Celtic beat Motherwell 4-0 and returned to victory despite a general decline in the Scottish premiership.
After drawing at Dundee United last time out, Hoops were due to get closer to the top of the table with a 15th season win.
A suffering begins for the champions with Motherwell calling for a penalty when Tawanda Maswanhise went off under a challenge from Hyun-Jun Yang early on, but Var cleared the striker.
Yang then won a penalty for Celtic just before half-time when he collided with the Aston Oxborough goalkeeper. The shot passed confidently through Arne Engels.
Daizen Maeda nodded his head after the break with Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate off the bench to move up to make the score more comfortable.
Celtic remains transparent at the top of the table on 47 points. Motherwell are in fifth place with 21 numbers.
The two managers have made 4 modifications for the first boxing adjustment to Celtic Park since 2010.
Celtic had Cameron Carter-Vickers back from injury while Liam Gordon was among those dropping to the Motherwell bench.
The early flashpoint came in and around the Celtic box when Yang bumped into the back of Tawanda Maswanhise, who went down. Referee Ross Hardie booked the Motherwell forward for simulation and the game quickly moved on.
There’s a long var check at the other end after Kofi Balmer raised his hand as a cross flew for a purpose.
Oxborough made the first save 20 minutes in after Maeda bundled a loose ball towards goal.
The Premiership leaders had a better chance after Motherwell wasted two set-piece opportunities in quick succession and Lennon Miller’s slip inadvertently set up a counter-attack.
Oxborough saved Maeda’s shot with his foot and the goalkeeper and several defenders scrambled the ball to safety.
Motherwell seemed forged and Adam Idah may not be the maximum of two half-leisures.
The team’s part -time communication replaced when Hardie pointed out the place after Yang jumped beyond Oxborough, kicked the ball into the firm and crashed into the floor when the goalkeeper spread to collect a deviant cross.
The award stood after a VAR check and Engels sent Oxborough the wrong way from the spot.
There were more penalty appeals after the break with Balmer getting away with a risky touch on Maeda as the winger headed out of the box and Maswanhise appealing strongly for handball against Carter-Vickers.
Celtic had plenty of accommodation when former Hoops striker Tony Watt inadvertently blocked Marvin Kaleta’s header on the goal line and the hosts temporarily scored from their own corner in the 57th minute. Liam Scales unleashed delivery from Engels and Maeda ran the house from close range.
If Motherwell’s players held out hope of getting something out of the game, the sight of Kuhn, Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi entering the box in a triple substitution in the 63rd minute may have proven their belief.
Kaleta showed plenty of ambition with a bursting run to set up Apostolos Stamatelopoulos but the Motherwell sub dragged his shot well wide.
All doubt was extinguished in the 74th minute when Kuhn collected Anthony Ralston’s square ball and fired a shot from 25 yards which took a major deflection off Balmer and deceived Oxborough.
Hatate was in action in the 81st minute. The Japanese midfielder scored 22 yards after some quick passes and shot into the bottom corner.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers speaking to Sky Sports News:
“I’m happy, we had to be persistent today. I have an idea that Motherwell were very well set up in the first half and we had to move them and paint them. When a team is great, of course, it is throughout the game that you play.
“We get the penalty before half-time, which is a good time to score. Arne finishes it really well. In the second half, I thought we really dominated the game and upped the tempo and had opportunities to score goals.
“We did and we may have had a few others. So overall, to stay in our inviolate cage, score 4 goals, create the chances we’ve had and dominate like we did, it’s very nice. “
Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell on Sky Sports News:
“We know that we gave the ball away, but I think we defended with determination, we were organized. We were good, without possession.
“Celtic were obviously awarded a penalty at the time – on first view I felt it was really, really soft. I’ll maybe see another couple of angles of it, but I certainly didn’t feel that there was enough to warrant the way that the Celtic player went down.
“It’s a big moment for them, isn’t it, the stroke of half-time. And I was frustrated with goals two and three.
“We have to park this one very temporarily because it becomes just another game. It’s also a big task to play opposite the rangers in a few days. “