Celtic beat Motherwell 2-0 at Fir Park to return to the top of the Scottish Premiership and spare Martin O’Neill a fourth consecutive defeat.
Camilo Duran opened the scoring with a low drive from outside the box before Benjamin Nygren added a second after the interval. The result followed three defeats before the international break, including two against Rangers.
O’Neill had said he would not step down, arguing that doing so would have been “poor”. His decision to remain in charge was rewarded with a commanding Celtic performance.
Motherwell goalkeeper Alex Paulsen kept the scoreline respectable, making 12 saves. He denied Duran from doubling his tally, produced a double stop from Donovan and Tierney, and later made fingertip saves to frustrate Celtic.
Celtic also struck the post through Baur, while Duran was denied a second goal after Nygren’s effort had put the visitors firmly in control.
Celtic’s decisive moments at Fir Park
Duran gave Celtic the lead in the ninth minute, although Motherwell were almost level with the visitors’ forward denied again when Longelo cleared off the line two minutes later.
Nygren eventually extended Celtic’s advantage in the 59th minute, finishing a swift counter-attack after sustained pressure on Paulsen’s goal.
Jota made his return to action as a substitute in the 75th minute after 18 months on the sidelines. Celtic’s victory lifted them above Rangers at the summit, while O’Neill avoided the sequence of four straight defeats suffered by his predecessor Wilfried Nancy last season.
