| Match Pictures | Matches: 2018 – 2019 | 2018-19 Pictures |
Trivia
- Celtic return to the top of the league with this victory, whilst Sevco drop to second following goalless draw with Hibs. Celtic also have one game in hand.
- Scott Brown's 500th Celtic game and wins MoTM award. Excellent.
- Nothing controversial, no high profile mistakes but that was an abysmal performance from ref Bobby Madden tonight. So many M'well tackles should have had yellow cards.
- Great day for Celtic youth, and Tierney wasn't even playing today (out injured). FOUR Celtic academy youth players on the field, and Tierney isn't there. Add in Christie etc not there also, quite a feat.
- Annoyingly this game was not on TV or even the radio! Only on Celtic TV.
- Edouard goes off injured. With Griffiths on leave, this means Celtic have a crisis possibly in striking options. Edouard suffered an abductor muscle strain and will be assessed over the next 24 hours.
- Celtic draw Valencia in UEFA Cup KO stages.
- Reports that Christie & Boyata may return quickly from injury by end-season.
- Jose Mourinho (Porto manager v Celtic in 2003) has been sacked by Man U.
- Scottish teams have received a financial boost after the SFA announced member clubs have earned more than £11million in distribution payments between them. Over £6m of that cash pot has come from record revenue from the William Hill Scottish Cup with broadcasting and sponsorship helping add to the final total. Celtic defeated Motherwell in the Hampden showpiece.
- Aussie FA have told Celtic that Rogic can't play v Sevco on 29th Dec as he has been called up due to 2 day window. Absolute disgrace!
Review
(JoeBloggsCity of TheCelticWiki)
After the recent lull in Celtic performances, this was a great pick me up, although various sections feel this was still below 100%.
(the north CSC of KDS)
Some things I learned from tonight…
Johnston should be starting games ahead of Sinclair
Johnston and Morgan are both extremely difficult to differentiatefrom a distance, especially when wearing the same colour of boots
Morgan can whip in some mean fast paced deliveries with his left foot which are dream balls for poaching strikers
Anthony Ralston played better than I expected (although I still don't think he's good enough to be a long term starter)
Ex Sevco/Hearts/Kilmarnock player Kevin Kyle is a Tim (bumped into him on the Celtic Way and he told me he's been a Tim all his days much to my surprise)
Teams
Celtic
- 1 Gordon
- 56 Ralston
- 5 Simunovic
- 32 Benkovic
- 3 Izaguirre
- 8 Brown
- 21 Ntcham
- 49 Forrest
- 42 McGregor
- 11 Sinclair Substituted forMorgan at 66'minutes
- 22 Edouard Substituted forJohnston at 38'minutes
Substitutes
- 12Gamboa
- 15Hayes
- 16Morgan
- 27Mulumbu
- 29Bain
- 35Ajer
- 73Johnston
Goals
- Ralston (28' minutes),
- Sinclair (32' minutes pen),
- Johnston (45' minutes)
Motherwell
· 20Gillespie
· 2Tait
· 5Aldred
· 4McHugh Booked at 70mins
· 18Dunne Substituted for Main at 87'minutes
· 14Grimshaw
· 17Bigirimana Substituted for Campbell at 45'minutes
· 23Gorrin
· 15Rose
· 12Bowman Substituted forTaylor-Sinclair at 45'minutes
- 19Sammon
Substitutes
- 3Taylor-Sinclair
- 8Campbell
- 9Main
- 13Ferguson
- 21Mbulu
- 24Johnson
- 28Turnbull
Referee:
Bobby Madden
Attendance:
54,703
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Forum
MOTM
- Voting Thread
- Result Thread
- Winner –
Stats
Home Team
Celtic
Away Team
Motherwell
Possession
Home62%
Away38%
Shots
Home13
Away2
Shots on Target
Home7
Away0
Corners
Home5
Away3
Fouls
Home5
Away13
Articles
Celtic 3 – 0 Motherwell: First-half blitz sends champions back to top
Stephen Halliday
Published: 21:45 Wednesday 19 December 2018
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/competitions/premiership/celtic-3-0-motherwell-first-half-blitz-sends-champions-back-to-top-1-4846576
Scott Brown marked his 500th appearance for Celtic by leading them back to the position they have occupied for the majority of his career at the club.
The Scottish champions returned to the top of the Premiership table with a comfortable victory over Motherwell, albeit one which came at a cost as record signing Odsonne Edouard limped off in the first half.
With Leigh Griffiths already sidelined for an indeterminate period by personal issues, any length of absence for French front man Edouard will be a major concern for manager Brendan Rodgers who has outlined his desire to strengthen his striking options in the January transfer window.
Celtic, already awaiting the return of a handful of key players from injury, did not need to be at full strength to swat Motherwell aside. Their work was done in the first half as goals from Anthony Ralston, Scott Sinclair and teenage substitute Mikey Johnston effectively wrapped up the points.
Ralston was understandably eager to make an impression in his first appearance for the Celtic first team since September 2017.
Even before he made the breakthrough for the hosts, the 20-year-old right-back seized every opportunity to surge forward into the often open spaces left down his flank by the Motherwell defence.
With less than three minutes on the clock, Ralston whipped a tremendous delivery across the face of the six yard box but none of his team-mates were sufficiently alive to the opportunity.
That apart, it was a slow-burning start to the contest from Celtic against opponents who offered little in the way of attacking threat themselves. There was a brief flutter of anxiety for the home defence when Craig Gordon misjudged a long through ball and was beaten to the touch by Conor Sammon but the big Motherwell striker stabbed his effort well wide.
As Celtic gradually worked up some rhythm and momentum, Olivier Ntcham saw a shot deflected narrowly wide of Mark Gillespie’s right hand post. A misplaced pass from Liam Grimshaw led to Celtic’s next sight of goal but Sinclair was denied from close range by a smart save from Gillespie.
