Celtic enjoyed a few home comforts after playing host on Boxing Day for the first time in 14 years.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers had a minor bee in his bonnet about being forced to hit the road at this time of year more often than not. But he was far happier as his side made it a relaxed day after Christmas where Well ended up part of the Parkhead feast. Celts didn’t exactly have the jammies and slippers on but Arne Engels scoring from the spot just before half time and then Daizen Maeda grabbing another early in the second made sure it was job done at a time when points are more important than sparkling performances.
Subs Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate made it a stroll late on as Celtic banked another win without really having to hit top gear. Winning with very little drama is in admirable skill, yet this was still a slightly sore one for Well mind you.
The penalty right on the interval – after Yang was brushed over by Aston Oxborough – was correct but a tad tame after a determined defensive display for most of the opening half. And Well missed a big chance to level before the killer second goal. You’d be hard pushed to claim Celtic weren’t good value for the win though.
They were in points stockpiling rather than entertaining mood with a sense the real party is still to come with New Year at Ibrox heading over the horizon. The sight of Kuhn back fit and back on the scoresheet – for the third – would have given punters the most festive cheer though.
Replacement Yang secured the penalty but it’s the German who will very much needed for the next derby dust up. It’s a time of year when it’s not just the belts that are being stretched.
Squads are feeling the strain as well as bosses look to rest and rotate some weary players all over the shop. Paulo Bernardo and Arne Engels got the nod in midfield while Kuhn and Auston Trusty made the subs list.
Likewise Kettlewell looked to mix things up with the likes of Liam Gordon Andy Halliday and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos left on the bench. There might have been some raised eyebrows but the Well boss has a better record than most in these parts.
Kettlewell won at Parkhead on his last visit as Ross County gaffer and picked up points on his last two jaunts along the M74 with Motherwell. Maintaining that impressive run was always going to be a tough ask – especially with Celts slightly stung after dropping a couple of points at Dundee United.
It looked on for almost 45 minutes, mind you. It was a defensive job from the off at Parkhead as Rodgers’s side probed and there was a minor scare for the visitors when VAR got the zoom out to see if Kofi Palmer’s rather daft decision to throw his hands in the air actually made contact with Paulo Bernardo’s cross.
Turned out the ball missed his fingers by a whisker and Motherwell survived. Moments later Oxborough superbly kept out Maeda after Callum McGregor’s scuffed drive ricocheted off the attacker and spun goalward as the pressure started to build.
Motherwell were content enough to sit and hit on the break – yet it was the Hoops who should have taken the lead on the counter. Adam Idah pounced when Harry Paton slipped and sent Maeda through.
Oxborough superbly blocked and the ball spun up in the air with the frontman throwing himself at on the line as the keeper miraculously got back to clear in the nick of time to paw clear. It was all a bit scruffy from Celts in the final third though. Yang had the clogs on at times, Idah shanked one after a neat move and the final ball in general wasn’t quite there.
Motherwell had the sanctuary of half-time in their sights when Celtic struck to change the team talks. Yang’s pace did the damage as he managed to sneak in ahead of Oxborough to get on to Bernardo’s deflected cross and the surprised keeper pulled him down Engels did the business with a cool finish after VAR dotted the is and crossed the ts to create some festive cheer for the home support.
The Hoops were out to tuck in some more after the interval. Maeda thought he had a shout for another spot kick when he got a slight shove after racing on to a peach of a pinged ball from Engels after Cameron Carter-Vickers had earlier attempted to hook a corner over his head.
But the points were sorted in the space of a couple of second half minutes. At one end Well howled for a penalty when the ball came off the arm of Carter-Vickers from close range but were awarded a corner instead.
Marvin Kaleta got his head on it but it was blocked by his own man on the goal line with Tony Watt in the way to divert it over. Moments later it was 2-0 when Celts struck from their own corner as Liam Scales flicked on the Engels whipped ball and Maeda finished it off with a diving header.
Rodgers flexed with some big name subs and, sure enough, one of them grabbed the third as Kuhn’s deflected drive found the bottom corner with just over 15 minutes to go. Hatate drove in a daisy cutter from 20 yards soon after to add some more tinsel and give further proof that – unlike most folk on Boxing Day – this Celtic side are always hungry for more.