Motherwell number 1 Liam Kelly has been left in total admiration of Celtic after the Hoops managed to fire 4 past him at Fir Park on Sunday.
Kelly was actually one of the Steelmen’s more impressive performers on the day. Despite shipping goals to Liel Abada, Tom Rogic (x2), and Daizen Maeda, Kelly also made a string of fine saves. The likes of Jota, Rogic, and Giorgos Giakoumakis were all left frustrated with efforts throughout the 90.
But that really only told part of the story. Celtic should’ve scored around 8 or 9 and on another day the scoreline would’ve been freakish. That’s something even Kelly and his Motherwell teammates will likely agree with too.
And it’s evident that Celtic have left the right mark on the Motherwell man too as he came out of the game talking up the quality of Ange Postecoglou’s side.
As quoted by the Daily Record, Kelly said: “We were up against a really good side who were probably a bit much for us. In the first half we tried to give it a go and they picked us apart. There were a couple of goals that we could have done better with ourselves. I’m a wee bit disappointed with the second goal. I should probably save that. But I’m not sure it actually impacted the outcome of the match.
“Celtic are capable of doing that to most teams. But you like to be in the game. You want to give a better account of yourself but the match was done at half-time realistically. You have to try to stay in it for as long as you can. We tried to have a go but they punished us. They were too good for the press we tried to put on. We got caught in between most things. They have top players and made us pay.
“It’s not ideal when the players they have on the bench come on. You feel like going off yourself! They are a brilliant team with a lot of quality. You see the subs they bring on and they’ve still got some top players who are still injured. Celtic were well-deserved winners. It was a good day for them and a poor day for us. We just need to focus on Wednesday night now.”
Celtic leave Motherwell and Liam Kelly battered and bruised after Fir Park hammering
Many questions were asked of whether Celtic could cope with the pressure of being at the top of the Premiership. Whether they could deal with the “new” pressure of being chased by Rangers instead of being the team who does the chasing.
It’s fair to say any notion that Celtic will struggle with that can be batted right out the park. There were so signs of nervousness or weariness at Fir Park. It was just sheer dominance from start to finish.
Celtic looked like a side who thrived on being top of the Premiership. A team who were keen to show Scotland why they are where they are. And after racking up the goals in North Lanarkshire, it’s difficult to see who’s going to be able to stop Postecoglou’s side.
Celtic just look like a team that’s going from strength to strength. Whilst many will be keen to point out that Aberdeen away will also prove a tough challenge, you just can’t see the Hoops not living up to it. Not when you consider their outrageously good away from this season.
Postecoglou has victories at Tynecastle, Easter Road, Tannadice, Fir Park, and Pittodrie to his name just to name some of them. He’s gone to Scottish football’s toughest venues and taken maximum points – on many cases with a bit to spare.
So don’t expect Celtic to falter when they pitch up in the Granite City on Wednesday night. They look like steamrolling over everyone these days, and it’s difficult to see Aberdeen mustering up any sort of sustainable challenge on the night.
In other news, Celtic boss’ superb encounter with Charlie Nicholas after early-season criticism
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