Scottish Premiership
Fir Park, Motherwell
Sunday, November 8, 2020

MOTHERWELL… 1
(Gallagher 73)

CELTIC… 4
(Elyounoussi 8, 27, 76, Ntcham 86)

CELTIC returned to Scottish Premiership action this afternoon (Sunday) with a comprehensive 4-1 victory, courtesy of a Mohamed Elyounoussi hat-trick and a fine strike by Olivier Ntcham, over Motherwell at Fir Park.

A brace inside 30 minutes from the Norwegian marked the visitors’ dominance in the final third, during a first half where playmaker Tom Rogic dazzled from back to front. Well captain Declan Gallagher pulled one back for the home side on 73 minutes, before Elyounoussi completed his hat-trick and Ntcham came off the bench to make it four.

Much of the play in the opening stages was resigned to midfield, as both sides battled to get their foot on the ball. On three minutes, Ryan Christie flashed an inviting out-swinging cross into the box that was cleared long by Stephen O’Donnell, before the Celtic midfielder forcing a routine save from Aaron Chapman from a Tom Rogic through-ball two minutes after that.

After a flurry of possession, Celtic took the lead with their first clear-cut opportunity via Mohamed Elyounoussi. After receiving a neat ball in behind the backline from Callum McGregor, Albian Ajeti struck the ball across the keeper and off the post, before the Elyounoussi pounced to fire home six yards from goal.

With the home side pressing the game, Nir Bitton and Kris Ajer defended resolutely on the ground and in the air, and sought to instigate attacks from deeper areas at every opportunity. After pairing well with Elyounoussi on the counter ahead of the quarter-hour mark, Tom Rogic cut in from the inside-right channel to strike at goal, but his left-footed effort was sent high of the mark.

The visitors looked increasingly confident as the half wore on, and, on 27 minutes, Elyounoussi doubled the Hoops’ lead when he capped up a fine piece of link-up play with a clinical penalty box finish. Frimpong and Rogic were the architects, which saw the former feed the latter, whose touch and pass took out a handful of opposing defenders as the ball made its way into the path of the scorer.

With two minutes of normal time in the first half remaining, Rogic turned a Motherwell corner into a blistering counter-attack, running from box-to-box, shaking off two fouls, before slipping in Christie to the left of goal. The midfielder cut inside, but couldn’t keep his resulting right-foot attempt down.

Celtic pressed high after the break, but the first chance of the second period felt to the home side when a deep in-swinging fell into the path Devante Cole two yards from goal. Despite the striker’s efforts, the ball was scrambled clear by Diego Laxalt as the Hoops sought to regain the composure that defined the first 45.

Despite enjoying the majority of possession, the visitors were called to action at the back ahead of the hour when Laxalt did superbly well to thwart Callum Lang in front of goal, having jumped on a favourable break of the ball.

At the other end, Albian Ajeti was ever so unfortunate not to make it three when Rogic sent a slicing reverse pass into his path which the Swiss forward could only redirect into the side-netting.

On 73 minutes, Motherwell pulled a goal back when captain Declan Gallagher rose highest to header home a high ball into the box across Scott Bain and into the net.

It didn’t take long for the Hoops to restore their two-goal cushion, however, when Mohamed Elyounoussi bagged his hat-trick, raising his tally to 11 for the season so far. Substitute Hatem Elhamed, on for Jeremie Frimpong, was the provider, whipping a ball into the danger zone which the Norwegian duly headed home from close range.

Into the final 10-minute stretch of proceedings, and Olivier Ntcham (on for Rogic) made it four, when he coolly converted from 12 yards. Elyounoussi did well to create space on the left flank, before his cut-back was helped on by Odsonne Edouard (on for Ajeti) to his countryman who fired low to the keeper’s right.

Despite a lapse in concentration to concede, a well-earned three points on the road for Neil Lennon’s men as the squad breaks up for the international break.

MOTHERWELL: Chapman; O’Donnell, O’Hara, Gallagher, McGinley; Campbell, Maguire (Crawford 70), Polworth; Lang, Watt (White 81), Cole (Long 70)
Subs not used: Archer, Grimshaw, Hastie, Devine, Cornelius, Johnston

CELTIC: Bain; Frimpong (Elhamed 70), Bitton, Ajer (Duffy 78), Laxalt; Brown, McGregor, Christie, Rogic (Ntcham 84), Elyounoussi; Ajeti (Edouard 70)
Subs not used: Barkas, Taylor, Griffiths, Klimala, Turnbull

Website Man of the Match: Mohamed Elyounoussi

Elyounoussi hat-trick helps sink Steelmen in convincing Fir Park win