SPL Wednesday October 26th

Celtic 5

Motherwell 0

1:0 Petrov 14
2:0 Maloney 17
3:0 Petrov 23
4:0 Nakamura 67
5:0 Petrov 79

Att: 57,388

MIB: Charlie Richmond

Celtic: Boruc Telfer Balde McManus Camara Petrov Lennon Nakamura Maloney Sutton Beattie

subs
Wallace for Camara 59
Hartson for Beattie 63
McGeady for Sutton 83

Call it revenge, call it justice, call it whatever you want - this was most enjoyable.

As far back as 1995 the diary was bemoaning the very existence of Motherwell, a team of no real redeeming features (managed back then by our very own Cat in the Hat), last season's last day implosion didn't exactly help either. Nor did the opening day of this season. So tonight was a bit of pay back for a lot of things.

We didn't really have any hint of what was to come in the opening 5 minutes. Celtic didn't exactly explode out of the blocks, but they were at that stage facing twelve determined opponents, the 11 Motherwell defenders and a referee with no real grasp of the game's rules. Pushing a Celtic player in the back, causing him to play the ball over the goal line does not mean a corner to Motherwell, it means a free kick to Celtic.

It took us a few minutes to get that cleared up but when the game settled down Celtic started.

The pattern of passing normally involved Lennon, Petrov, Sutton and -depending on which side of field play was on - Nakamura or Maloney. A series of quick one touch passes would attract the Motherwell players in before Shaun or Naka would suddenly switch the ball to the other wing, where there was lots of space. Cue Motherwell furiously trying to regroup.

This was Celtic football not seen since the Burns 95-96 era; fast, one touch passing which leaves the opponent standing - and with a cutting edge.

All five goals were top drawer, but pride of place goes to the first; half a dozen swift passes rounded off by Maloney's perfect defence splitting ball to Stan who steered it past the keeper; and to Naka's impressive free kick, fully 25 yards and swerving like it had a deranged pilot attached to it.

The introduction of Wallace at left back rounded the match off nicely. For the first time this season we had a left back that could cross a ball, who knew where to stand and who could (gasp!) control the ball. Of course he didn't have much defending to do, but hands up all those who really think we'd be losing out defensively if we made this switch permanent? Ross Wallace probably isn't going to make it as a left winger - he simply doesn't beat his man cleanly often enough - but he is good at getting the ball in, and overlapping allows the extra yard to pick his cross out.

But what put the seal on the evening was the news filtering through from Almondvale that Rangers had gamely held on to secure a precious point against the mighty Livi.

Some of the crowd left the ground singing about one Paul Lambert. Not me. I think there's a wee ginger haired guy in our dug out currently far more worthy of our praise for the way he's moulding this team.