2015-12-19: Celtic 1-2 Motherwell, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2015 – 2016 | 2015-16 Pictures

Trivia

• Last game before Xmas.
• Disaster for Celtic, and the odds shorten on Deila’s chances to remain in the managerial seat.
• Celtic only one pt ahead of Aberdeen but one game in hand, currently played 18 games with 42 pts.
• Stokes admits almost quit Celtic after death threats.
• Statute in honour of Billy McNeil unveiled today on The Celtic Way. Much respect to all who organised this at Celtic.
• Bolton are conducting an internal investigation after a newspaper published allegations about manager Neil Lennon.It was alleged in the Sunday Mirror the former Celtic boss made a threat to somebody he was said to be romantically involved with. All innocent until proven otherwise, and Bolton are in financial difficulties, so the cynical are theorising conspiracy stories.

Review

(steviefrombelfast of KDS forum)
None of Pearson, McDonald nor McManus would have been considered top players in their prime. All three are well past their prime. We just got well beaten by a team with all three in it.

Blunt upfront, invisible in the middle, weak at the back and a keeper who is currently a bit dodgy. Manager has to go.

(foolmarks of KDS)
Yesterday’s game showed us that:

– Ciftci is no better than Stokes who has been sidelined or Scepovic who was sent out on loan.
– Carlton Cole is a waste of a salary and jersey.
– Johansen is no better than Liam Henderson who sent out on loan.
– There are better SPFL journeymen defenders than Boyata. Looks OK going forward, but gets in a complete state any time he is required to actually defend.

..things need to be fixed soon before we end up losing this league.

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Stats

Celtic Motherwell
Possession
39% 61%
90mins
Shots
22 8
On target
6 4
Corners
6 4
Fouls

Articles

Celtic 1 – 2 Motherwell: Moult double sinks Celts
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/celtic-1-2-motherwell-moult-double-sinks-celts-1-3980162
ANDREW SMITH

THE only wonder of Motherwell’s first win at Celtic Park since April 2008 was that it was merely by a single goal.

Fir Park manager Mark McGhee and his players’ mastery of a ragged Celtic really ought to have left the Scottish champions on the receiving end of a scoreline that made them appear as second rate as they truly were.

Stodgy in the first period, Ronny Deila’s side were dodgy at the back in the second with Motherwell passing up three glaring one-on-ones in between Louis Moult’s double that proved another step in their revitalising under McGhee. The Scotland assistant was in charge for that last win in Glasgow’s east end by the Lanarkshire side. That put severe pressure on his friend in the opposite dug-out, Gordon Strachan, before a dramatic Celtic title win was pulled from the fire.

Deila, in presiding over only one Premiership home defeat this term, won’t face such heat but the lukewarm nature of his side’s attack in the absence of Leigh Griffiths – out with an ankle strain – demonstrated precisely why the club were happy to extend the 25-year-old’s contract until 2021 on Friday.

Griffiths has talked about following in the footsteps of such as Scott McDonald, who produced a barnstormer of a performance in beguiling the home backline yesterday. If there was a true turning point to this encounter it was when the former Celtic striker’s feet were too quick, his thinking too sharp for Jozo Simunovic on the hour mark, with the scores tied at 1-1. McDonald drew an illegal challenge from the Croatian at the edge of the box that referee Bobby Madden rightly adjudged a penalty to allow Moult to breezily slot past Craig Gordon.

The 11th goal in 16 appearances for the Englishman, his tenth had allowed Motherwell to draw level five minutes after going behind to a 48th-minute 14-yard hit from Nir Bitton that came off Steven Hammell on its route to the net.

An angled, driven cross from the left by Marvin Johnson eluded a disjointed Celtic defence to allow Moult to slam the ball in at the back post.

“This is up there with making my debut for Stoke in the Premiership – maybe today just shades it because of the two goals,” said 23-year-old Moult. “I came from non-league football and when I was signing I looked at this fixture and I was excited about it. To score two goals is a dream come true. I felt it could’ve been more – we said that at the end. It could’ve been three or four. I’ve had another chance which on another day could’ve looped in, Marvin and Lionel both had one. That’s a real positive to take from the game.

“I’m a bit surprised it could’ve been more but we’ve shown quality in the past three or four weeks. I think the final pass is starting to be there today whereas at the start of the season it wasn’t. I’ve managed to get on the end of Marvin’s ball – relationships are starting to happen.”

