Japanese Bhoys Kyogo and Reo Hatate were on target to send Celtic back into a two point lead at the Premiership summit.
Goals in each half from the Hoops stars ensured Ange Postecoglou 's side bounced back from defeat to St Mirren in their previous outing despite a bizarre Jusip Juranovic own-goal dragging Motherwell level. There was also a late red card for Callum McGregor for a dubious last man professional foul.
It had all started with the hosts in control and Hatate's side-footed effort went straight into the hands of Well keeper Liam Kelly after he'd been found by Daizen Maeda's cutback in the fourth minute. After an opening spell of domination, the breakthrough arrived in the 15th minute as Jota hung up a cross from the left which allowed Matt O'Riley to power down a header which was parried by Kelly but Kyogo was on hand to help the ball over the line from a yard out.
It should have been two in the 21st minute after a superb pass by Reo Hatate sliced the Motherwell defence apart and Jota's delivery fell for Callum McGregor who couldn't keep his volley down and the visitors were let off the hook. The crossbar then came to the Lanarkshire side's rescue after Juranovic cracked a 25-yard free-kick off the woodwork with ten minutes remaining of the first half.
Then came as bizarre an own goal as you'll see all season. Celtic failed to clear a corner and Blair Spittal lofted a high ball back into the box and Juranovic chested an attempted backpass past Joe Hart and into his own net. From nowhere, Motherwell had been gifted a leveller and offered renewed hope.
It was almost doused moments before the break when Hatate's 25-yard thunderbolt rebounded off a post and was headed in by Kyogo only for an offside flag bringing a halt to the celebrations.
There was relief for the majority inside Celtic Park when Hatate drilled in a stunning goal in the 64th minute and it was a strike of supreme quality from the Japanese star which not only settled nerves for the champions but removed much of the fight from their opponents. There was more drama two minutes from time when McGregor was handed a straight red card for pulling down Ross Tierney despite Stephen Welsh providing last man cover but there was to be no last gasp leveller for the Lanarkshire side.
3 talking points
Set bits and pieces
Celtic hit both post and crossbar in their win and had chances to claim the points in a more comfortable fashion but they also lived dangerously every time the ball was launched into their own penalty box. There remains a vulnerability at the heart of their defence which was masked by another win and two goals of the highest quality.
Both Stephen Welsh and Moritz Jenz fail to be the figures of authority and Premiership teams know it's a weakness which can be exploited. More than once a Motherwell cross was allowed to travel the length of Celtic's six-yard area but it went unpunished. It's a win for Celtic and a boost ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash against Red Bull Leipzig but there were more than a few moments of far from convincing defending.
Own-goal howler
Who knows whether Josip Juranovic received a shout from his keeper Joe Hart to make a chested back pass is anyone's guess but it was a moment of calamity which pulled Motherwell level from nowhere. The Croatian was too close to Hart and broke the golden rule of making sure any pass is directed clear of goal and he was punished for a moment which turned the contest in an instant.
Juranovic had rattled the crossbar at the other end seconds earlier but ultimately Celtic's inability to clear a bog standard corner was the catalyst for conceding in such slapstick fashion. On this occasion Celtic fought to recover the situation and bag the points but it was a blunder which could have proved highly costly.
Well drilled
Fir Park boss Stevie Hammell had been doing his pre-match homework by cramming in hours of videos of Celtic in action over the previous two years and it more than paid off. Motherwell deployed a brave man for man approach across the pitch and resisted the urge to sit deep in two banks of five.
Each player assumed responsibility to check the Celtic runners and it stifled the champions who struggled to get their usual attacking surges into full working order. Holding a relatively high line and matching up was the essence of Hammell's plan and he deserves credit for sticking to that approach for the duration of the 90 minutes. Other Premiership clubs will also be watching and taking notes over how best to set up against Celtic and try to make life as difficult as possible.
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