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EIGHT months waiting for one.
Now two in less than a fortnight.
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Celtic showed they’ve banished the away day hoodoo by backing up their win over Aberdeen with a two-goal victory at Fir Park.
The pressure was on Ange Postecoglou’s side to prove the late show in the north east wasn’t a fluke – and they did it in style.
HOW THEY RATED
Motherwell: Liam Kelly 6, Stephen O’Donnell 6, Bevis Mugabe 6,Juhani Ojala 6, Nathan McGinley 6, Callum Slattery 6, Liam Grimshaw 5, Sean Goss 6, Kaiyne Woolery 6, Jordan Roberts 5, Tony Watt 6
Subs :Kevin Van Veen (Roberts 63) 4, Justin Amaluzor (Grimshaw 78) 3
Celtic: Joe Hart 7, Anthony Ralston 7, Carl Starfelt 7, Cameron Carter-Vickers 7, Boli Bolingoli 7, Callum McGregor 7, Tom Rogic 7, David Turnbull 8, Liel Abada 6, Jota 7, Kyogo Furuhashi 7
Subs: Nir Bitton (Rogic 74) 4, Giorgos Giakoumakis (Abada 74) 4, Mikey Johnston (Kyogo 82) 3
MAN OF THE MATCH
David Turnbull’s second half goal here was worthy of winning any game of football. The former Motherwell midfielder was too eager to score against his old club in the first half when he took the wrong option to go himself when others were in a better position. But he lit this game up with the 25-yarder he sent flying past keeper Liam Kelly to put Celtic into a commanding position. Played well within the game and capped it with a sensational goal.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Chris Fordyce spent the first portion of this game watching from the sidelines as fourth official. Tasked with nothing more than keeping the managers in check and working the subs board, it was a routine afternoon at work. But that all changed when Willie Collum limped off, leaving the League One whistler centre of attention. His last game had been Queens Park v Peterhead so this was a different scale altogether. Wasn’t swayed by a Motherwell penalty shout in the second half and attracted their anger. Booked Mugabe and Carter-Vickers.
MEN IN THE DUGOUT
Ange Postecoglou fist-pumped the fans at Pittodrie and knew he’d look daft if Celtic didn’t back it up with a win here. His players didn’t let him down so he gave them more of it at the end yesterday. Graeme Alexander’s side felt they should have had a penalty kick but were denied the call. They will feel they played well enough but without testing Joe Hart nearly enough.
Still ropey at the back sometimes, still pinging too many aimless high crosses into the box, and still passing their way into trouble at the back – but there’s no doubt the Hoops have DEVASTATING quality up top when it matters.
First Tom Rogic unpicked Graeme Alexander’s side with a super defence-splitter for Jota, before David Turnbull lit up his former stomping ground with a 25-yard stunner.
The victory was deserved and backed up their manager’s belief his team can now string a run of results together away from Celtic Park.
Rookie ref Chris Fordyce, who stepped up from fourth official in the first half after Willie Collum limped out, found himself in the firing line for denying Well a second half spot kick for a Boli Bolingoli handball.
Well gaffer Alexander made a surprising choice with his team selection, choosing the start with the influential Kevin Van Veen on the bench while Jordan Roberts played instead.
One-time Rangers player Sean Goss came in for his first start in the middle of the park.
Roberts nearly made the perfect start three minutes in when, having got possession in the middle of the park from a Callum McGregor blunder, Motherwell bombed forward.
Celtic looked to have got rid of all danger by shuffling it back to keeper Joe Hart, but he got the ball stuck under his feet giving the attacker the chance to pounce.
But Hart was able to shimmy his way out of jail with a dragback, although it’s doubtful his manager would have stood marvelling at the footwork he was forced to display.
Well clearly fancied it and opened the Hoops up again on eight minutes, this time more conventionally through Tony Watt down the right-hand side, but his cutback was shepherded out by Anthony Ralston at the back post before Kaiyne Woolery could pounce.
Celtic defended the corner well, immediately launching into a counter attack of their own with Turnbull bombing forward.
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He had Kyogo through the middle with Liel Abada and Jota on either side, but with the home defence scrambling backwards elected to shoot himself – but scuffed hopelessly wide.
That was the warning about what Celtic can do on the break when you go for them at the other end – and on 19 minutes they made their pace and quality count.
Bombing forward in numbers, Rogic spotted a channel inside Stephen O’Donnell to tee up Jota with a perfectly weighted pass.
With the ball rolling perfectly into his path, the Portuguese winger didn’t have to break stride before lashing a shot past exposed Liam Kelly.
Jota had another chance in the 25th minute, meeting a cross from the right acrobatically ten yards out but his bicycle kick slammed into the turf before bouncing over the crossbar.
Play was held up just before the half-hour to allow ref Colum attention from the Motherwell medical team for a calf injury and it was quickly decided he couldn’t continue.
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Collum called both managers together to tell them he’d stop the clock while his replacement, fourth official Fordyce, was getting ready to take over.
After four minutes of waiting, with the players keeping themselves warm on the park, play resumed with a new whistler – who hadn’t reffed above League One level before – in the middle.
Fordyce got through to the end of the first half without any incidents, but was nearly signalling for a second Celtic goal just three minutes after the restart.
Too often the Hoops had got into good positions down the flanks but wasted it with high deliveries which Motherwell’s defence gobbled up easily.
This time Ralston wisely elected to keep it low, finding Jota at the back post but he just had to stretch too far and couldn’t steer the ball back goalwards.
Everything Celtic had done until now had been by probing into the box, but showed they don’t need to be up close to hurt you on 53 minutes.
REF OFF Motherwell vs Celtic grinds to a halt as referee Willie Collum goes off injured
Turnbull had far too much space for Alexander’s liking 25 yards from goal, but Motherwell didn’t expect what came next, as he smashed a stunning shot across Kelly with the outside of his right boot high into his top left corner.
The Celtic support and his team-mates went wild in celebration, but the former Fir Park hero stayed subdued before being mobbed by his colleagues in front of the away end.
Alexander introduced Van Veen for Roberts on 63 minutes in a bid to change momentum towards his team and within minutes he was claiming for a handball from Boli Bolingoli, but Fordyce was unconvinced.
Postecoglou brought on summer signing Giorgos Giakoumakis with a quarter-hour remaining and he could have got his first goal with an overhead kick, but his timing was just a fraction out in front of an away support celebrating Hearts late equaliser at Ibrox.
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