Celtic’s Dramatic Win at Motherwell Sets Up Final-Day Title Showdown

Celtic’s Dramatic Win at Motherwell Sets Up Final-Day Title Showdown

Celtic refused to let this title race die at Fir Park, grinding out a dramatic 3-2 win against Motherwell in a match that had everything – pressure, controversy, and a stoppage-time penalty that keeps the Hoops’ championship defence alive going into the final day.

Going into the match, the math was brutal and unforgiving. Celtic trailed Hearts by a single point after a season that had lurched from brilliant to agonising, the 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle back in April handing Derek McInnes’s side the initiative they’d been threatening to seize for weeks. Anything other than three points at Fir Park and this title was essentially gone – gift-wrapped and delivered to Gorgie.

What unfolded was the kind of match that ages you ten years as a Celtic supporter. Motherwell out-shot Celtic 15-10 on the night, enjoyed 47.5% of the possession, and had five shots on target to the Hoops’ three. For long spells, the home side had Celtic genuinely rocking – and to be fair to them, they were magnificent. But this is football, and sometimes being magnificent isn’t enough.

The decisive moment arrived deep in stoppage time: a VAR-reviewed penalty, tucked away to make it 3-2, and Fir Park erupted in a chorus of disbelief. Motherwell’s official match report described the finale as “cruel” and credited their players with an “incredible effort” that had Celtic on the ropes before the call changed everything. Pundits on CBS Sports’ SPFL coverage weren’t shy about calling it “soft” or “harsh” either, and there’s a widely-shared YouTube discussion titled “That is not a penalty!” doing the rounds for anyone who wants a sense of the mood outside Paradise.

The conspiracy theories will swirl, they always do – and it’s worth noting that Celtic have now been awarded eight penalties in the league this season, more than any other side in the division. That’s a fact, not an accusation, but it’s the kind of detail that feeds the narrative when a title-deciding spot-kick arrives in the ninety-something minute at Fir Park. Make of it what you will.