A nervy 2-1 win over Motherwell at Parkhead, which saw Callum McGregor sent off, is not what you would generally call a big result for Celtic. But considering the circumstances surrounding this game, it certainly was. The Hoops should be very happy to get through this game and come out with all three points.
The Rangers had made a statement themselves by getting the better of Hearts and the onus was on Celtic to win on this occasion. They rose to the test, albeit by a hair’s length, and secured the win. Otherwise, they could have thrown their 5-point lead away by losing to St Mirren and drawing against Motherwell in back to back games.
It is safe to say that that would not have been ideal and shifted all the momentum towards the Rangers.
Also, one has to remember that coming into the game vs Motherwell, Celtic had not won in the previous three games, losing twice and drawing the other one. Winning is a habit and they needed to scrap this one. Hopefully, the next results will come easier.
Celtic’s win over Motherwell was one of the biggest results of the season
Kyogo Furuhashi opened the scoring vs Motherwell before an own goal from Josip Juranovic brought things level. Ultimately, it was Reo Hatate, whose strike ended up deciding the game.
The biggest miss for Celtic on this occasion was the absence of both Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt once again, something that had proven disastrous vs St Mirren. At least that outcome was avoided this time around.
One can only hope that Carter-Vickers will be back soon and come with a lot of stability with him. This side seems to be lacking a bit of composure at the moment, without him providing steel at the back. Let’s have our fingers crossed.