MOTHERWELL’S Ibrox matchwinner Emmanuel Longelo is hoping the fear factor comes into play when his side face Celtic at Fir Park next month.
The adventurous left-back, who thumped in a double as Jens Berthel Askou’s men triumphed 3-2 in Govan on Sunday, reckons Danny Rohl’s players buckled under the weight of title expectation.
The defeat leaves Rangers in third place, a point behind the champions and four adrift of Monday night’s rivals Hearts with four games to go.
Well are due to square up to the Tynecastle outfit and Martin O’Neill’s side within four days in the race to the finishing tape with the Hoops zeroing in on their fifth successive crown.
PICK IT OUT…Emmanuel Longelo lashes in Motherwell’s winner in the 3-2 success over Danny Rohl’s team in Govan.
Askou’s team take on the Edinburgh club a week on Saturday and Celtic the following Wednesday, both at Fir Park.
Undoubtedly, they will have a major say in the destination of the flag and Hoops fans will still shudder at the memory of the December evening in North Lanarkshire when the visitors were outplayed on their way to a 2-0 reverse, just one of six losses in eight matches during Wilfried Nancy’s catastrophic 33-day reign.
Longelo is convinced the strain got to the opposition at Ibrox and believes it could be similar against Hearts and Celtic.
Reflecting on the win in the south side of Glasgow at the weekend, the 25-year-old Barking-born defender said: “It’s just another place that we came to and we’ve done our job.
“We have belief and togetherness. The group that we have, the squad that we have, the staff members, we’re all one unit. There’s a great amount of chemistry, everyone gets along well.
“The manager shows a lot of faith in us, so it’s only right that we repay him on the pitch.”
HAIL THE HERO…Emmanuel Longelo accepts the acclaim of the Motherwell fans.
Referring to the tension that was evident in Govan, Longelo, speaking to The Scotsman, continued: “We could smell it.
“That would be the same for any team in their position, there would be a lot of pressure.
“Obviously, we know our qualities and we know what we can bring and we just played to our strengths.”
Longelo thundered in Well’s second goal against Jack Butland after Lukas Fadinger had netted the opener to give the visitors a 2-0 interval lead.
On-loan Celt Stephen Welsh had strolled through the first 45 minutes in which keeper Calum Ward did not have a solitary save to make.
The centre-back limped off early in the second-half as goals from Youssef Chermiti and Nico Raskin brought it back to 2-2.
With the clock ticking down, a smart throw from Ward set his team free on the left and Longelo completed a swift counter-attack by walloping in the points clincher.
He added: “It’s a special feeling getting a last-minute goal. It’s always a good feeling, obviously, not just for me, but the whole team.
DIDN’T THEY DO WELL? Stephen Welsh and Emmanuel Longelo celebrate with the Motherwell fans after the 3-2 victory at Ibrox.
“Getting three points, any last-minute goals, it’s a massive feeling. I feel like any win gives us a huge amount of belief no matter who we play and we step out to win, it’s not just at Ibrox.
“We’ve created so many chances against Rangers earlier this season and it was always in the early moments, but on Sunday we managed to put them to bed and we got what we deserved.
“I just saw the ball go in and once it went in, I was just off. Whether it was a deflection or not, I don’t really care, we won the game.
“That’s all that matters.”
O’Neill’s players know they are in dangerous territory a week on Wednesday. They will be aware of what to expect after the masterclass from their opponents before the turn of the year.
At Parkhead, the Hoops have won twice – a late header from Daizen Maeda claiming the points in a 3-2 victory in early October and a 3-1 success last month where Yang Hyun-jun hit a double.
The killer goal came in the 72nd minute when on-loan Tomas Cvancara, with only his second Celtic goal, whipped in a penalty-kick – after Longelo had been red-carded for the offence in the box.
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