Celtic end losing run at Motherwell to retake top spot from Rangers

📰 Celtic ended their three-game losing run with a 2-0 win at Motherwell and took back the top spot Rangers had claimed a day earlier. 📌 Key points ⚽ Duran (9) and Nygren (59) scored in a 2-0 win. 🛑 Celtic won for the first time in four games after three straight defeats. 🔝 They moved back above Rangers, who had gone top 24 hours earlier. 🎉 It was Martin O'Neill's 250th win as Celtic manager. 🩹 Jota came on after 75 minutes for his first game in 18 months. 📝 What happened ⚽ Camilo Duran gave Celtic a ninth-minute lead at Fir Park and Benjamin Nygren doubled it on 59 minutes. Motherwell goalkeeper Alex Paulsen made a season-high 12 saves as Celtic dominated. 🔝 On 10 October Rangers had beaten Kilmarnock 3-1 at Ibrox, with two goals from Ryan Naderi, to go top for the first time this season. Celtic's win put them back above their rivals. 🩹 Jota came off the bench on 75 minutes to make his comeback after 18 months out. 🗣️ O'Neill said: "It's a big boost psychologically to play as well as we did, and go back to the top of the table. Maybe, we could have scored a few more goals, but we created a lot and that was desperately encouraging." Sky Sports reports that he also ruled out stepping down. 📊 By the numbers • O'Neill's wins as Celtic manager: 250 • Motherwell goalkeeper saves: 12 (season high) • Jota's time out injured: 18 months • Motherwell: four straight defeats, ninth 🔭 Why it matters Back-to-back defeats by Rangers, a fan protest against the major shareholder and an ultras' boycott had put the 74-year-old under real scrutiny. This first game after the international break brought both a performance and a result, but the title race with Rangers remains on a knife edge.