2017-11-29: Motherwell 1-1 Celtic, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2017 – 2018 | 2017-18 Pictures

Trivia

• Celtic now 66 games undefeated domestically, the record continues.
• Saturday will be 67!
• Celtic just won the league cup on Sunday past against Motherwell. Some bad blood as Motherwell and anti-Celtic media calling that penalty awarded to Celtic was wrong, when it was clearly a penalty.
• This is the second of three games that Celtic are playing against Motherwell in seven days, once at Hampden, once at Celtic Park and once away at Fir Park.
• Reports: Celtic make approach to buy Australian team they signed Tom Rogic from. Celtic signed Tom Rogic from Central Coast Mariners (A-League side) in 2013 and now reports suggest the New South Wales team are the main target to make a splash Down Under.
• Dembele injured following challenge from Sunday past by Motherwell player. Celtic No 2 Chris Davies reckons Moussa Dembele is lucky not to be out of football altogether after Cedric Kipre’s over-the-top challenge during Sunday’s Betfred Cup final.
• Brendan Rodgers’ assistant said: “Moussa’s got a swollen ankle. He’s had a bad twist and the contact as well. It was a very poorly timed tackle. It could have been much, much worse. Thankfully for him, it’s not.
• Disputed penalty again in this match, still technically a penalty.
• Sinclair was booed throughout game when he was on by Motherwell fans as he was said to have dived on Sunday past, but he got his own back by scoring the equaliser.
• Barry Ferguson on @BBCSportsound Podcast / Radio Scotland:
  "Motherwell will be angry at that penalty and rightly so, though we haven't seen it. Sounds as if it wasn't a penalty!" Basically, raging but hasn't seen it…
• Anderlecht legend Paul Van Himst a week before their game v Celtic to come:
  “We should never have allowed ourselves to lose to a team of peasants like Celtic. They were a bunch of woodcutters. It was one of our worst matches ever in Europe, and we didn’t even muster an attack.”

Review

(Owenbhoy of KDS)
Had enough chances to win 2 games here.
Motherwell were crap again, and as predicted the cloggers were out in force.
Tierney was outstanding, as were McGregor and Boyata.

The foul that led to their goal wasn't even a free kick.
Of course serial whinger Robinson won't mention that.
For the penalty McGregor is very clever, knowing the guy is gonna press to get the ball and puts his body between the two.
Barged and definite penalty.
So the run goes on, just, but not through anything the opponent did, only our own poor finishing, decent goalkeeping and a large chunk of luck on Motherwell's part.
I was even surprised Collum gave the penalty anyway.
#66 and on we go to round 3 against the Lanarkshire cloggers.
Once again I expect them to go through every one of us like last night, while throwing themselves to the floor if they get into our penalty area, as Moult did last night too.

Scott Sinclair looked up for it when he came on, and to take that penalty took some balls.
Fair play to him. Glad he put it into the top corner too so I could actually see it hit the net.
Forgot just how shampoo a stadium and view they have.

Teams

Motherwell

Goals

• Lustig (78' minutes og)

Celtic

Substitutes

• 11 Sinclair
• 18 Rogic
• 21 Ntcham
• 22 Edouard
• 24 de Vries
• 28 Sviatchenko
• 35 Ajer

Goals

• Sinclair (88' minutes pen)

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11048743/
• Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11049043/
• Post Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11049054/

MOTM

• Voting Thread http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/11049056/
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

Motherwell
Away Team
Celtic

Possession
Home49%
Away51%

Shots
Home5
Away21

Shots on Target
Home1
Away7

Corners
Home4
Away7

Fouls
Home18
Away8

Articles

Motherwell 1 – 1 Celtic: Late Sinclair penalty maintains unbeaten run
Celtic's Mikael Lustig knocks the ball into the back of his own net. Picture: PA


