MOTHERWELL — Jota made an emotional return after almost 18 months sidelined as Celtic beat struggling Motherwell 2-0 at Fir Park on Sunday to return to the top of the Scottish Premiership and lift the gloom after three straight defeats.
Camilo Duran fired the visitors in front early and midfielder Benjamin Nygren made sure of the victory in the second half as Martin O'Neill's side deservedly ended a run that included two defeats to rivals Rangers before the international break. The 27-year-old Jota, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury at Tannadice in April 2025, was introduced as a 74th-minute substitute and almost provided an assist in a lively cameo. "I was waiting on this for a long time," he told Sky Sports. "Just happy to be back. I've been working hard, the guys have been helping me as well. It was just the normal nerves, but after I stepped on the pitch everything goes well."
The Portuguese winger, who led the post-match celebrations, spoke about the mental toll of his long absence. "Imagine if someone takes away your child and I've got my child back today - that's how I've been feeling the last year," he said. "I found my child again today and I just want to keep it as long as I can. I'm feeling very good and I'm ready to play more and more and help the team. I know what I can do."
The party atmosphere at full time was in stark contrast to recent weeks. Celtic's largest shareholder Dermot Desmond was the target of a protest during the Alfred Dunhill Links golf tournament in St Andrews, and O'Neill had questioned whether he had the energy to continue after Rangers won at Parkhead last month before committing to stay. Former Scotland defender Willie Miller said, "I could only imagine the pressure on Martin O'Neill - I know what it's like in Glasgow if you are beaten by Rangers twice," adding that O'Neill "seems like he's got his mojo back."
O'Neill said, "Of course, there was a lot of noise and a lot of it we brought on ourselves as well too. So, nice to win," and added, "We lost three matches in a week - two to our big rivals. But we fought back today." Despite Motherwell goalkeeper Alex Paulsen making 12 saves, O'Neill was pleased with the energy and said, "It's psychologically a big boost to play as well as we did and go back to the top of the table." Celtic now faces Portuguese giants Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday before hosting Hearts and then facing Celta Vigo.