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.
