2013-10-05: Celtic 2-0 Motherwell, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2013 – 2014 | 2013-14 Pictures

Trivia

  • Celtic go clear top after Inv Caley are surprisingly thumped by St Johnstone, plus one game in hand.
  • Back to the League after the Champs Lge exploits.
  • Two guide dogs are the special match mascots, leading the two teams out on to the pitch before the game. Promoting Guide Dog week [cue plenty of jokes about refs & guide dogs etc…]
  • Internationals next week so no Celtic matches.
  • A Celtic fan given a 12 month ban by courts for pointing/gesturing a flag towards OldCo fans as if it were supposedly a gun. No this is not a joke, so will Samaras be cautioned for his bow and arrow routine after scoring.
  • A nutjob Sevco fan posts a sick picture of himself holding a large knife to the throat of Neil Lennon (tv image).
  • Fraser Forster in England Squad, calls increasing across various media in UK that he should start for England above much maligned incumbent Joe Hart of Man City.
  • Fraser Forster linked with EUR10m move to Barcelona in a Spanish paper.
  • Efe Ambrose signs new four year contract.
  • Sevco announced £14m losses in their accounts to June 2013.

Review[Untitled]

(Arsene P of KDS)
Easy enough win, some decent performances. With better strikers we may have had more.

Forster's save was fantastic, but the punch attempt where he caught Efe in the back wasn't.
Ambrose had a great game, and apart from one run inside our penalty area where he lost it generally tidied up neatly.
Van **** looks to be the only new signing who is better than who he replaced. He'll surely score soon.
Izzy had his moments and was possibly lucky to stay on the park when he got away with a possible second booking.
Lustig was solid.

Brown, Commons, Mulgrew (and Matthews) ran the midfield easily. Commom's goal was great, and megging McManus on the way to scoring was Kontermanesque.
Forrest had a mare for me. Hid quite a lot, didn't move into space to help Lustig and generally did nothing I can remember apart from one cross.

Stokes, well taken goal aside, did his usual frustrating fancy flick attempts which help nobody, but did try in defence today which was different from him. His other attempts at goal were poor though. If he stopped trying to be Iniesta and Messi, and just played more simply he'd be more effective.
The more I see Pukki, the less I see in him. Poor first touch, not too strong, not particularly fast, showed nothing of note.
I'm worried our strikers don't like going into the box, and neither look natural predators.
Still, there's always our baby giraffe Amido!

Despite my annoyances about some players, we weren't poor. It was a reasonably entertaining afternoon, and with better passing decisions we may have scored more.
At least it wasn't a typical, dull post CL afternoon. Top of the league. Now for the international break.

Teams

Celtic

  • 01 Forster
  • 04 Ambrose
  • 05 van Dijk
  • 03 Izaguirre Booked (Baldé – 87' )
  • 23 Lustig
  • 15 Commons
  • 02 Matthews (Forrest – 15' )
  • 08 Brown
  • 21 Mulgrew
  • 20 Pukki (Biton – 75' )
  • 10 Stokes

Substitutes

  • 37 Atajic
  • 49 Forrest
  • 17 Baldé
  • 53 Henderson
  • 06 Biton
  • 24 Zaluska
  • 33 Kayal

Goals

  • Stokes 21′
  • Commons 49′

Motherwell

  • 01 Hollis
  • 06 McManus
  • 05 Hutchinson
  • 03 Hammell
  • 04 Ramsden
  • 17 Francis-Angol
  • 18 Carswell
  • 14 Lasley (Lawson – 87' )
  • 11 Vigurs (Anier – 58' )
  • 25 Ainsworth (Kerr – 63' )
  • 09 Sutton

Substitutes

  • 22 Moore
  • 16 McHugh
  • 24 Anier
  • 08 Lawson
  • 12 Nielsen
  • 15 Cummins
  • 20 Kerr

Ref: Iain Brines
Att: 46,608

Articles

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Forum

MOTM

Stats

Celtic Motherwell
Possession
35% 65%
90mins

Shots
14 3
On target
5 1

Corners
5 5

Fouls
8 7

Articles

Celtic 2-0 Motherwell: Hoops stroll to victory

The Scotsman

by TOM ENGLISH

published 05/10/2013 16:55

39 comments
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THERE is no law that says that teams who visit Celtic Park in the SPFL must allow themselves to be dominated so completely as Motherwell were on Saturday.

Scorers: Celtic – Stokes, 21, Commons, 49

There is no rule that says that visitors can’t have a go, can’t contribute anything to the game bar the kind of grunt that saw Keith Lasley pile into Adam Matthews early in the game, the Welshmen then stretchered from the field with a suspected fractured collarbone.

That was one of the few times that Stuart McCall’s side gave Celtic pause to stop and think.

