Celtic showed character to come from behind against Motherwell at Fir Park to secure a dramatic 3-1 victory in the Scottish Premiership yesterday.
Blair Spittal gave the hosts a deserved lead after a flat performance from the visitors in the opening 45 minutes.
Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers delivered some inspired words at the interval that had the desired effect in the second half, as his side roared back from a potentially damaging position and stepped on the ascendency.
Adam Idah replaced Kyogo Furuhashi and catalysed a dramatic comeback, levelling the scoring with a bullet header on 51 minutes.
The Republic of Ireland international then sent the travelling support into raptures in stoppage time, reacting swiftly to Alistair Johnston’s low cross to stab home what could be a pivotal strike in the context of the title race.
Honduras international Luis Palma wrapped up three points with a close-range finish two minutes later, capitalising on a pinpoint centre from Hyunjun Yang.
Recovering from an inadequate start, Celtic managed to navigate a precarious situation to cut the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to just two points, illustrating they are right in this title race.
Michael Stewart doesn’t believe Celtic should be written off
Michael Stewart doesn’t believe that Celtic should be written off in the title race after Rodgers’ men started to show signs of ‘recovery’ at Motherwell.
The return of Cameron Carter-Vickers, alongside an elevated level of performance from several first-team players, has helped to convince the 43-year-old that the Bhoys are still well in the running.
Stewart stated [BBC Sportscene]: “Carter-Vickers is back, that is huge. McGregor was better today.
“You look at the likes of Yang in the wide areas. Not to say he was the answer, but he was giving a bit of penetration there, and Idah, of course, was a massive positive.
“All of a sudden, you start to see the semblance of recovery, and if Hatate gets back into that team quick enough as well, you can potentially see a route for Celtic to get back in.
“Having seen that today, a bit of fight and desire, and some players coming back, I wouldn’t write Celtic off.”
Celtic shouldn’t be counted out in Scottish Premiership race
Granted, Celtic have put themselves in a position where they now can’t afford to falter due to several instances of dropped points; nevertheless, the Bhoys shouldn’t be counted out by anyone as they look to take it to the wire.
At this point, a two-point deficit isn’t a fatal one; meanwhile, Rodgers is still to face Rangers twice, having won on both occasions we have taken on our arch-rivals this term.
The Irishman stated post-match yesterday that his side will look to write their own story between now and May amid outside noise surrounding the destination of the Scottish Premiership crown.
Either way, the only focus for everyone connected with Celtic will be preparing for Dundee’s visit to Parkhead on Wednesday.
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