passing in the pivot role early on… sometimes a result like this isn’t a bad thing to let the players know they’ve not cracked it!"

The Verdict: Rare Ange error

Postecoglou has been a wonderful manager at Celtic so far, delivering success in his first season in charge having taken over at a low ebb for the club, but his team selection on Sunday was a rare misstep.

There was logic in his decision to leave out the likes of Jota and Hatate among others, utilising his squad depth, but the performance was somewhat lacking without a few of his best performers.

It certainly doesn't look good on those who came in for the regular starters, as they blew an opportunity to prove their worth, allowing Rangers to get back to within two points in the title race in the process.