Celtic were efficient and full of energy in the beginning. They tired or simply just got bored as the game wore on, their 2-0 advantage seemingly under no threat until Fraser Forster had to make a fine save from John Sutton with five minutes left. It was Motherwell’s one attack of any note and it almost drew a gasp of astonishment from the home crowd, such was the shock at seeing Forster being forced into action.

The big man added to his burgeoning reputation with a terrific point-blank save that said as much about his concentration levels as it did about his shot-stopping prowess.

It was the injury to Matthews that cast a gloom over Celtic’s day. The full-back has become one of the unsung stars of this team and he will be badly missed if the worst is confirmed later today.

A few weeks back, Celtic were seemingly coasting when leading 2-0 against St Johnstone only to get a fright with a late Saints goal and an effort that hit their post. This wasn’t another one of those days for Motherwell had little of the gumption that St Johnstone had.

For the most part they were a total non-event.

McCall’s team were always going to struggle with the pace and goal-power of Neil Lennon’s team but their inability to find a way of at least making a contest of it reflected very badly on them.

Inverness Caley Thistle came here with a bright attitude and got a draw that could have been a win. Morton came here in the League Cup and engineered a victory. Last time out in the SPFL, St Johnstone were out-classed for large parts of the game but found something before the end and could have stolen a point.

It can be done. Teams do it all the time.

Motherwell, though, were as lame as could be. They played like a team that had spent the week studying their recent history at Celtic Park, a grim catalogue of defeats – eight in the last nine visits – that saw them score the sum total of one goal.

Apart from Sutton’s attempt, it’s hard to recall any other meaningful attempt on goal. It’s also a puzzler trying to remember any other half-reasonable passage of play. They went down with a whimper. The wonder was that they only lost by two goals.

Any notion of them actually taking any points from the game existed only in the minds of the deluded once Anthony Stokes smashed Celtic into a 20th-minute lead. Motherwell’s policy coming here was containment coupled with hope. Five men were strung across the midfield and Sutton was left up front on his own to feed on whatever bits and pieces came his way. To say that the striker had to survive on crumbs was to put it mildly. Crumbs would have been a banquet compared to what Sutton had to live on. But once Stokes scored, the McCall gameplan was redundant and yet he stuck with it until the second goal went in, by which time another striker wasn’t going to be enough to turn the tide.

Stokes first, though. Celtic had enjoyed a Barca-esque amount of possession up to that point – and did so for the rest of the day – so when the Dubliner thundered a shot past Lee Hollis after a Mikael Lustig cross and a flick-on from Kris Commons, it was hardly a surprise.

Stokes’ finish was excellent, the striker taking advantage of a confused defence and a goalkeeper who got himself trapped in no-man’s land.

It should have been added to quickly. Kris Commons missed with a close-range header, then fine work from the authoritative Virgil van Dijk teed up Commons again, but his shot was beaten away Hollis.

The midfielder is a class act, though. A constant source of invention and cleverness. Just before he scored he had given Stokes some stick for failing to pick him out in space on the edge of the box. Next time Commons saw an opportunity, he didn’t need to rely on anybody else to make the most of it. He did it all by himself. Picking up the ball just inside his own half, Commons sized up the moment in a split-second, nut-megged Stephen McManus and motored on to clip the ball over the advancing Hollis.

It was close to the hour when McCall brought on Henri Anier to offer some support for Sutton, but it was too little, too late.

The procession meandered to a conclusion with only some spurned Celtic chances and Sutton’s late attempt drawing a reaction from the masses. Their thoughts, by then, were with Matthews in his hospital bed.

CELTIC

Forster, Lustig, Ambrose, Van Dijk, Izaguirre (86), Matthews (13), Mulgrew, Brown, Commons, Stokes, Pukki (75)

Subs used

Forrest (13), Biton (75), Balde (86)

MOTHERWELL

Hollis, Ramsden, Hutchison, McManus, Hammell, Ainsworth (63), Carswell, Lasley (86), Vigurs (58), Francis-Angol, Sutton

Subs used

Anier (58), Kerr (63), Lawson (86)

BBC

Celtic moved to the top of the Scottish Premiership table after a confident home win against Motherwell.

Anthony Stokes blasted in Celtic's opener from a tight angle after Motherwell keeper Lee Hollis failed to clear midway through the first half.

Immediately after the interval, Kris Commons outstripped the Motherwell defence to lob Hollis.

Fraser Forster again underlined his goalkeeping credentials by denying 'Well's John Sutton's late header.

