Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson has unsurprisingly refused to give Celtic much credit, but has laughably claimed that his Steelmen outfit were “in control” of the Hoops.
Neil Lennon’s Bhoys rocked up in North Lanarkshire and secured a straightforward 4-1 success. It was a big win for the Hoops after what’s been a week full of controversy and criticism.
Celtic were never in any danger at Fir Park today either. The Hoops seized control early on and were two goals ahead before the half-hour mark. In addition to that, Celtic ran away with 63% possession come the full-time whistle (BBC). The hosts were well and truly dominated.
But not if you ask Robinson, who incredibly believes that his side were in control for large spells of the contest.
As quoted by the Daily Record, the Steelmen boss said: “I don’t think the result reflected the performance. The scoreline suggests we got absolutely battered, but I don’t think that’s the case at all.
“I think for large periods of the game we were in control, with and without the ball. We had numerous opportunities – probably the most opportunities we’ve had against Celtic – and if you don’t take them you get punished by the quality they have. They took their chances, we didn’t.
“At 2-1 I think we were in total control of the game. For the second and third goal it’s individual errors for both, they don’t have to work for either of them.”
An incredible lack of credit being sent Celtic’s way
This isn’t unlike Robinson. He tends to see games a lot differently from everyone else. He’s yet to see a game that Motherwell hasn’t dominated in. But even so, his claims about this one are totally unfounded.
How he can claim that Motherwell were in control at 2-1 is bewildering. The scoreline was only at that stage for four minutes. Scott Bain didn’t have a single save to make within that short period, whilst Celtic continued to look dangerous.
In addition to that, Robinson also goes on about the chances Motherwell had in the game. You’ll do well to remember them. Outside of their goal as well as an opportunity at the start of either half – Motherwell didn’t offer much.
Sure, they managed to get some joy in aerial battles. Nir Bitton was hugely disappointing in that aspect this afternoon and put us in danger as he struggled to win enough individual challenges in the air. But even so, for the most part, Bain was barely troubled.
Motherwell actually ended the game with only three shots on target too. It’s not as if our goalkeeper had anything major to do, so all of these chances the Steelmen apparently had must’ve eluded me when I was watching the game.
In the end, Robinson’s Motherwell disappointed in terms of what they brought to the table, and not for the first time this season either.
In other news, one Celtic star looked raging with one of Neil Lennon’s decisions today, but it’s good news for the Hoops.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
