Motherwell goalkeeper Liam Kelly joked he felt like going off when Celtic unleashed a succession of talented substitutes at Fir Park.
Kelly was the main reason Motherwell kept the score down to 4-0 as Celtic showed their class on Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou’s side did to Motherwell what they had done to Rangers in the first half four days earlier by hitting three goals without reply before half-time.
Celtic have sometimes struggled to maintain their flying starts this season and keep up the pace of their play.
But an increased depth thanks to some January signings and a partial easing of Celtic’s injury situation have given Postecoglou the scope to maintain the tempo with fresh legs.
The Australian was able to make three changes from the team that beat Rangers and, with the five subs rule restored in the cinch Premiership, bring on James Forrest, Nir Bitton, Jota, Matt O’Riley and Josip Juranovic during the game.
Kelly said: “We were up against a really good side who were probably a bit much for us.
“In the first half we tried to give it a go and they picked us apart.
“There were a couple of goals that we could have done better with ourselves. Personally, I’m a wee bit disappointed with the second goal. I should probably save that. But I’m not sure it actually impacts the outcome of the match.
“Celtic are capable of doing that to most teams. But you like to be in the game. You want to give a better account of yourself but the game was done at half-time realistically.
“You have to try and stay in it for as long as you can. We tried to have a go but they punished us. They were too good for the press we tried to put on. We got caught in between most things. They have top players and they made us pay.
“It’s not ideal when the players they have on the bench come on. You feel like going off yourself.
“They are a brilliant team with a lot of quality. You see the subs they bring on and they’ve still got some top players who are still injured and weren’t involved.”
