Celtic produced both the result and the performance they desperately needed against Motherwell, coming from behind to secure an impressive 3–1 victory at Celtic Park.
For Kieran Tierney, that combination was just as important as the three points themselves.
The Hoops showed resilience once again, but this time it was backed up by a strong overall display — something that left the Scotland international encouraged as the Premiership title race begins to tighten.
Motherwell actually struck first and briefly stunned the home crowd.
Elijah Just found the net just after the half-hour mark to give the visitors the lead, capitalising on a tense opening period where Celtic struggled to fully settle into their rhythm.
However, the response from the Hoops was immediate.
Yang Hyun-jun levelled the match shortly afterwards, restoring belief around Celtic Park and ensuring the sides went into the interval with the contest finely balanced.
The decisive moment arrived in the second half.
With the match delicately poised, Motherwell defender Emmanuel Longelo pulled down Daizen Maeda inside the penalty area during a Celtic corner — an incident that resulted in both a penalty and a red card after a VAR review.
Tomas Cvancara stepped up under pressure and calmly converted from the spot to give Celtic the lead.
From there, the momentum firmly swung in the Hoops’ favour.
Yang Hyun-jun added his second goal of the afternoon to seal the victory and cap off an excellent individual performance, ensuring Celtic walked away with a crucial three points.
The timing of the win could hardly have been better.
Following Hearts’ defeat to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park later that evening, Celtic have now closed the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to just two points — setting up a fascinating run-in as the title race heads into its final stretch.
After the match, manager Martin O’Neill was quick to praise Motherwell’s performance, acknowledging that they had pushed Celtic throughout the contest and demonstrated why they have earned admiration across the league this season.
Meanwhile, Kieran Tierney highlighted the quality of Celtic’s display and the role the supporters played in driving the team forward.
Tierney on Celtic win
“I think (the fans make a difference) and even in the second half you could see it more so and that’s down to us because we gave them more to get behind. We were attacking better, we were pressing better and I think the second half is how it should be going forward. You can see the benefit for that.
“The players want all the fans behind us, we want the atmosphere to be brilliant. Celtic Park is what it’s known for so we’re delighted when it’s like that. It was a big win. I think at this stage of the season, every win is going to be big and the next game is going to be the biggest.
“Martin was talking about the spirit of the team behind such a high pressure. If you look back over the course of the season, the amount of last minute winners we’ve scored and points won late in the games, it shows the mentality of the squad. Of course you would not want to be doing that every week but today, I think the second half especially played really well, showed what we can play like.”