A Daryl Murphy penalty secured all three points for Celtic as they overcame Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.
Motherwell coped with Celtic's attacks throughout the encounter and looked set to steal a point until Steve Saunders fouled Shaun Maloney in the box on 73 minutes.
Saunders was shown a red card and Murphy stepped up to hammer the penalty home. Celtic held firm over the closing 15 minutes and came away with all three points, just three days after their Europa League exit at the hands of Utrecht.
Neil Lennon brought Fraser Forster, Glenn Loovens, Maloney and Murphy into the starting side and his calls for an improved performance appeared to have gone unanswered when John Sutton went close to handing Motherwell the lead after two minutes.
The near miss spurred Celtic on and they soon gained the upper hand with Maloney forcing a brilliant save from Darren Randolph before sending another effort just over the crossbar.
Randolph was called upon to keep his side in the game several times over the half and he found himself busy after the break as Celtic crowded into the penalty area.
However, it was not until the introduction of Paddy McCourt that Celtic really threatened, eventually making the breakthrough with 17 minutes remaining.
Maloney raced clear but his path was blocked by Saunders, who was adjudged to have committed a professional foul, and referee Dougie McDonald immediately pointed to the spot.
Murphy calmly sent Randolph the wrong way to slot home and ensure the victory.