Daizen Maeda's last-minute goal secured a thrilling 3-2 victory for Celtic against Motherwell, maintaining pressure on Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts. Brendan Rodgers' team needed the win after Hearts defeated
Hibernian the previous day. The match at Celtic Park saw drama unfold as Celtic initially took the lead through a penalty converted by Kelechi Iheanacho in the 28th minute.
Motherwell responded well, equalising five minutes before halftime when Apostolos Stamatelopoulos scored from Tawanda Maswanhise's cross. Their fortunes improved further when they were awarded a penalty after Marcelo Saracchi fouled Maswanhise. Stamatelopoulos confidently scored his second goal just before the hour mark, putting Motherwell ahead.
Celtic faced the possibility of another home defeat within days but managed to level the score in the 69th minute. Benjamin Nygren capitalised on a defensive error by Motherwell to find the net. As time ran out, Celtic pushed forward and were rewarded when Michel-Ange Balikwisha's cross was finished by Maeda, sealing the win.
Late drama at Paradise!#CELMOT | #CelticFC pic.twitter.com/SjaU3xmkyn
- Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) October 5, 2025
Meanwhile, Rangers continued to face challenges as they drew 1-1 with Falkirk. Russell Martin's side had taken an early lead through Bojan Miovski just before halftime, thanks to Derek Cornelius' assist. However, Falkirk equalised in the 73rd minute with Henry Cartright's impressive strike past Jack Butland.
This result left Rangers with only one win from seven league matches, placing them eighth in the standings. They trail Celtic by nine points and are 11 points behind leaders Hearts. Defensive issues persist for Rangers, who have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 23 away games across all competitions.
Celtic's Unbeaten League Run
Celtic have not been at their best this season but remain unbeaten in league play since losing to St Johnstone in April. Despite this resilience, Motherwell has also shown promise this season but has dropped nine points from winning positions, more than any other team.
The pressure is mounting on Martin as Rangers manager due to ongoing defensive problems that predate his tenure. Their inability to secure clean sheets away from home matches a club record set between 1895 and 1897 during the Victorian era.
