LANGUID LEIGH STILL DELIVERS

Griffiths misses a penalty again but his double gives Celtic a massive title lift

IF there could have been no surprise at the identity of Celtic’s match-winner, this was no textbook performance from Leigh Griffiths as Celtic took another step towards retaining their Premiership title.

The SPFL’s top scorer claimed two gaols but botched several more opportunities and could consider himself fortunate that Motherwell goalkeeper Connor Ripley’s fine performance should deteriorate to the extent that the winning goal squirmed through his fingers and legs en route to the back of the net.

Griffiths had put Celtic ahead on the cusp of half-time, but before then he had appeared out of sorts, missing his fourth penalty of the season as Celtic dominated while struggling to find a shot good enough to beat on-loan Middlesbrough keeper Ripley.

Five consecutive victories had transformed Mark McGhee’s team from potential relegation scrappers to European dreamers and the fickleness of the Premiership’s middle-order places was underlined by the fact they started the day with no guarantee of contesting their final five fixtures in the top six.

Scott McDonald gave them hope of advancing their case with an equaliser just after the hour. But, by the end, McGhee was nursing a grievance that an earlier strike from the Australian had been ruled out for offside.

Whether that or some other niggling matter was behind McGhee’s decision to eschew the usual post-match handshake with counterpart Ronny Deila was initially unclear, but the Norwegian will care little in the grand scheme of things as his side are now a maximum of three wins away from claiming their fifth title in a row.

An early clue to Celtic’s mindset was shorn into the skull of Scott Brown who, having grown his hair in recent months, reverted to his customary skinhead look.

The skipper rattled through the pre-match handshakes and his urgency was matched by his midfield team-mates in a dominant opening to the game.

Yet while Stefan Johansen pressed hard and Nir Bitton probed with intent, there was something missing in attack for most of the first half.

Griffiths’ finishing was looking a little forced before he drilled his 26th-minute spot-kick wide of Ripley’s goal, with the keeper equal to those shots the Scotland striker did manage to get on target.

Deila selected Patrick Roberts and Colin Kazim-Richards for the wide roles in attack and each was helping maintain the visitors’ superiority.

Roberts, in particular, looked in the mood and had already displayed a plethora of feints, shimmies and nutmegs before leaving Morgaro Gomis in the muddle which led to him twice trailing a leg, catching the teenager the second time to make Willie Collum’s decision easy on the spot-kick.

Although Ripley was untested by the penalty, he was showing strong hands to keep out a series of Celtic shots as Bitton, Kieran Tierney and Roberts all called him into action.

Best of all was a reaction save that saw him deny Kazim-Richards with his feet.

Griffiths eventually nudged his side in front and perhaps the lack of thinking time was an aid as he wrapped his left foot round Tierney’s cutback and found the net.

McGhee kept his players in a minute or two longer than Deila at half-time. The advice would have been at its most basic to gain more territory and, more specifically, to try to furnish the in-form Marvin Johnson with the ball.

A peripheral figure in the first half, the winger sprang to life after the resumption, skipping down the left flank and linking with Louis Moult who slotted the ball for McDonald to net at the back post.

Marginally offside, the former Celtic striker was flagged by assistant Alistair Mather — but his moment was to come. Chris Cadden exposed some rare defensive slackness in Tierney and burrowed behind the left-back to deliver the low ball which McDonald converted powerfully.

Although Roberts had been continuing his personal duel with Ripley from distance, Deila decided something extra was needed and introduced Tom Rogic for Johansen midway through the half.

The scorer of a winning wonder strike at Kilmarnock last month, the Australian looked sharp but was overshadowed by Griffiths, who himself owed some gratitude to fortune and Ripley for conspiring the game’s decisive moment.

Tierney made amends for his earlier aberration with the assist, finding the forward with a cross and, although the connection was decent, the keeper’s proven ability to push away far more powerful efforts disappeared as the ball squirmed over the line.

There was one further prudent piece of management for Deila to attend to before the end. KazimRichards’ reputation as a firebrand precedes him and the attacker reacted angrily after Roberts was halted by what looked a much-better timed Gomis tackle inside the area.

Motherwell’s Kieran Kennedy weighed in to help his team-mate and, as he squared up to KazimRichards, the forward appeared to shove the defender in the face.

The incident may have been missed by Collum and his assistants but Deila immediately signalled for Callum McGregor to prepare himself.

The substitution was made as Celtic celebrated the winner and the manager’s judgment was vindicated when Kazim-Richards was booked for booting the ball off the centre spot before leaving the field.