Unlikely hero as senior man has a shocker: Three things we learned from Celtic win v Motherwell
COMMENT
Celtic retained the Betfred Cup with a 2-0 victory over Motherwell in today's final at Hampden Park.
The game was fairly even in the first-half, with few chances created by either side.
The second-half was a different story though, as Celtic took the lead with a fine strike by James Forrest.
The game suddenly burst into life as Craig Gordon pulled off a superb save to deny Louis Moult.
Referee Craig Thompson then took centre stage as he sent-off Motherwell's Cedric Kipre for an alleged foul on Scott Sinclair in the penalty box.
Moussa Dembele made it 2-0 from the penalty spot and the game was over as a meaningful contest.
Celtic then missed a few chances to increase the scoreline as Motherwell tired, with Leigh Griffiths hitting the post and then heading over the bar.
Celtic substitute Patrick Roberts also came close as he tormented the Motherwell defence.
The game ended 2-0 as Brendan Roberts made it four domestic trophies out of four won since taking over at Celtic Park.
Here, Football Insider looks at three things we learned from Celtic's win over Motherwell
Click below to read about a man of the match performance...
James Forrest continues his great run of form
Celtic winger James Forrest was the undoubted choice for man of the match, as he turned in a great performance. His runs down the wing gave Motherwell all sorts of problems and opened the scoring in the game with a nice curling finish into the back of the net. Forrest has improved his form dramatically under manager Brendan Rodgers and has scored eight goals this season, already matching his total for the entirety of last season.
Click below to read about a huge mistake by this senior man...
Referee Craig Thomson has big impact
Craig Thomson had a shocker today. He was guilty of making a few poor decisions in the first-half, as he could have sent-off both Motherwell's Cerdric Kipre and Celtic's Moussa Dembele for poor challenges. He then made an even worse decision in the second-half, awarding Celtic a penalty and sending-off Kipre for a very soft foul on Scott Sinclair. Motherwell may have been a goal down at the time of the decision but they were still in the game and have a right to feel aggrieved.
Click below to read about an unlikely Celtic hero...
Key save proves that Gordon is back to his best
Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon faced plenty of criticism from supporters after his poor performance against PSG in Celtic's 7-1 defeat on Wednesday night. He pulled off a vital save today though, at a key time of the game. Just after Celtic took the lead Gordon made a superb one-handed save from point blank range to deny Louis Moult an equaliser. Shortly after Celtic were awarded a penalty and made it 2-0. Some fans may still have doubts about Gordon but that save was a big part of why Celtic won the cup.
In other Celtic news, Stuart Armstrong was slammed by supporters for his second-half performance today
We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Celtic breaking news.