Alan Pattullo

Published: 21:40 Wednesday 29 November 2017
They would not have been presented with a cup for their efforts. But to be the first team to defeat Celtic for 18 months would have earned Motherwell some form of compensation for Sunday’s Betfred Cup final heartache.
It wasn’t to be. It was written in the stars that Scott Sinclair would have a part to play despite starting the game on the bench. Motherwell fans booed him on when he eventually appeared after 72 minutes. With two minutes left he was standing over the ball on the penalty spot preparing to rub salt into Motherwell wounds after Andy Rose was adjudged to have impeded Callum McGregor in the box.
A neat finish high to the right of Motherwell goalkeeper Trevor Carson to cancel out Mikael Lustig’s 78th minute own goal meant Sinclair silenced the home fans.
It’s now 568 days and 66 matches since Celtic last lost to domestic opposition. Brendan Rodgers’ side can make it to the symbolic 67-game mark on Saturday against the same opponents. Episode two of this week-long drama between two sides based 11 miles apart saw the spoils shared. Motherwell can at least be satisfied with a well-earned point.
Trevor Carson, the Motherwell keeper, emerged the star performer. McGregor was as impressive as ever but was left frustrated by both the goalkeeper’s resolve and his own poor finishing.
Referee Willie Callum, meanwhile, was beginning to breathe a sigh of relief on a night largely free of controversy before McGregor was knocked over by Rose in the dying moments. If Cedric Kipre’s less obvious tug on Sinclair was a penalty at Hampden on Sunday, then this, too, was one.
Things were unsurprisingly feisty even without the initial presence of Sinclair, the villain of the piece in Sunday’s Betfred Cup final so far as Motherwell fans were concerned.
Rodgers elected to name Sinclair among the substitutes but there was an early sighting of him when he sprang to his feet to warm up after Patrick Roberts pulled up in the opening minutes. The home fans greeted him with some less than flattering choruses. But it was in fact Thomas Rogic who was called into action when it became clear Roberts could not carry on.
Rodgers spared Sinclair longer as the tackles continued to fly on from players on both sides. Kipre was able to take his place in the side despite his controversial sending off on Sunday after being spared an early red card for a lunge on Moussa Dembele, who was missing last night with the resultant swollen ankle.
Kipre went careering into Forrest while Stuart Armstrong was late on Chris Cadden. Louis Moult, meanwhile, barged Dedryk Boyata.
The trouble with games in such quick succession is that grudges can develop. The quick turnaround means anger has little time to dissipate.
But the tension bubbled under the surface for the most part. Carson, the Motherwell keeper beaten twice on the weekend, emerged the pivotal player in the opening half. A good block from McGregor after 20 minutes kept Celtic out with the midfielder sending the rebound into the side netting.
But the goalkeeper kept his best save for time added on in the first half, preserving the stalemate with a remarkable block with his leg from Kieran Tierney following a flowing Celtic move involving Rogic and Forrest. Somehow Carson was able to deflect Tierney’s effort from close in over the bar.
Motherwell had made few, if any, clear-cut opportunities by this half-way point bar a Carl McHugh header that cleared the goal in the opening minutes. Clearly conscious of the lack of chances his side had created Robinson made a change at half-time, replacing winger Deimantas Petravicius, who was making his full debut, with midfielder Andy Rose.
The second 45 minutes were undoubtedly livelier in terms of goal openings. Griffiths could not dig the ball out of his feet after Tierney’s sweeping cross and then Forrest saw his shot blocked by a clump of home defenders.
Then McGregor’s own personal duel with Carson resumed. The goalkeeper tipped the midfielder’s shot round the post and then was relieved to see another McGregor effort from wide on the left whistle just past his far post.
But the half was certainly a lot more end to end than the opening period. Moult hooked Cadden’s cross over the bar after Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon had failed to control a passback and then fluffed his kick.
Motherwell thought they might rue substitute Craig Tanner’s first involvement of the match being to fail to connect properly with Richard Tait’s cross from the edge of the six-yard box.
But it was Tanner’s delivery from a free kick that saw Lustig under sufficient pressure to put into his own net with 12 minutes left. The foul was earned in the middle of the park after Brown was penalised for bringing down Ryan Bowman. The Celtic midfielder was furious.
But the visitors’ mood brightened as McGregor drove them on. His shot was saved by Carson and then brilliantly clawed away by the ‘keeper. But the danger remained and Rose was penalised for a push on McGregor. Sinclair converted the penalty with obvious relish.

