A MIDDAY game which started in a blanket of fog provided precious little illumination for Mark McGhee or his counterpart Ronny Deila. Celtic had the consolation of returning to the top of the table at Aberdeen’s expense, but there was little in the 90 minutes to encourage either manager.
The last time McGhee faced Celtic, when he was in charge of Aberdeen late in 2010, he watched his side slump to a humiliating 9-0 defeat. The referee that day, Alan Muir, was on duty again at Fir Park, but this time Celtic rather dismally failed to add to Nadir Ciftci’s 15th-minute goal.
They were, however, not helped in that regard by Muir, who denied Celtic what looked like a certain penalty when Motherwell’s Kieran Kennedy handled the ball in the second half, and another probable claim when the same defender challenged Scott Brown in the box. Ironically, Muir awarded Celtic not one but three penalties, all converted, when they scored nine against Aberdeen.
Despite the scoreline, and McGhee’s assertion it was a fair one, the match was so one-sided that Craig Gordon, the Celtic goalkeeper, had little to do except clutch a few hopeful crosses. The afternoon had been preceded by a minute’s applause to mark the death of Motherwell stalwart Joe Wark, but the home fans had little cause to bring their hands together thereafter.
Deila, who now returns to Norway for Thursday night’s Europa League match against Molde, said: “I’m very happy that we are back where I want to be (at the top of the table) and now we just need to keep winning games.”
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Deila had no doubt that his side should have been awarded at least one spot kick. “It is a big deal, of course it is a big deal,” he said. “It was clear handball. I try to think that there is 38 games and you give and take and hopefully it is going to even out.”
Not for the first time, Deila had warm words of praise for his captain, Brown. “I said to the players in the dressing room that he is a role model for what hard work is,” he pointed out. “He was quite injured on Thursday and his ankle was very swollen, but he puts his boots on and goes out there. He is a leader by performance and attitude.”
McGhee, for his part, bristled at the suggestion that his side had got away with two strong penalty claims against them. He was also combative when suggesting that the early afternoon’s proceedings had ended equitably.
“I think 1-0 was probably about right,” he claimed. “I don’t think 2-0 or 3-0 would have been fair. I think we put enough into the game to deserve some credit, albeit Celtic probably deserved the three points.”
There jarred with the impression that there was next to nothing to give McGhee encouragement for the weeks and months ahead at the end of a game which Celtic dominated — apart from the fact his side went into the interval just one goal in arrears and clung on to that for the full 90.
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It was scored by Nadir Ciftci in the 15th minute. Emilio Izaguirre’s low cross from the left was met by Kris Commons, who forced Connor Ripley to make a good block. Unfortunately for the Motherwell keeper the rebound landed in the path of Ciftci, and he steered the ball past the keeper.
Even with a number of fringe players in the side Celtic continued to run the show, abetted by Motherwell’s hesitancy and poor passing. That negated any advantage the home side might have drawn from playing five in midfield, a situation forced on them by Celtic’s abundant possession after McGhee had intended to set his side out as a 4-3-3.
Two free kicks awarded to Celtic provided the visitors with their best attempts to increase their lead. The first saw Nir Bitton roll the ball to Commons, and Ripley did well to tip his fierce 35-yard shot over the bar. Commons went even closer with the second attempt, this time from 10 yards further in; it beat Ripley, but rebounded to safety off the bar.
Throughout the half Celtic’s main threat from open play had come from Izaguirre and Stuart Armstrong down the left. As half-time approached, central defenders Dedryck Boyota and Tyler Blackett got their heads on the end of the ammunition, but neither tested Ripley.
Celtic’s failure to work the keeper, for all their domination and pressure, continued into the second 45 minutes. Deila’s side had their two penalty claims turned down by Muir, but even the introduction of Leigh Griffiths for Ciftci failed to bring more of a goal threat to a mediocre match.
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Had Motherwell had more about them they might have made Celtic pay dearly, but a swiped clearance by Efe Ambrose, as he lunged at Josh Law’s cross and sent the ball spinning wildly over his own bar was about as good as it got for McGhee’s side.
Motherwell: Ripley 7; Law 7, Kennedy 6, McManus 5, Chalmers 5; Grimshaw 7, Laing 6, Pearson 7; Johnson 6 (Thomas 74), Fletcher 4 (McDonald 65), Moult 6 (Ainsworth 53)
Celtic: Gordon 7; Ambrose 5, Boyata 6, Blackett 6, Izaguirre 7; Brown 7, Bitton 6 (McGregor 75); Commons 7, Rogic 5, Armstrong 7 (Mackay-Steven 66); Ciftci 6 (Griffiths 59)