After the midweek disappointment of narrowly losing out to Barcelona in their Champions League group match, Neil Lennon's men enjoyed a return to form while Stuart McCall's Motherwell should remain fairly contented to hold on to third place, largely thanks to Aberdeen's defeat by Ross County.
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The hosts set out their intentions almost immediately when Emilio Izaguirre clipped the ball in to the penalty area and Hollis came out for the cross but ended up swiping at fresh air. Scott Brown pounced with a shot towards goal but it failed to find a way through the Motherwell defence.

Lennon was forced into an early substitution when Adam Matthews found himself on the wrong end of a sliding challenge by Motherwell captain Keith Lasley and had to be stretchered off, James Forrest replacing him.

Charlie Mulgrew then blasted a right-footed shot from 25 yards that deflected off a Motherwell body for a corner.

Commons flicked on a cross into the Motherwell penalty area and, with the bobbling ball around, Hollis was in total disarray before it landed favourably for Stokes to drive home.

Shortly after the half-hour mark, Commons' effort from Virgil van Dijk's cross was kept out by Hollis.
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Motherwell pressed as the interval approached but Lionel Ainsworth's effort was high over the crossbar.

Shortly after the break, Commons netted a fine solo effort following a run that took him past Stephen McManus and Lasley.

Van Dijk soon embarked on an unstoppable run of his own down the inside-left channel and drifted past the Motherwell defence only to fire off target.

Substitute Henri Anier, on for Iain Vigurs, had an opportunity to drag Motherwell back into the match after some poor communication in the Celtic defence allowed him to line up a shot but his effort was wayward.

In the closing stages, England squad keeper Forster made a fantastic save, diving low to deny Sutton from close range.

Live Text Commentary
Full time

Full Time Match ends, Celtic 2, Motherwell 0.
90:00 +3:12 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Celtic 2, Motherwell 0.
90:00 +0:56

Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Mikael Lustig.
89:26

Foul by Amido Baldé (Celtic).
89:26

Stephen McManus (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
86:48

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
86:48

Foul by John Sutton (Motherwell).
86:30 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Motherwell. Paul Lawson replaces Keith Lasley.
86:14 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Amido Baldé replaces Emilio Izaguirre.
85:13

Attempt missed. John Sutton (Motherwell) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right.
84:42

Attempt saved. John Sutton (Motherwell) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
82:13

Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Emilio Izaguirre.
80:33

Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Emilio Izaguirre.
77:52

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Simon Ramsden.
74:50 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Nir Biton replaces Teemu Pukki.
74:33

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
74:33

Fraser Kerr (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
69:03

Attempt missed. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
67:49

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
67:49

Foul by Keith Lasley (Motherwell).
66:36

Attempt missed. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
63:30

Attempt missed. Charlie Mulgrew (Celtic) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
63:00 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Motherwell. Fraser Kerr replaces Lionel Ainsworth because of an injury.
61:50

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Lionel Ainsworth.
60:35

Attempt missed. Teemu Pukki (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
58:17

Attempt missed. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
57:35 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Motherwell. Henri Anier replaces Iain Vigurs.
55:37

James Forrest (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
55:37

Foul by Stuart Carswell (Motherwell).
53:47

Attempt missed. Teemu Pukki (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
53:28

Attempt saved. Mikael Lustig (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
51:49

Attempt blocked. Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
48:43 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 2, Motherwell 0. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner.
47:55

Attempt saved. James Forrest (Celtic) left footed shot from long range on the right is saved in the top left corner.
45:00

Second Half begins Celtic 1, Motherwell 0.
45:00 +1:35 Half time

Half Time First Half ends, Celtic 1, Motherwell 0.
45:00 +0:26

Attempt missed. Lionel Ainsworth (Motherwell) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
44:15

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
44:15

Foul by Zaine Francis-Angol (Motherwell).
43:00

Stuart Carswell (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
42:58

Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
39:05 Booking

Booking Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
39:00

Lionel Ainsworth (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
38:57

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
36:12

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
36:12

Lionel Ainsworth (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
35:24

Attempt missed. Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
34:49

Hand ball by Keith Lasley (Motherwell).
33:39

Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Virgil van Dijk.
29:08

Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
26:04

Hand ball by John Sutton (Motherwell).
25:24

Foul by Charlie Mulgrew (Celtic).
25:24

Stuart Carswell (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
23:13

Foul by Kris Commons (Celtic).
23:13

Keith Lasley (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
21:54

Attempt missed. Kris Commons (Celtic) header from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
20:15 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 1, Motherwell 0. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Mikael Lustig.
17:05

Foul by Teemu Pukki (Celtic).
17:05

Stephen McManus (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
14:47 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. James Forrest replaces Adam Matthews because of an injury.
13:45

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Shaun Hutchinson.
13:22

Anthony Stokes (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
13:22

Foul by Simon Ramsden (Motherwell).
9:52

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Stephen McManus.
9:09

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Keith Lasley.
0:00

First Half begins.
0:00

Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

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