CELTIC turned on the afterburners to scorch to a 4-0 triumph over Motherwell to open up a chasm of TWELVE points at the Premiership summit.
The champions stepped it up after the interval as they led 1-0 through an Arne Engels penalty-kick just before the break.
The Fir Park side had provided solid opposition in the opening 45 minutes, but were left in the slipstream of a much-improved second period as Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate struck to make it a perfect day for the hosts in Paradise.
The 12-point margin remained intact when their nearest challengers from Ibrox toppled 2-1 to St Mirren in Paisley later in the evening.
A BIG HAND…Brendan Rodgers applauds the fans during Celtic’s 4-0 win over Motherwell.
A beaming Brendan Rodgers said: “You always have to respect the other team, especially when they’re fresh in the game, but the second-half was much better.
“We upped the tempo, played faster, were more aggressive in our passing and carved out some really good chances.
“We kept going to the very end, so I’m really pleased with the result and the performance in the second-half.”
Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “I also thought we needed the crowd – and they were fantastic.
“To get those numbers on Boxing Day, having not been here for so long, they’re really important for us.
“Especially in this period where we have so many games, just to keep that encouragement going, keep that positivity and they get rewarded with a nice 4-0 victory.”
The Hoops now get a brief respite before they bring down the curtain on an eventful – and successful – 2024, in which they won three domestic trophies, when they take on St Johnstone at Parkhead on Sunday.
FOURMIDABLE CHAMPS BACK ON TARGET
