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Live on Sky Sports, the Champions were in town and Motherwell knew they had a task on their hands.

In a jam packed match, Motherwell thought they were ahead inside 5 minutes, with Theo Bair finding the back of the net but the linesman had him just offside with VAR confirming.

Jack Vale went through on goals for the Steelmen as they continued to surge forward against the odds.

They got their reward just before the break when 17-year-old Lennon Miller produced a wonderful assist for Blair Spittal who smashed past Joe Hart to give them their just lead.

Adam Idah came off the bench at the interval and made an instant impact, levelling the game on 51 minutes.

Miller went close to restoring the ‘Well advantage but Hart produced a fine stop.

As the game wore on, Celtic grew more confident and applied further pressure. Four minutes into added time, history repeated itself and Celtic scored, to steal the points in stoppage time.

Luis Palma made it 3-1 with the last kick of the ball to make sure of the win. It’s been heartbreak for Motherwell against Celtic at Fir Park twice this season but positives must be taken into the midweek game against Livingston.

An afternoon of déjà vu for the steelmen, as an emphatic first-half display was soon undone, with Celtic striking twice in the final moments to ensure the points went back to Glasgow.

An unstoppable Blair Spittal opener fairly rewarded Stuart Kettlewell’s side for a dominant opening 45-minutes, with the hosts firmly in the ascendency at the break, but substitutes Adam Idah and Luis Palma both added stoppage time goals to secure a second late victory for the visitors at Fir Park this season.

Motherwell started firmly on the front foot, forcing the defending champions into trading possession deep into their own half, with the Steelmen capitalising on the visitors in-decision in the opening phases of play. The breakthrough looked imminent and was almost confirmed, as Theo Bair latched onto Lennon Miller’s pinpoint through ball before skilfully cutting inside and placing an accurate finish beyond the reach of Joe Hart, but the flag quickly went up; cutting the celebrations short.

A lively Jack Vale was continuing to cause the visitors problems, twice breaking through the offside trap and escaping the Celtic backline. The first chance was thwarted by the agile Celtic defence, who recovered well to put the ball out for a corner. The forward then hit the deck inside the box moments later, but Willie Collum looked disinterested in the adamant pleas of the Motherwell players.

Georgie Gent almost netted minute later, with Blair Spittal teeing up the defender from the edge of the box, but the youngster couldn’t steady himself and his strike sailed over the bar.

Motherwell looked comfortable, with Celtic limited to a single chance, as Kyogo drilled a low effort across the face of goal which Liam Kelly was more than equal to, saving with his feet.

The Steelmen finally got their reward and it came in stunning fashion. Lennon Miller beautifully spun his man before picking out Spittal, who coolly dispatched a curling effort past Joe Hart from 20 yards.

As the second half resumed, Celtic’s tactical alterations prevailed, with on-loan Norwich City striker Idah rising highest to divert Greg Taylor’s cross beyond Liam Kelly.

Idah netted his second of the game deep into stoppage time, refreshing the memories of a late defeat to Celtic in September. With the final few seconds ticking by, Palma expertly escaped his marker to prod home Yang Hyun-Jun’s floated delivery, securing all three points for the Glasgow-side.

Stuart Kettlewell post Celtic.

• Played well bar the last two minutes
• Strong first-half showing
• Picking up a lowly dressing room

Ricki Lamie has signed a pre contract with Dundee that will commence when his current loan agreement ends in May. 

The centre-back, who has been on loan at Dens Park since the summer, will become a permanent Dundee player this summer.

Lamie arrived from Livingston the summer of 2020 having made 47 appearances for the Lions. His consistent performances saw him attract interest but he would remain at Fir Park in 2021.

He scored a last minute levelled against his former side in 2021 that earned a Motherwell a top six spot that season, before firing home against Hearts in the final home match of that season to take his side to the Europa Conference League.

Joining the 100 club at the start of this season, Lamie’s last appearance for Motherwell came against Queen of the South in July.

We thank Ricki for his service and professionalism and wish him well for the future.

Jon Obika says it’s great to be back playing again after his recent injury layoff. 

The number nine believes his team are ready for the challenge that Celtic will pose and thinks that the Fir Park crowd could prove to be vital in their quest for three points.

