Celtic victory spoils Mark McGhee's first match as Motherwell boss
Nadir Ciftci's first-half strike was enough to give Celtic a 1-0 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park and take the Parkhead men back to the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Mark McGhee began his second stint as the Steelmen's manager but there was to be no happy return for the Scotland assistant as the visitors bossed most of the match.
Indeed, the only surprise was that Ciftci's drive in the 14th minute was all the Hoops had to show for their superiority as they moved two points clear of Aberdeen at the summit.
Celtic will turn their attention to their Europa League clash with Molde in Norway on Thursday night, when manager Ronny Deila will look for his side to increase their conversion rate in front of goal, the only real criticism in an impressive display.
Skipper Scott Brown passed a fitness test on a twisted ankle but striker Leigh Griffiths, nursing an ongoing calf problem, dropped to the bench to be replaced by Ciftci as defender Efe Ambrose and midfielder Stuart Armstrong returned.
McGhee, appointed as successor to Ian Baraclough in midweek, made his presence felt right away.
The former Parkhead striker dropped two of his most experienced men, skipper Keith Lasley and striker Scott McDonald to the bench, along with Lionel Ainsworth, with Louis Lang, Wes Fletcher and Marvin Johnson coming in.
Before kick-off there was a minute's applause in tribute to former Motherwell captain Joe Wark, who recently passed away.
Tyler Blackett and Armstrong both had efforts which went wide as the Parkhead men started strongly.
However, the Hoops' increasing pressure paid off when Emilio Izaguirre's deflected cross from close to the byline found Kris Commons in the penalty area.
The midfielder's shot on the turn from 12 yards was parried by Well goalkeeper Connor Ripley to Ciftci, who quickly guided the ball into the far corner for his second goal of the season since joining from Dundee United in the summer.
Deila's side were relentless and Ripley did well to tip a long-distance effort from Commons over for a corner which came to nothing.
It was the woodwork which saved the home side in the 36th minute as Commons hit the top of the bar with a free-kick from 25 yards, midfielder Louis Moult clearing the rebound to safety.
Just before the interval, with Motherwell unable to get out of their own half, Dedryck Boyata headed a cross from fellow centre-back Blackett past the post.
There was a shout for a Celtic penalty five minutes after the break when the rampaging Brown was stopped in the box by Well defender Kieran Kennedy but referee Alan Muir was unimpressed.
In yet another Celtic attack, Kennedy appeared to block a Commons header across goal with his hand - again penalty appeals were turned down.
Griffiths replaced Ciftci before the Steelmen came close with a drive from Kennedy, a sign that the home side, if rather slowly, were beginning to fancy their chances of snatching something from the match.
However, there was no late rally from McGhee's side and indeed Ripley made saves from Griffiths and Commons as the visitors ran out comfortable winners.
Source: PA
