Celtic reclaimed top spot in the Premiership with a 2-0 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park, a result that also marked the long-awaited return of Jota after 533 days out injured.
Camilo Duran opened the scoring inside nine minutes, rifling a low effort off the inside post from 18 yards after combining with Callum McGregor. Benjamin Nygren sealed the win in the second half after Kasper Hogh intercepted Stephen O’Donnell’s sloppy back pass and teed up his Swedish teammate.
Desmond protest at Fir Park
Around 4,000 Celtic fans vented their anger at principal shareholder Dermot Desmond during the match, with chants of “Desmond get to f***” echoing around the ground. Unlike at St Andrews last weekend, no tennis balls were hurled onto the turf, but the message was clear.
A banner was unfurled midway through the first half reading: “Desmond out of bounds… Celtic in the rough.” Another display with Desmond’s scored-out face was showcased before the restart.
Before kick-off, the entire South Stand unveiled a tifo in honour of club legend Danny McGrain, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The Green Brigade also made a charity donation in the full-back’s name. There was a minute’s silence for ex-Motherwell chairman Brian McCafferty, who recently passed away aged 79.
Duran ends drought, Hogh struggles
Duran, a £6million summer capture, had not scored in seven games for club or country before his clinical opener. The newly-capped Colombia international made his international bow during the break.
Record signing Kasper Hogh, however, cut a frustrated figure. The £11m Dane has only scored once in his last 12 games for Celtic and Denmark, and his best chance before the break was blocked by Martin Moormann’s sliding tackle. He did assist Nygren’s sixth goal of the campaign.
Title race and Jota’s return
Rangers’ reign at the summit lasted less than 24 hours as Celtic regained pole position. With Rangers’ European exit, most of their fixtures fall on Saturdays, while Celtic remain on a Thursday-Sunday schedule. Celtic travel to Benfica in midweek before Hearts visit Parkhead on Sunday.
Jota was handed a late cameo at Fir Park, the venue for his second Celtic debut last year. He almost made an immediate impact, fizzing a low cross for Haissem Hassan that was scrambled clear. The Portuguese winger, sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury since April last year, will not be available against Benfica after being left out of the Europa squad.
For Motherwell, the defeat was their fourth league loss in a row. They have not won since beating Dundee United 3-0 in September and travel to Rugby Park on Saturday.
