Celtic stay top of Premiership with 4-0 win over Motherwell

Celtic moved four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a convincing 4-0 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park.

For the second time in a week the Hoops went into half-time with a three-goal lead as they piled pressure on second-placed Rangers who play Hearts at 4pm on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou made three changes to the team that beat their city-rivals at Celtic Park on Wednesday with Tom Rogic, Daizen Maeda and Anthony Ralston coming in for Matt O’Riley, Jota and Josip Juranovic.

But Celtic continued where they left off in the midweek Old Firm game and blew the home side away with another unstoppable first 45 minutes.

Liel Abada scored the first goal after brilliant link-up play on the left hand side from Greg Taylor put Reo Hatate through and the in-form midfielder’s cross into the box found the Israeli winger who put the ball past Liam Kelly to score his seventh goal in the last ten games.

Tom Rogic, who returned to the starting line-up after two-weeks on international duty, made it two soon after with a trademark curling strike from outside the box and into the top corner.

The playmaker, who missed the midweek Old Firm victory for Australia’s draw with Oman, then put the game beyond Motherwell when he made it 3-0 with his second just before half-time.

Postecoglou made two more changes at half-time when he replaced Hatate and Abada with Nir Bitton and James Forrest.

Japan international Daizen Maeda then made it four with 20 minutes left.

Maeda missed a golden opportunity two minutes later after a cross from Matt O’Riley found him with only the keeper to beat, but the forward fired wide.

Celtic kept pushing for another and Rogic was denied a hat-trick when his shot smashed off the outside the box with just over ten minutes to go.