Stuart Kettlewell clarified his contract situation after it was confirmed he would be staying at the club until May 2025. The manager, who has been in the post for a year now, says he is looking forward to the future and hope to be in the position for the long run. 

Kettlewell also gave us an update on team news going into the match, as well as discussing the club’s most recent AGM.

Following a discussion at last night’s AGM, the Club wishes to clarify Stuart Kettlewell’s contract position.

The Motherwell manager was appointed back in February 2023, having won his two games in interim charge against St Mirren and Hearts.

Kettlewell then signed a contract to become the permanent manager. The deal ran initially until May 2024 but it was agreed, should Motherwell remain in the top flight, that deal would be extended 12 months until May 2025.

We would like to apologise to both our fans and Stuart for not properly communicating the terms of the extension in May last year and for the uncertainty this has clearly caused.

“Although during the 12 months of his time here there has been some highs and lows, we firmly believe that Stuart can take this group of players and the club forward,” Chairman Jim McMahon said.

“He came in at a difficult point last season and rejuvenated everyone at the club. This season, we are in a position to move up the table towards the end of the campaign. He has worked tremendously hard to this point and we will continue to back him.

“I ask that everyone gets behind the team as we push into the last segment of this season. The support this season, at home and on the road, has been impressive and we’re all hugely appreciative of it. We will need that as we head into a crucial point of the season.”

Defender Jili Buyabu has returned to his parent club Sheffield United for personal reasons. 

Buyabu made one appearance in his time at Motherwell, when he was a second-half substitute against Greenock Morton in the Scottish Cup.

Zander McAllister has been included in the latest Scotland Under 16 squad. 

The 20-man squad travel to Cyprus later this month to play in a A UEFA Development Tournament. They will take on the hosts, alongside Romania and Norway.

McAllister will join up with Brian McLaughlin and the rest of the squad as they use this tournament as part of their preparations for the forthcoming Victory Shield.

• Scotland v Romania
• Wednesday 28 February
• 1pm
• Gerοskipou Municipality Stadium, Paphos 

• Cyprus v Scotland
• Friday 1 March
• 10am
• Gerοskipou Municipality Stadium, Paphos

• Norway v Scotland
• Monday 4 March
• 9am
• Pafiako Stadium, Paphos

Celtic are the visitors to Fir Park on Sunday 25 February. 

Kick off is 12pm.

How to follow the match

– Concessions Tickets would be ages 65 and over and FT Students with a valid matric card.
– Young Adults tickets would ages 12 to 17.
– Juveniles would be 11 and under

Supporters are able to buy tickets from the ticket office at Fir Park.

Ticket Office open from 9am – the ticket office is open until kick-off with no pay gate facility.

The match is live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.

If you are outside the UK, you can watch the game via Motherwell TV.

Should you be in the UK, it will be live commentary only.

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our home kit for this match,

Injury Update

Callum Slattery and Oli Shaw will be missing for this match.

Andy Halliday, Calum Butcher and Blair Spittal missed Saturday’s trip to Tynecastle and will be assessed going into Sunday. Barry Maguire remains a doubt also.

Motherwell Fortunes

Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Hearts proved to be Motherwell’s first defeat since Christmas Eve against Rangers.

It had been four draws and two wins in the league since that match, with Theo Bair scoring in six consecutive league games prior to Saturday.

The Hearts defeat leaves Motherwell in ninth place in the table, six points off Dundee in sixth.

Opposition Report

Title chasers Celtic dropped to second in the table behind Rangers on Sunday afternoon, after the Celts drew 1-1 with Kilmarnock at Parkhead on Saturday.

The result means it’s been two draws in three games for Brendan Rodgers’ side. Their last defeat came against Hearts in December, when they were beaten 2-0 by the Jambos.

He may not have hit the heights of last season but Japanese striker Kyogo is still finding the back of the net this campaign. He is on 13 goals for the current season and got on the scoresheet as recently as Saturday.

Matt O’Riley is also a danger man for Celtic. The Dane has scored ten this season but has also got 12 assists.

Celtic slightly have the upperhand in this fixtures this season. The first meeting between the sides back in October seen Luis Palma net in the 87th minute, seemingly winning the match. Blair Spittal equalised in the 96th minute before Matt O’Riley found the back of the net with the last kick of the ball.

At Celtic Park, Jon Obika nodded home from a corner off the bench to earn his side a point, with Liam Kelly saving a penalty also.