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“it’s not true, we were clearly ROBBED by Ref”- Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell accused the referee of UNFAIRLY siding with Celtic, presenting compelling evidence to support his claims, also expressed his FURY at one Celtic player following the DEFEAT, while commending Liam Scales for his CRUCIAL contribution to the game.
Celtic secured a comfortable 4-0 victory over Motherwell on Boxing Day, extending their lead at the top of the table to 12 points ahead of second-placed Rangers, who still have their match against St Mirren to play.
Though the first half proved challenging, Celtic’s dominance showed in the second half with goals from Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn, and Reo Hatate.
The opening goal came from the penalty spot after Yang Hyun-Jun was adjudged to have been fouled by Motherwell’s goalkeeper, Aston Oxborough.
Arne Engels calmly converted the penalty just before halftime, but the decision sparked frustration from Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell.
While VAR confirmed the penalty, Kettlewell expressed his displeasure, stating that the decision was “so soft, it’s not true.” He felt that Yang went down too easily and that there wasn’t sufficient contact to warrant a foul.
“I’ll be honest with you, until Celtic score their first goal, that’s how we are, that’s exactly the stage we are at in the game,” Kettlewell remarked. “I thought we were heading into halftime with a clean sheet, ready to regroup. Then the referee awarded a penalty.
From the angle I’ve seen, I think it’s incredibly soft. The contact or lack thereof doesn’t explain how the player went down, but the referee made the decision.”
Kettlewell also took the opportunity to praise Celtic defender Liam Scales, who retained his spot in the starting lineup after Auston Trusty’s absence due to illness.
Scales played a key role in Celtic’s second goal, which came from a corner kick. Kettlewell highlighted Scales’ effective near-post run, a tactic Celtic frequently uses, before Maeda finished the ball from the penalty spot.
“The second goal came from a corner,” Kettlewell noted. “It was the result of a touch at the near post, which we had worked on. Scales is excellent in the air, and we know he can create opportunities there. The one thing we’ve got to avoid is letting Maeda slip behind, as we saw today.”
