Motorman Daizen Maeda struck the quickest goal of the Premiership season to set Celtic on the way to a narrow win over Motherwell.

But it was Jota who had the last word as the Hoops hero bundled home a late clincher on his second Celtic debut before milking the acclaim of his devoted fanbase. Just 49 seconds were on the clock when Tony Ralston’s cross from the right found Maeda at the back post and the Japan international got above Marvin Kaleta to loop a header past Ellery Balcombe. It was the start of nightmares for Well caretaker Stephen Frail. Fair play to the Steelmen, they showed their mettle by fighting back to level on the 23 minutes as Luke Armstrong netted his first goal since arriving on loan from Carlisle.

It was a landmark day for Celtic skipper Callum McGregor as he hit hit 500 appearances in the Hoops. It didn’t start the way he’d have liked as an uncharacteristic sloppy pass led to Motherwells equaliser. The home side broke down the left where Dom Thompson’s cross was bundled home by Armstrong. Cameron Carter-Vickers appealed for a push. But ref Calum Scott gave the green light after a word with VAR.

READ MORE: Brendan Rodgers answers 3 Celtic transfer questions as boss not buying theory about January signings

READ MORE: Boyd and McGeady clamped for 'nasty' Jota comments as raging Celtic fans call out 'mean spirited' pundits

But you don’t captain Celtic without a strong mentality and McGregor brushed off his error to produce another commanding performance in the engine room. Barely wasted another pass all afternoon and while McGregor makes the game look easy with the tidiness of his passing it’s the simplicity and speed of his which is crucial to keeping Celtic’s tempo high. Much of his work gos unnoticed. Brendan Rodgers said the club was “so, so lucky” to have the midfielder as captain and again he showed why after his early boob.

Parity was only restored for seven minutes though as Adam Idah fired Celtic back ahead. Luke McCowan sent Maeda clear on the left and his cutback was met six yards out by the on-form Ireland international whose sliding finish gave Balcombe no chance.

The Hoops haven’t had it easy in recent visits to Lanarkshire. They needed a third goal. And they thought they had it when Tom Sparrow diverted Idah’s cutback into his own net - only for VAR to show the striker was offside when he slipped past Liam Gordon.

Nicolas Kuhn was next to be denied by offside after his sensational overhead kick from the rebound of his own saved shot found its way into the bottom corner.

Idah then had a low 20 yard strike touched onto the post by Balcombe. But Celtic fans were back on their feet after 65 minutes when Jota was unleashed off the bench for his second Hoops debut.

The Portuguese produced a few moments to prove the old magic hasn’t deserted his feet and had the last word as he bundled home Maeda’s cross for the third.

Maeda fast start

He’s no slouch at the best of times but even for Daizen Maeda a goal after 49 seconds is pretty remarkable. His header to open the scoring was a perfect response to his red card last time out against Young Boys and also takes him onto 16 goals for the season. The Japan international is the Hoops’ top scorer this season.

And while Rodgers is desperate to bring in another striker before the deadline he must at least get peace of mind knowing he has another goalscorer outside Adam Idah literally waiting in the wings. And another poacher’s finish in the first half here was crucial in this victory. He likes Fir Park the Ireland striker. He’s scored in all three of his appearances at Motherwell’s ground. And while his three strikes in the last two games might not have troubled goal of the season categories, Rodgers will be delighted with Idah’s positioning and the timing of his runs.

VAR might have denied him an assist too but his touch and turn that ended with Tom Sparrow diverting into his own net was classy. The search for another striker goes on but in the meantime Idah is starting to prove £9m well spent. Powerful, fast and intelligent he has all the tools to be a top number nine.

Well placed

The post-Stuart Kettlewell era got off to a losing start but Motherwell shouldn’t be too worried. It’s been a tough week at Fir Park after the boss quit citing abuse from punters. But if they can take anything from this 90 minute then it’s that the team he leaves behind are united on the park. Losing a goal after 49 minutes could have led to a capitulation.

But Well dug deep, fought back to level and while ultimately losing, they took Celtic to the wire as they so often do here, finishing the game with three strikers on the park. Caretaker boss Stevie Frail resisted any urge to tear up the system but handed Luke Armstrong a first start and the goalscorer was a real handful up front.

The on-loan Carlisle man bullied Carter-Vickers at the goal and roughed up the Hoops backline throughout in a tireless display. Dom Thompson also looks handy down the left flank with a wicked delivery and Ellery Balcombe has been a solid loan signing between the sticks. Well have now won just once in 10 games - a run that had heaped the pressure on Kettlewell - but with the right appointment in the dug out they have a squad capable of holding onto a top six finish.

Jota on the wing again

Hoops debut number two for the £25m winger who has returned on a £8.5m deal from Rennes. His song was belting out from the away end long before the first whistle but it wasn’t until the 65th minute the Portuguese made his big entrance in place of Nicolas Kuhn who, disallowed goal apart, had a quiet afternoon.

He went close with a hooked volley just minutes after his introduction and had the fans out their seats with a trademark mazy late on that saw him leave three Well men for dead before another jinking run off the left flank ended with a shot being saved by Ellery Balcombe. When he eventually did bundle home Maeda’s cutback to net in injury time right in front of the away support the roof lifted off. Where

Jota fits in will be interesting given that Kuhn has been the main man at Parkhead this season while on the other flank Maeda again showed his worth with a goal and an assist. Not that having too many options will bother Rodgers.