Deila’s relationship with his club and its support will be a little dented by a display that contained the whole host of flaws that rear up in his teams periodically. A fourth home game without a win – defeats in the Europa League to Molde and Ajax following the Halloween win over Aberdeen – always appeared in the offing once Motherwell had gone in front. Celtic under Deila rarely retrieve situations late on, Motherwell stood firm, despite losing centre-back Stephen McManus after he was laid out cold when heading the back of substitute Carlton Cole in the 77th minute.

McManus had strong words with McGhee as he was hauled towards the dug-out in dazed fashion. “He was desperate to go back on but we weren’t going to allow that because clearly he had been out even for a second or two and he looked to me as though he was sparkled,” the Motherwell manager said. “I was just trying to say to him ‘your missus will kill me if I let you go back on, Christmas is coming’. The doctor will keep an eye on him tonight.”

McGhee believed the performance of his two forwards was just what the doctor ordered, meanwhile. “I think Scott McDonald and Louis have done well since I came here. Scott was terrific. But Luis with his goals, and scoring winning goals at Parkhead, is a great step in his career and he’s a terrific player. He is aggressive, has a great touch, a goal in him, an all-round great striker.

“We defended as a team and two of the most important defenders for us were the strikers.”

Read more: http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/celtic-1-2-motherwell-moult-double-sinks-celts-1-3980162#ixzz3uzgCqTCh
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BBC
By Alasdair Lamont BBC Scotland at Celtic Park

Motherwell won at Celtic Park for the first time in nearly eight years, coming from behind to do so.

Louis Moult’s double turned the game around after Nir Bitton’s deflected shot had given the champions the lead.

It means Celtic have failed to win at home in their last four games, the first time that has happened since Tony Mowbray was manager.

They remain a point clear of Aberdeen at the top of the league, while Well’s revival under Mark McGhee continues.

The match was prefaced by an emotional unveiling of a statue of Celtic’s legendary European Cup-winning captain, Billy McNeill.

The thousands of supporters who gathered for the occasion would have been underwhelmed by what unfolded inside the stadium in the opening 45 minutes.

Their team dominated possession but found Motherwell to be well organised and therefore difficult to penetrate.

But the chess-like approach to the first half could not have been in greater contrast to the action-packed second period.
Celtic celebrate Nir Bitton’s goal

Nir Bitton (second left) had given Celtic the lead against Motherwell

Lionel Ainsworth should have put Motherwell ahead, but his chip over goalkeeper Craig Gordon also cleared the crossbar.

It looked like Motherwell would pay a hefty price for that as Tom Rogic burst clear, squared for Bitton and the midfielder’s shot took a big deflection off Keith Lasley on its way past goalkeeper Connor Ripley.

However, Marvin Johnson, whose pace had already caused Celtic problems, soon fired the ball across goal for Moult to tap into the net.

And the game was turned on its head when Scott McDonald’s sharp turn enticed Jozo Simunovic into a rash challenge.
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Highlights – Celtic 1-2 Motherwell

It gave Moult the opportunity to double his and Motherwell’s tally, which he duly took, rolling the penalty straight down the middle as Gordon dived to his left.

They could have gone further ahead but for Gordon, who rushed off his line to block from McDonald after Dedryck Boyata got into trouble and then used his left foot to deny Moult a hat-trick.

In between those efforts, Bitton had a shot blocked on the line and Ripley saved from Scott Allan and Kris Commons.

Celtic piled forward in the closing stages but failed to create any further openings as Motherwell celebrated a hard-earned victory.

Live Text Commentary
Full time

Full Time Match ends, Celtic 1, Motherwell 2.
90:00 +4:24 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Celtic 1, Motherwell 2.
90:00 +4:04

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Luke Watt.
90:00 +3:07

Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 +3:07

Foul by Marvin Johnson (Motherwell).
90:00 +2:27

Attempt blocked. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
89:00

Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
88:59

Foul by Louis Moult (Motherwell).
85:04

Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
84:32

Scott Allan (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
84:32

Foul by Keith Lasley (Motherwell).
83:55

Foul by Nadir Ciftci (Celtic).
83:55

Ben Hall (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
83:08

Attempt missed. Jozo Simunovic (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
80:10 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Motherwell. Luke Watt replaces Lionel Ainsworth.
79:17

