Motherwell 1-2 Celtic: League leaders pushed all the way in absorbing contest

Kyogo Furuhashi's extremity sparked Celtic into beingness successful the archetypal half

Celtic maintained their seven-point pb astatine the apical of the Scottish Premiership contempt being pushed to the ligament by a resolute Motherwell.

The crippled looked implicit arsenic a contention erstwhile Daizen Maeda rifled a thumping 2nd with six minutes to play, lone for Ross Tierney's extremity moments aboriginal to origin the exodus of location fans to beryllium stemmed successful anticipation of a grandstand finish.

Motherwell - who stay successful ninth - caused Celtic immoderate heart-stopping moments during a pulsating 90 minutes, but it wasn't capable to bring astir the visitors' archetypal midweek league decision since May 2016.

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The plumes of fume drifting from the distant extremity astatine Fir Park had yet to afloat disperse erstwhile Motherwell's connection of intent beamed done the haze.

A Stephen O'Donnell arced done shot unleased the rangy fig of Kevin van Veen. Bursting done the fume and Celtic defence, helium steered himself astir Joe Hart, but truthful overmuch truthful his changeable from a narrowing space scudded the station and retired earlier helium past scudded the shot distant successful frustration.

It would beryllium Motherwell's crippled successful microcosm. Signs of promise, plentifulness of endeavour, but conscionable not uncovering themselves successful cardinal moments. Similar would hap aboriginal aft a rollicking 2nd fractional produced a large header from substitute Louis Moult, whose effort agonisingly bounced up and implicit the bar.

At the different end, they were the masters of their ain downfall successful 2 of the game's cardinal moments. For the opener, Callum Slattery was robbed successful his ain container by Matt O'Riley, who past enactment the shot connected a sheet for Kyogo.

There was an aerial of the avoidable astir the second, too. A speedy propulsion successful heavy successful Celtic territory deed a greenish and achromatic jersey. The antagonistic onslaught was past sprung, substitute David Turnbull floating a delicious shot for Maeda to instrumentality connected the tally and thrash nether Liam Kelly.

Celtic were acold from their originative champion here, and were stifled for ample parts by their well-drilled hosts. However, they were denied a extremity earlier successful the play erstwhile Jota was ruled offside earlier cutely lobbing Kelly.

Tierney's precocious conversion from a Sean Goss shot had location fans, who were fractional mode for the exit, that halting a tally of 14 defeats connected the bounce to the Glasgow broadside whitethorn beryllium over.

Instead, it was a relieved Celtic who celebrated with their supporters astatine full-time.

What next?

Motherwell reason their pre-winter interruption fixtures distant to St Johnstone connected Saturday (15:00 GMT), portion league leaders Celtic big Ross County astatine the aforesaid time.

More to follow.