Murphy penalty saves day for Celtic

FT: Motherwell 0 Celtic 1

Daryl Murphy’s second-half penalty allowed Celtic to bounce back from their Europa League humbling in Utrecht as they edged past Motherwell at Fir Park.

A much-changed Celtic side had the better of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash but rarely posed a serious test to Darren Randolph before the influential Shaun Maloney won a penalty from Steven Saunders.

Saunders was sent off and Motherwell failed to recover from the blow as Murphy stroked home the 73rd-minute spot-kick.

Paddy McCourt replaced Samaras midway through the half shortly before Forster made his first save, a comfortable one from Blackman’s shot.

Maloney continued to be at the heart of Celtic’s threat after moving inside. His clever pass set up Murphy, who shot wide from a tight angle and the former Aston Villa player shot inches wide of the far post following McCourt’s run.

Maloney then won the penalty that gave his side a 73rd-minute lead. The Motherwell defence were caught square just inside their own half following Randolph’s goal kick as Maloney burst clear on to Majstorovic’s defensive header.

Saunders led the chase but got too close and Maloney went down before Dougie McDonald pointed to the spot and showed the defender a straight red card to add to the yellow he had received in the first half for catching Samaras late.

Murphy sent Randolph the wrong way to find the top corner and Celtic held out comfortably while threatening to add a second. McCourt came close on several occasions as the Motherwell defence backed off and also set up Murphy, who finished poorly from inside the box.