Griffiths says ruthless Hoops are already aiming for 100
MOTHERWELL 2 CELTIC 5
Leigh Griffiths last night warned Celtic’s Premiership rivals the Hoops are on target for a 100-goal season after an explosive start to the Premiership campaign.
Having smashed seven past St Johnstone on flagday, the champions followed up with five at Fir Park in what was their first league win at the ground since December 2016.
And as the Scotland internationalist noted, that is a haul which hints that the current side can comfortably better the total of 77 they recorded last year.
“One hundred is definitely possible. We’ve started with 12, so 88 to go,” he said of a tally which includes two of his own efforts.
“As long as we play on the front foot and create chances, we have players who can put the ball in the net.
“Every time we got in the opposition half we looked like scoring.
“We saw big Kris Ajer strolling up from right-back and it was like he was big Duncan Ferguson when he got in there! It was such a composed finish.
“We have goals throughout the team. Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard both came off the bench and scored.”
They did indeed.
None of the rest of the quintet – James Forrest also managed to get in on the act – greeted their success with the same exuberance as the 28-year-old, who turned and sprinted the length of the pitch to share his moment with the travelling support.
“Looking back it was probably a bit selfish from me – I should have celebrated with my team-mates,” said Griffiths. MOTHERWELL:
(4-4-2) Gillespie 6; Grimshaw 6, Gallagher 5, Dunne 6, Tait 5; Polworth 7, Donnelly 6; Campbell 7, Seedorf 5 (Ilic 46, 4); Hylton 6 (Scott 73, 6), Long 6 (Cole 62, 6). Unused – Carson, Hartley, Macguire, Livingstone.
CELTIC:
(4-2-3-1) Bain 6; Ajer 9, Bitton 7, Jullien 6, Bolingoli 7; Brown 6, Mcgregor 7; Forrest 6 (Christie 67, 7), Ntcham 7 (Sinclair 79, 6), Morgan 6; Griffiths 7 (Edouard 62, 6). Unused – Gordon, Bayo, Hayes, Shved.
“Obviously you want to celebrate with the fans but my team-mates are important and next time I will stand still and they can come to me!”
What made this game such an entertaining spectacle was that Celtic’s scores were book-ended by goals from Motherwell, both from Liam Donnelly who now has six goals from his last five games.
In a cracking first half their midfield trio of Donnelly, Liam Polworth and “the Lanarkshire Kante”, Alan
Campbell, dominated their more illustrious opponents with two featuring in the opener.
Polworth’s diagonal was headed on to Donnelly who showed nice technique to chest the ball down before shooting past Scott Bain.
The champions, though, hit back with a rapid-fire equaliser.
James Forrest freed Ajer down the left flank and the Norwegian charged through to slip a low shot beyond Motherwell goalkeeper Mark Gillespie.
Manager Neil Lennon said Celtic grew in stature after that.
“We didn’t start well. We invited pressure that we didn’t need to invite but once we eradicated that and started playing the ball forward we were outstanding, with some brilliant performances,” he declared.
“I know from my own experience how difficult it can be coming straight off the back of a Champions League game but we looked really powerful and there’s a ruthlessness about us at the minute.”
They got the lead shortly before the break and it was partly self-inflicted, with Declan Gallagher conceding a free kick for grappling with Griffiths in front of the Motherwell box.
The Scotland striker took the setpiece himself, netting with a daisy-cutter past the side of the wall and in at the far post.
Things got easier for the visitors after that with Motherwell appearing to sense their opportunity was gone.
Forrest made it three with some fancy work and a neat finish after decent set-up play by Bolingoli.
With the game won, Lennon took the chance to make use of his bench and one of the subs, Edouard, made it four after being teed up from a lovely outside of the foot pass from Ntcham.
Number five came from the penalty spot. Christie, another replacement not long on the pitch, smashed home after Edouard was brought down by Donnelly in the box.
Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson put the scale of the defeat down to moments of slackness on the part of his players.
“Some of our football in the first half was terrific, thought we pressed the life out of them,” he said.
“But if you defend like that against the calibre that Celtic have you’re going to get punished.”
Immediately after the match Celtic winger Scott Sinclair was involved in a bad-tempered row with a groundsman who complained the player had been using his mobile phone while on the pitch.
The Englishman was initially furious but was calmed down and the incident came to nothing. 47
3 8
5 2
Shots on target 5 Shots off target 12 14 5 0
Possession
Corners Offside Fouls Cau t i o n s Sending- of fs
Nick Walsh. A penalty and four yellows in a fuss-free display.
The Norwegian was, as described by his manager, “truly magnificent”
TURNING POINT
53
5 1 8 0 0
REF WATCH:
KRISTOFFER AJER.
@harryhastings