Scott Allan pinpoints star who gave Celtic ‘far more creativity’ off the bench in Motherwell thumping

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Celtic thumped Motherwell 4-0 on Boxing Day to extend their advantage at the top of the Scottish Premiership in a comfortable afternoon at Parkhead.

Post-match, Brendan Rodgers reserved praise for Nicolas Kuhn after his role in proceedings, while the Irishman noted that Arne Engels’ Celtic improvement hasn’t escaped his attention.

Either way, the Bhoys now sit 12 points clear of Rangers after their arch-rivals fell to a late defeat at St Mirren, widening the gap between them ahead of next week’s Glasgow Derby.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	17	15	2	0	48	4	44	47
2	RangersRangers	17	11	2	4	29	11	18	35
3	AberdeenAberdeen	18	10	4	4	31	25	6	34
4	Dundee UtdDundee Utd	18	7	7	4	27	20	7	28

Truthfully, Celtic didn’t have it all their own way despite thumping Motherwell, specifically in the first half, and they had to wait until stoppage time to open the scoring.

However, Rodgers’ men seized the initiative following the interval to get the job done and had a plethora of quality on the bench to help them over the line.

With Celtic sitting pretty at the top of the tree, Scott Allan has pointed his star man from the affair as the Bhoys took another significant step in their title bid.

Scott Allan on Nicolas Kuhn’s central role against Motherwell

Speaking live on Sportscene, Allan believes Celtic star Kuhn offered ‘far more creativity’ against Motherwell and allowed Anthony Ralston’s efficiency to improve down the right flank.

He explained: “Comparing it to Yang. Obviously, Kuhn being a left-footer playing out there when you see Yang, he doesn’t really demand the ball. Can he go out there and give his teammate an angle? Kuhn would, for me, come inside the park.

“He would have Kyogo to play with; he would have other players looking to dovetail. Anthony Ralston here; I think this is the biggest telling point.

“He goes to Kuhn, and he’s sprinting; Kuhn comes inside the park, there are options there, but Tony Ralston was higher, and Celtic got far more creativity from having Kuhn on the pitch, and for me, he’s been the standout player this season.”

Later, he added: “And then they bring Nicolas Kuhn on, which obviously made a difference. For me, like I said, I think he’s been player of the season so far. The variety, the type of runs and the assists that he’s made this year out with the goals. A huge player for Celtic and I think you see his worth in a game like today.”

Celtic keen to replenish forward options in January

In light of recent fitness issues involving James Forrest and Kuhn himself, Rodgers confirmed Celtic are in the market to add ‘goals and creativity’ to ensure they cover all bases across the front four positions.

Despite winning a penalty via smart anticipation, Yang is clearly a level or two below Kuhn on the right flank, evidenced by the latter’s tally of 24 goal contributions in 24 games this season.

With the January window only days away, anticipation is building over who Celtic could look to acquire for the second half of the campaign.