MOTHERWELL upset the odds by winning at Celtic Park for the first time in seven seasons and it might just mean the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership has a title race after all.
Celtic are now just a single point ahead of a resurgent Aberdeen. They do have a game in hand, but with their next match at Tynecastle who is to say they won’t slip back to second if they lose to Hearts.
Mark McGhee saw his Aberdeen team ship nine goals the last time he was at Parkhead. That was never going to happen here. The Motherwell manager got his tactics spot on.
Ronny Deila has some questions to answer. This Celtic team of his are losing the fans, there were so many empty seats, and performances such as this are not helping.
Motherwell worked ever so hard for their win. They deserved whatever fortune they got, although could easily have scored more themselves.
After 20 minutes of nothingness, Celtic came to life and from a good 25 yards, Nir Bitton hit a first-time shot on the half-volley with some venom, Conor Ripley in Motherwell’s goal saved but couldn’t hold onto the ball, Nadir Ciftci put home the rebound but he was offside by a distance and the linesman was not going to miss that.
Four minutes later, Kris Commons, Callum McGregor and Ciftci got in one another’s way inside the Motherwell box and none of them got off a shot worthy of the name.
Motherwell almost scored the opener on 31 minutes, a chance that owed everything to the pace of Marvin Johnson. The winger left Mikael Lustig for dead and made his way into the box, Scott McDonald was at the back post for a tap-in, only for Jozo Simunovic to clear the ball from almost under his own crossbar.
Then on 37 minutes, Ciftci pulled his shot across goal after being set up by a clever Commons pass, but the first-half did not deserve a goal.
Celtic were quicker on the ball immediately after the break and less than a minute had gone when, from a Commons corner, Forrest forced Ripley into a save low at his post.
And then Motherwell missed a sitter on 47 minutes.
Kieran Tierney was last man and he allowed Motherwell substitute Lionel Ainsworth to go clean through on Craig Gordon . He had time and space so elected to chip and put the ball on top of the Celtic next.
Within sixty seconds Celtic were ahead.
A good passing move actually began with Tierney deep in defence and the ball zipped up the park through Forrest, Bitton and then Rogic, who skinned Ben Hall before he cut-back for Bitton who had continued his run and the Israeli's shot went in via a deflection.
However, Motherwell were back on level terms on 52 minutes. Another good run and cross from Johnson on the left confused the Celtic defence who allowed Louis Moult to put the ball in from a few yards out.
It became 2-1 for the Lanarkshire men before the hour. The veteran McDonald was too quick for Simunovic who tripped the former Celtic man just inside the box. A penalty was rightly given and Moult sent his shot down the middle as Gordon dived to his left.
Celtic were all over the place. Dedryck Boyata did his best to gift Motherwell a third when he seemed to trip over the ball, but McDonald’s shot was saved and Moult’s effort was too high.
With ten minutes to go, Motherwell countered again through Ainsworth on the right, his low cross found Johnson who could not, but should have, beaten Gordon.
But it was not to matter. Celtic huffed and puffed, created some half chances, but the fact so many had left before the final whistle told the story of the afternoon. It was Motherwell's day.
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