Wilfried Nancy Remains Optimistic After Celtic Defeat To Motherwell 2-0 In Premiership

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy stayed upbeat despite a 2-0 defeat against Motherwell at Fir Park, a result that stopped Celtic moving top of the Scottish Premiership and cut their long unbeaten run in this fixture, while also tightening the title race with Hearts and Rangers.

Ibrahim Said struck before half-time and Elliot Watt added a second after the interval as Motherwell claimed all three points and trimmed the gap to Celtic to five points, leaving Nancy’s side still three points behind leaders Hearts and now under closer pressure from Rangers.

The loss ended Celtic’s 35-game unbeaten sequence against Motherwell in all competitions, a streak that began after a defeat in December 2015 and included 30 victories and five draws, with Celtic having

also won 11 successive away matches in this fixture before this setback.

Nancy accepted the performance fell below Celtic’s recent standards but stressed longer-term progress, explaining to BBC Scotland that "It was not a good performance. We had difficulties today, while our opponents were connected," as the brief two-game winning run in the league also came to an end.

The French coach insisted the setback could still help Celtic’s development and spoke about the need for a collective response, saying "We want to keep going, but this was a stop. This stop is going to allow us to be better collectively. The message is getting across, but we faced adversity today and that is the reality, after that comes a bit of doubt. I believe I saw good stuff, to press in the good moment and defend in the good moment. Now it is time to get better and keep working because it is the only thing we can control. "

Wilfried Nancy spoke to @CelticTV after #MOTCEL #CelticFCCeltic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 30, 2025

With Hearts still leading the Scottish Premiership and Rangers’ win against St. Mirren closing the gap further, Celtic now face increased pressure in the title race, yet Nancy’s comments underline a focus on improving structure, timing of the press and defensive organisation rather than dwelling on this rare reverse.