Ralston had continued to get himself into promising positions down the right without being able to match the quality of his earlier cross, leading to some groans among the less patient members of the home support.
But there were cheers all round for Ralston when he put Celtic ahead in the 28th minute with a fine finish. Racing onto a perfectly weighted pass from Edouard, he displayed good composure to guide his firm low shot beyond the advancing Gillespie.
Motherwell barely had time to regroup before they found themselves 2-0 down from a cheaply conceded penalty kick. It was a rash and needless challenge from Charles Dunne as the defender pulled James Forrest down on the right side of the area.
Sinclair, his confidence clearly not dented by his penalty miss in the League Cup Final earlier this month, pulled rank on Ntcham to grab the ball and made no mistake as he drilled it low beyond Gillespie’s right hand into the corner.
Christophe Berra vies with Odsonne Edouard during a previous clash at Tynecastle between Hearts and Celtic. Picture: SNS Group
The joyful mood of the Celtic support was dampened slightly when Edouard pulled up with what he appeared to indicate was a groin problem. He left the field gingerly and was replaced by Johnston.
While the extent of Edouard’s injury is assessed, Celtic can take comfort from the manner in which Johnston quickly indicated he can offer at least a temporary solution to their shortage of central striking options.
His first goal for the club just before the interval was an example of top class finishing. Receiving a short pass from Forrest on the edge of the penalty area, Johnston steadied himself with a fine first touch before rifling a right foot shot high beyond Gillespie, the ball rattling in off the underside of the bar.
Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson, whose team selection had sent a clear message he regards Saturday’s clash with fellow strugglers St Mirren as a greater priority this week, made a double substitution at half-time but this was already a lost cause for his team.
Damage limitation was the extent of their ambitions in a dreary second 45 minutes which did little to set pulses racing. Ntcham came closest to adding to Celtic’s tally, drilling in a low shot from around 20 yards which produced a good save from Gillespie.
There was little else of interest for the home fans aside from awaiting confirmation of the final score from Easter Road where the goalless draw between Hibs and Rangers meant Celtic moved back into top spot, one point clear of their Old Firm rivals and still with a game in hand.
Captain Brown, presented with a commemorative shirt to mark his landmark appearance, had barely had to break sweat in the one he wore as Celtic maintained their 100 per cent home record in the Premiership this season.
BBC
By Thomas Duncan
BBC Scotland
From the section Scottish Premiership
Highlights: Celtic 3-0 Motherwell
Celtic returned to the Scottish Premiership summit after a first-half blitz ensured victory over Motherwell.
The win, coupled with Rangers' draw with Hibernian, means they lead their Old Firm rivals by a point with a game in hand.
Anthony Ralston opened the scoring before Scott Sinclair's penalty made it two just four minutes later.
Celtic lost striker Odsonne Edouard to injury, but replacement Mikey Johnston slammed in a third before the break.
Brendan Rodgers' side host Dundee on Saturday, before trips to face Aberdeen and then Rangers before the winter shutdown.
Motherwell remain ninth, nine points behind Hibernian in eighth, but five clear of Hamilton in 10th.
Celtic to assess Edouard injury
Reaction & as it happened
Celtic youngsters mask Edouard blow
After using a somewhat unfamiliar system in defeat by Hibernian on Sunday, Rodgers brought in 20-year-old Ralston to play on the right of a back four.
The impact was clear as, on his first start of the season, Ralston surged up and down the flank causing Motherwell all sorts of problems, not least sliding in the opening goal after Edouard had shrugged off several defenders and crafted an excellent ball through.
It was fantastic forward play from the Frenchman, and the kind Celtic will fear they may be without for the festive fixtures – including against Aberdeen and Rangers – after he limped off clutching a thigh.
By that point, though, Sinclair had already struck a penalty precisely past Mark Gillespie to make it 2-0, after Charles Dunne scythed down James Forrest.
Motherwell were suddenly buried after being largely untroubled by Celtic for nearly half an hour. And to compound matters, Edouard's replacement – 19 year-old Johnston – dropped a shoulder and shuffled on to his right foot to bamboozle Motherwell centre-back Carl McHugh before lashing in a third.
Johnston's impact in a comfortable victory may have made Edouard's absence look insignificant, but with Moussa Dembele sold in the summer and Leigh Griffiths taking an indefinite break from football, Celtic could face real problems in the striking department if the 20-year-old's injury prognosis is serious.
As it happened, Olivier Ntcham, playing in a more attacking midfield role with Callum McGregor deeper, provided Celtic's main threat after the break.
The Frenchman first struck a low drive just past a post and, when played through, searched for the far corner with a fizzing shot, but Gillespie did well to deny him.
For Motherwell's part they rarely threatened, and will be glad to have got through the game conceding just three after briefly collapsing in the 15 minutes before the break.
BBC Scotland's Martin Dowden at Celtic Park
Celtic are back on top of the Premiership with their 100% home record intact. That's now eight league wins from eight at Celtic Park, and 17 goals in their last four home games.
On a night that saw captain Scott Brown make his 500th Celtic appearance, the champions' record was never really under threat.
The injury to Edouard is the big concern though. In his place, Johnston certainly made an impact with a stunning third but with big games coming up, there are a lack of striking options.
Celtic will want to end December top of the table before regrouping and reinforcing in the January transfer window.
'Great to see youngsters do well' – reaction
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "I thought it was an excellent performance, there were some very good moments in the game.
"A lot of our play was very good considering the games the players have been playing. It was great to see the young players coming into the team and doing well."
Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson: "We've got three big games coming up. I made a lot of changes so people would be fresh for Saturday. Anything from tonight would have been a bonus.