BBC

By Chris McLaughlin

BBC Scotland Sport at Fir Park

29 November 2017


Scott Sinclair kept his nerve to score his 12th goal of the season

Scott Sinclair's controversial penalty with two minutes left extended Celtic's unbeaten domestic run to 66 games as Motherwell were denied a historic win.

Mikael Lustig's own goal in the 78th minute, diverting Craig Tanner's free-kick, threatened an upset.

But when Callum McGregor went down after an Andy Rose challenge, Sinclair kept his nerve to send the spot-kick high into the left corner.

Well keeper Trevor Carson had earlier denied McGregor and Kieran Tierney.

It was the closest Celtic have come to defeat since their last loss to Scottish opponents – against St Johnstone – back in May 2016.


◾It feels a bit like a defeat – Robinson


◾Celtic 'keep finding answers' – Rodgers

But a point was enough to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to four points, with a game in hand, after Aberdeen's 3-0 defeat at Rangers.

Motherwell knew if they were to stand a chance of stopping the Celtic steamroller, they would have to turn the match into a battle and they did just that from the first whistle.

They pressured and fought the visitors over every blade of the Fir Park pitch, trying to knock Celtic out of their stride, and looked comfortable in possession but chances were scarce.

Motherwell players surround referee Willie Collum after he awarded a late penalty

Motherwell players surrounded referee Willie Collum to protest after he awarded a late penalty

In response Celtic were forced to make quicker passes and at times they looked more frantic than they wanted to be.

They also suffered an early blow when Patrick Roberts pulled up with a hamstring problem that will require a scan, and makes him a doubt for the Champions League visit of Anderlecht next Tuesday.

Callum McGregor was the first to find a gap and his fierce shot was well saved by Carson after impressive build-up play involving Leigh Griffiths and Tom Rogic.

They had their goalkeeper to thank for going into the interval on equal terms after he pulled off a fabulous stop from Tierney.

The Celtic left-back blasted low from six yards out after mesmerising one-touch build-up play carved the hosts' defence open, but Carson somehow got an arm to the effort and the ball flew over the bar.

Tierney was involved again minutes after the restart after sprinting clear of Richard Tait on the left flank, but Griffiths couldn't convert his inch-perfect cross. James Forrest pounced on the resulting block but his effort was also denied by a ruck of lunging Motherwell defenders.

Carson then dived low to deny McGregor after the midfielder let fly with another powerful effort. It was beginning to feel all very familiar.

Motherwell refused to buckle though and Louis Moult had a chance from eight yards out after a mix-up in the Celtic defence, but the striker snapped at the effort and it sailed over the bar.

As the game became more stretched, McGregor – again – and Griffiths both watched chances flash just wide.

But space was opening up at the other end and substitute Craig Tanner passed up a golden opportunity with a wayward header after a great cross from Chris Cadden.

Mikael Lustig diverts Craig Tanner's free-kick into his own net

Mikael Lustig diverted Craig Tanner's free-kick into his own net

But with 11 minutes left, they took the lead courtesy of a Celtic player. Tanner flighted in a free-kick from 40 yards out and Lustig stretched to clear but instead turned it past the helpless Craig Gordon.

Fir Park erupted as the home fans realised their side was on the verge of blowing away their Hampden blues and creating history.

As the champions threw everything forward, Tom Rogic watched his effort bounce off the base of the post and back into Carson's arms.

Then after Carson pulled off another fabulous stop, McGregor went down inside the Motherwell box under the challenge of Rose and referee Willie Collum pointed to the spot. The home fans were furious but up stepped substitute Sinclair to fire it home.

He wheeled away with his finger to his lips, aimed at the Motherwell fans who had been calling him "cheat" for winning a controversial penalty in Sunday's League Cup final against the same opponents.

The travelling support rose to their feet and bounced in unison and relief. Record intact – just.