Attempt saved. Marvin Johnson (Motherwell) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
78:31

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Connor Ripley.
78:22

Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
77:27 Booking

Booking Nir Bitton (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
77:23

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
77:23

Scott McDonald (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
76:25 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Motherwell. Louis Laing replaces Stephen McManus because of an injury.
76:10

Attempt missed. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
75:41

Delay over. They are ready to continue.
74:53

Delay in match Stephen McManus (Motherwell) because of an injury.
73:46 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Carlton Cole replaces Tomas Rogic.
73:26

Attempt missed. Lionel Ainsworth (Motherwell) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
72:40

Foul by Mikael Lustig (Celtic).
72:40

Scott McDonald (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
71:58

Attempt saved. Scott Allan (Celtic) header from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
71:32

Attempt blocked. Nir Bitton (Celtic) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is blocked.
71:14

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Marvin Johnson.
66:57 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Scott Allan replaces James Forrest.
64:25

Attempt missed. Louis Moult (Motherwell) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
64:16

Attempt saved. Scott McDonald (Motherwell) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
62:42

Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
62:42

Foul by Keith Lasley (Motherwell).
62:16

Attempt missed. Stephen McManus (Motherwell) header from a difficult angle on the right misses to the right.
61:51

Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Dedryck Boyata.
61:06

Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.
60:28

Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Nir Bitton.
59:42

Dedryck Boyata (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
59:42

Foul by Scott McDonald (Motherwell).
58:41 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 1, Motherwell 2. Louis Moult (Motherwell) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
58:01

Penalty conceded by Jozo Simunovic (Celtic) after a foul in the penalty area.
58:01

Penalty Motherwell. Scott McDonald draws a foul in the penalty area.
56:13

Dedryck Boyata (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
56:13

Foul by Scott McDonald (Motherwell).
55:29

Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
55:29

Foul by Scott McDonald (Motherwell).
54:32

Hand ball by Scott McDonald (Motherwell).
54:19

Attempt blocked. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
53:35

James Forrest (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
53:35

Foul by Ben Hall (Motherwell).
52:11 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 1, Motherwell 1. Louis Moult (Motherwell) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the top right corner. Assisted by Marvin Johnson.
50:57

Attempt missed. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
50:30

Attempt blocked. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
48:24 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 1, Motherwell 0. Nir Bitton (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Tomas Rogic.
47:33

Attempt missed. Lionel Ainsworth (Motherwell) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
46:55

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Lionel Ainsworth.
46:46

Attempt blocked. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from long range on the left is blocked.
45:51

Attempt saved. James Forrest (Celtic) header from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
45:34

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Scott McDonald.
45:00

Second Half begins Celtic 0, Motherwell 0.
45:00 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Motherwell. Lionel Ainsworth replaces Liam Grimshaw.
45:00 +1:09 Half time

Half Time First Half ends, Celtic 0, Motherwell 0.
45:00 +0:33

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
45:00 +0:33

Scott McDonald (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
44:20

Foul by Kris Commons (Celtic).
44:20

Keith Lasley (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
43:40

Dedryck Boyata (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
43:40

Foul by Louis Moult (Motherwell).
43:00

Attempt missed. Jozo Simunovic (Celtic) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
42:37

Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
42:37

Foul by Marvin Johnson (Motherwell).
41:39

Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
41:39

Foul by Scott McDonald (Motherwell).
40:43

Attempt missed. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
37:05

Foul by Scott McDonald (Motherwell).
37:05

Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
36:08

Attempt missed. Nadir Ciftci (Celtic) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses to the left.
32:19

Attempt missed. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
29:01

Foul by Louis Moult (Motherwell).
29:01

Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
27:21

Attempt missed. Kieran Tierney (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
25:43

Foul by Ben Hall (Motherwell).
25:43

Tomas Rogic (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
22:57

Attempt blocked. Nadir Ciftci (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
21:11

Stephen Pearson (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
21:11

Foul by Tomas Rogic (Celtic).
18:59

Attempt saved. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner.
14:34

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Josh Law.
11:59

Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Dedryck Boyata.
10:36

Attempt missed. Nir Bitton (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
9:30

Foul by Stephen McManus (Motherwell).
9:30

Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
3:10

Attempt missed. Callum McGregor (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
0:00

First Half begins.
0:00

Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

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