Celtic returned to the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Motherwell yesterday, which left Brendan Rodgers more than satisfied.
The Bhoys came into the match needing to answer the gauntlet Aberdeen had thrown down to them by defeating Dundee United on Saturday night. Still, Luke McCowan, Alistair Johnston and Adam Idah took care of that.
With several Celtic players thriving against Motherwell, the reigning champions have now regained their place at the Scottish Premiership summit with 25 points from a possible 27 fixtures.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  CelticCeltic | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 24 | 25 |
| 2 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 25 |
| 3 |  RangersRangers | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 19 |
| 4 |  Dundee UtdDundee Utd | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 15 |
Brendan Rodgers’ men ensured they weren’t susceptible to any European hangover after the Bhoys’ draw with Atalanta last midweek, putting on another convincing display to prop up their excellent start to the season
Speaking post-match, the Irishman made it clear that is wasn’t just their free-flowing style that he was impressed with.
Brendan Rodgers ‘obsessed’ with Celtic dirty work
Evaluating his side’s performance, Rodgers admitted he is ‘obsessed’ with Celtic’s defensive work, which has yielded two consecutive shut-outs against Atalanta and Motherwell.
He explained [The Celtic Way]: “I think that defensively, I’m obsessed with us really working hard. The pressing, the aggression, the first balls, the second balls, these are all the things that are important in the game.
“Celtic’s a club that’s not just about winning, you have to win in a certain style, but in order to do that, you have to be able to do the dirty bit.
“These players are consistently doing that. It’s a great credit to all the physicality they put into the games to get blocks, and to keep that clean sheet.”
Celtic have plenty of options in defensive areas
Yesterday, Cameron Carter-Vickers completed his Celtic return against Motherwell after spending time on the sidelines due to a foot injury. He was also joined by Greg Taylor on the bench, though the latter was spared at Fir Park.
Either way, the Bhoys have quality defensive options ready to step in when needed. Auston Trusty and Liam Scales are building a nice partnership centrally, while Alex Valle offers genuine competition in the left-back area.
Ultimately, it will be up to the manager to decide who deserves the nod on Wednesday against Dundee and beyond, but he isn’t short of bodies at a crucial stage of the campaign.
Now, he focus will be rest and recovery ahead of midweek, where Celtic will look to maintain their lead at the top of the standings.
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