Motherwell ended participation the League Cup as Celtic scored four without reply. It could have been much worse.
Stevie Hammell made two changes from the weekend’s staring line-up as Blair Spittal and Connor Shields stood in for Ross Tierney and Josh Morris. Celtic got the game underway and we did not have long to wait for goal scoring chances to appear, mostly for the visitors.
Celtic might have scored three or four by the break but they took only a one goal lead to the dressing room thanks to Abada’s close finish in the 44th minute.
Stuart McKinstry had the best of the few chances that came Motherwell’s way. Early on he cut in from the left then had his shot blocked but a golden opportunity came halfway through the first period. Sloppy Celtic defence ended with loss of possession wide on the right of their penalty area. Shields took advantage and squared the ball. Kevin Van Veen got a touch and McKinstry found the ball at his feet with time and space. He rushed his effort and it flew high.
Meanwhile Celtic spurned chance after chance as a combination of stout defending and poor finishing protected the Cooper end. Kyogo was the main culprit and Liam Kelly made a few goal saving blocks.
The goal, a minute before the break, followed a couple of passes inside the box. The surprise was that it took so long to arrive.
Motherwell were dismantled in the second half as a second from Abada and goals from Hatate and Kyogo ended the contest.
Too many home passing movements ended without any benefit and the visitors eventually found the goals to make progress.8,370
Team: Kelly, McGinn, Solholm (Mugabi 64), Lamie, Penney, Goss, Slattery (Cornelius 64), Spittal (Tierney 64), Shields, Van Veen
Wednesday 19 October 2022