SWPL – Celtic thrash Motherwell 7-1 as Hibs beat theRangers | OneFootball

Good performances all round meant an easy afternoon for Celtic FC Women as they thrashed Motherwell 7-1 in the Scottish Women’s Premier League this afternoon…

Celtic were immediately in the game as they were fighting to keep the ball, making sure that Motherwell posed no real threat. But Motherwell didn’t give up easy as they kept Celtic out for the first period of the game. Their only attempts came through hopeful long balls, but they were trying to press the Celts and keep them in their own half.

Their early work would only last for so long though as Elena Sadiku’s side found the breakthrough with 26 minutes on the clock.

Pressing high, Morgan Cross won the ball back from the Motherwell goalkeeper. She rebounded it off the shot stopper and it slowly rolled towards the net, and although it hit the post, Cross was there to tap it in from close range. Great pressure and composure from the Celtic attacker to open the scoring.

Cross kept pressing as play restarted and got us a good few moments of joy. She held up the ball well and showed good dribbling skill when she attempted it. She was also making promising runs.

She would also be involved in the play that won Celtic a corner, and as Aislin Streicek knocked it into the area, there was trouble for the visitors. It’s headed in and a Motherwell player almost knocks it into her own net, but although it’s kept out that time, Saoirse Noonan was close to head it in from close range.

Shortly after, Motherwell tried to break but it was won back by the Celts. Maria McAneny found herself with the ball at her feet and ran through. She prepped a shot and took it, forcing the goalkeeper into a low dive to tap it off course. Emma Lawton was making a darting run though and found herself in a good position, completely unmarked, allowing her to hammer it home.

Coming back from 3-0 in the break, Amy Gallacher was forced to come off, confirmed to be a precautionary move by Sadiku, after a knock sustained in the first half.

But the change just gave Celtic more energy as they kept pushing for a fourth goal. Momo Nakao was heavily involved with the play, getting off a shot at one point as well, but it was another corner that resulted in the fourth goal of the afternoon.

It was swung in, and although the Motherwell goalkeeper did get to it, it wasn’t enough as it was nodded in by captain Kelly Clark.

Morgan Cross secured her brace a minute later, with an assist by Sienna McGoldrick.

Maria McAneny got herself a well-deserved goal shortly after, with Noonan striking home in the 90th minute to round off the victory.

Speaking exclusively to The Celtic Star after the game, Celtic boss Elena Sadiku said: “Very happy [with the reaction after last week’s performance], very pleased and very proud. If you look at the performance, I think the reaction was being ruthless and making sure we don’t go easy on any challenge, and the players did well showcasing that today.

“They made it really hard for us to come into spaces. I don’t think we identified the space good in the first 15 [minutes], but after that, we highlighted it and attacked the spaces we saw were open and kept moving the opponents until we could break. That was something that we did really well.

“The players also did well taking on the information we gave them at half time. I think that’s also a big reason why we scored four goals in the second half as well.

“The way that we concede, that can happen sometimes. But if you look at the rest of the defence and how we look like when we lose the ball, Motherwell don’t really create so much.”

Speaking on Kelly Clark’s fantastic performance, Sadiku said: “Kelly Clark has been one of the most consistent players so far. She’s been very good. That makes me proud because she’s one of the most experienced players. She’s been playing really well with Claire [Walsh]. They make each other really good, so I’m really happy with both of them so far.”

Emma Lawton also spoke to The Celtic Star, after the match saying: “It was really good. There were lots of good moments both individually and collectively, so a lot of positives to take.”

Speaking on her own performance, she said: “I think I did okay. I like to get about attacking and defending, so I’m glad I could contribute to the team.”

Jessica’s Post-match thoughts…

A really good performance from Celtic today and certainly deserving of the three points. Motherwell played quite well in the opening stages, but the quality of Celtic ultimately proved to be too much for them. The players really took what Sadiku said about keeping the pressure on for 90 minutes on board, and we saw that today.

Pass marks all round.

Standout performers:

Morgan Cross – CELTIC STAR – 9/10 Emma Lawton – 8/10 Momo Nakao – 7.5/10  Lisa Robertson –  7/10

Next up for the Celts is a difficult tie against Glasgow City. We host them at New Douglas Park on Sunday 19 October.

SWPL1 – Today’s Results

Aberdeen 5-0 Hamilton

Glasgow City 2-0 Partick Thistle

Hibs 3-2 theRangers

Celtic 7-1 Motherwell

Hearts 7-0 Montrose

Here’s how that leaves the table…

Jessica Elliott

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