Match

Three things we learned as Celtic leave it late to beat Motherwell

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Celtic left it very late, but came from 2-1 down to beat Motherwell 3-2.

Kelechi Iheanacho gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot before the visitors scored twice without reply either side of half time.

Brendan Rodgers wasn’t prepared to lose though and made a raft of changes. One of those, Benjamin Nygren, fired home from close range after Motherwell failed to clear their lines.

It looked like the points would be shared for the day until Daizen Maeda headed home Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s cross in the dying moments to earn all three points.

With that, here are three things 67 Hail Hail learned from the win at Celtic Park.

Celtic substitutes change the game

Up until Rodgers made a triple change in the second half, Celtic looked second best in every department.

The Celtic manager then brought on Arne Engels, Nygren and James Forrest shortly after Motherwell took the lead.

That move struck a light in the Celtic side and they looked far better with the fresh faces as Nygren and Michel-Ange Balikwisha both contributed in the two second half goals.

Benjamin Nygren on the ball for Celtic in the pre-season friendly against Newcastle United
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Celtic continue to struggle defensively

The defence was one of the best parts of Celtic’s game this season, but they seem to be struggling again.

Sloppy passes, giving away possession cheaply and failure to clear their lines resulted in the visitors drawing level just before half time.

Kasper Schmeichel has had his critics but the rest of the back four were equally responsible for the poor defending.

Kelechi Iheanacho’s mentality is what every Celtic player should be like

As Nygren struck home to equalise for the hosts, he celebrated in front of fans before being ushered back to the halfway line by fellow goalscorer Iheanacho.

Those moments are small but say a lot about the mentality of the forward and his desire to win, which helped spur the Hoops onto victory.

Kelechi Iheanacho celebrates before his Celtic goal is disallowed for handball
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Balikwisha did similar in the closing stages as he gestured towards the crowd to make some noise after his huge impact.

It’s these things that unite the team together and just what the Hoops needed.