Japanese Bhoys Kyogo and Reo Hatate have been on track to ship Celtic again right into a two level lead on the Premiership summit.
Targets in every half from the Hoops stars ensured Ange Postecoglou 's facet bounced again from defeat to St Mirren of their earlier outing regardless of a weird Jusip Juranovic own-goal dragging Motherwell stage. There was additionally a late pink card for Callum McGregor for a doubtful final man skilled foul.
It had all began with the hosts in management and Hatate's side-footed effort went straight into the fingers of Properly keeper Liam Kelly after he'd been discovered by Daizen Maeda's cutback within the fourth minute. After a gap spell of domination, the breakthrough arrived within the fifteenth minute as Jota hung up a cross from the left which allowed Matt O'Riley to energy down a header which was parried by Kelly however Kyogo was available to assist the ball over the road from a yard out.
It ought to have been two within the twenty first minute after an outstanding go by Reo Hatate sliced the Motherwell defence aside and Jota's supply fell for Callum McGregor who could not preserve his volley down and the guests have been let off the hook. The crossbar then got here to the Lanarkshire facet's rescue after Juranovic cracked a 25-yard free-kick off the woodwork with ten minutes remaining of the primary half.
Then got here as weird an personal objective as you will see all season. Celtic did not clear a nook and Blair Spittal lofted a excessive ball again into the field and Juranovic chested an tried backpass previous Joe Hart and into his personal internet. From nowhere, Motherwell had been gifted a leveller and provided renewed hope.
It was virtually doused moments earlier than the break when Hatate's 25-yard thunderbolt rebounded off a put up and was headed in by Kyogo just for an offside flag bringing a halt to the celebrations.
There was aid for almost all inside Celtic Park when Hatate drilled in a surprising objective within the sixty fourth minute and it was a strike of supreme high quality from the Japanese star which not solely settled nerves for the champions however eliminated a lot of the struggle from their opponents. There was extra drama two minutes from time when McGregor was handed a straight pink card for knocking down Ross Tierney regardless of Stephen Welsh offering final man cowl however there was to be no final gasp leveller for the Lanarkshire facet.
3 speaking factors
Set bits and items
Celtic hit each put up and crossbar of their win and had probabilities to assert the factors in a extra comfy trend however additionally they lived dangerously each time the ball was launched into their very own penalty field. There stays a vulnerability on the coronary heart of their defence which was masked by one other win and two targets of the very best high quality.
Each Stephen Welsh and Moritz Jenz fail to be the figures of authority and Premiership groups know it is a weak point which will be exploited. Greater than as soon as a Motherwell cross was allowed to journey the size of Celtic's six-yard space but it surely went unpunished. It is a win for Celtic and a lift forward of Wednesday's Champions League conflict in opposition to Pink Bull Leipzig however there have been quite a lot of moments of removed from convincing defending.
Personal-goal howler
Who is aware of whether or not Josip Juranovic obtained a shout from his keeper Joe Hart to make a chested again go is anybody's guess but it surely was a second of calamity which pulled Motherwell stage from nowhere. The Croatian was too near Hart and broke the golden rule of constructing positive any go is directed away from objective and he was punished for a second which turned the competition immediately.
Juranovic had rattled the crossbar on the different finish seconds earlier however in the end Celtic's incapability to clear a bathroom customary nook was the catalyst for conceding in such slapstick trend. On this event Celtic fought to get better the state of affairs and bag the factors but it surely was a blunder which may have proved extremely pricey.
Properly drilled
Fir Park boss Stevie Hammell had been doing his pre-match homework by cramming in hours of movies of Celtic in motion over the earlier two years and it greater than paid off. Motherwell deployed a courageous man for man method throughout the pitch and resisted the urge to sit down deep in two banks of 5.
Every participant assumed accountability to examine the Celtic runners and it stifled the champions who struggled to get their regular attacking surges into full working order. Holding a comparatively excessive line and matching up was the essence of Hammell's plan and he deserves credit score for sticking to that method in the course of the 90 minutes. Different Premiership golf equipment can even be watching and taking notes over how finest to arrange in opposition to Celtic and attempt to make life as tough as attainable.
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