Celtic beat Motherwell 4-0 as they returned to victory despite a performance under curtains in the Scottish Premiership.
After drawing a blank at Dundee United last time out, the Hoops were looking to move further clear at the top of the table with a 15th league win of the season.
It was a struggling start from the champions with Motherwell calling for a penalty when Tawanda Maswanhise went down under a challenge from Hyun-Jun Yang early on, but VAR cleared the forward.
Yang then won a penalty for Celtic just before half-time when he collided with the Aston Oxborough goalkeeper. The shot confidently passed through Arne Engels.
Daizen Maeda nodded after the break with Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate coming off the bench to come up to make marking more comfortable.
Celtic remains transparent at the top of the table at 47 points. Motherwell is 21 points in the fifth.
The two managers made 4 adjustments for the first Boxing Day game at Celtic Park since 2010.
Celtic brought Cameron Carter back from an injury while Liam Gordon among those who fell to the bank in Motherwell.
The first flash point occurred in and around Celtic’s area when Yang hit the back of Tawanda Maswanhise, who fell. Referee Ross Hardie cautioned the Motherwell striker to simulate and he progressed quickly.
There was a long var check on the other goal after Kofi Balmer raised his hand when a cross flew for a shot on goal. The referees took their time looking for a handball but no obvious touch.
Oxborough made the first backup of 20 minutes after Maeda pushed 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 stopped with his foot the shot of Maeda and the goalkeeper and several defenders made the ball safe.
Motherwell were generally looking solid and Adam Idah could not make the most of two half-chances.
The half-time team talks were altered when Hardie pointed to the spot after Yang jumped in front of Oxborough, knocked the ball towards the byline and crashed to the floor as the goalkeeper stuck out his arms to collect a deflected cross.
The award was awarded after a VAR check and Engels sent Oxborough on his way from the spot.
There were penalty appeals after the break, with Balmer escaping with a touched touch on Maeda when the end came out here outside the box and Maswanhise calling a large extent for the handball opposite to the victorizers of Carter.
Celtic had a huge let-off when former Hoops striker Tony Watt inadvertently blocked Marvin Kaleta’s header on the goal line and the hosts soon scored from their own corner in the 57th minute. Liam Scales flicked on Engels’ delivery and Maeda ran in to head home from close range.
If Motherwell players still had the hope of getting something out of the game, Kuhn, Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi entering the area in triple replacement in the 63rd minute may have put their trust.
Kaleta showed plenty of ambition with a bursting run to set up Apostolos Stamatelopoulos but the Motherwell sub dragged his shot well wide.
Any doubts were stopped in the 74th minute when Kuhn collected the ball from Anthony Ralston and fired a 25-yard shot that deflected off Balmer and past Oxborough.
Hatate got in on the act in the 81st minute. The Japan midfielder made space 22 yards out after some quick passes and fired into the bottom corner.
Celtic Brendan Rodgers spoke to Sky Sports News:
“I’m happy, we had to persevere today. I think Motherwell were very well organized in this first half and we had to move and paint them. When a team is in good form, of course, it’s the long game to 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 they may have had a few more. So, overall, to keep a clean sheet, score four, create the chances we did and dominate like we did, then it’s very pleasing. “
Motherwell Chief Stuart Kettlewell, at Sky Sports News:
“We know that we gave the ball away, but I think we defended with determination, we were well organized. We were good, 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 is a wonderful moment for them, it is rarely very, the half -time shot and I frustrated through the two and three objectives.
“We have to park this one very temporarily because it becomes another game. It’s also a big task to play opposite to the rangers in a few days. “