AS far as Celtic are concerned, the natural order has been restored.

 

There is no quickening of the pulse for them when they look at the top of the SPFL Premiership, only the soothing comfort which comes with seeing their own name at the summit.

Aberdeen's challenge has not been entirely quelled - they could be top again if they win on Friday evening - but for now Celtic's position looks handsome. They are a point clear with a game in hand after a perfunctory dismissal of a poor and ragged Motherwell.

They dominated without being electrifying. They weaved around Motherwell without breaking sweat. They toyed with an inferior opponent without being merciless, although a couple of late goals did turn a comfortable win into a bit of a spanking. It was an undemanding assertion of undisputed superiority over a team which had taken a point on its previous visit to Parkhead in August.

Virgil van Dijk and Leigh Griffiths scored first-half headers, both from Anthony Stokes crosses, and umpteen other chances came and went before Mikael Lustig, of all people, popped up with a double.

Injury had kept the popular Swedish right-back out since early November and after coming on at half-time he swept a low shot into the net then scored again with a thrilling diving header. Parkhead willed him to get a hat-trick and he almost obliged, smacking a chance off the bar.

Celtic were often over-elaborate and wasteful, with too many efforts off target, but Griffiths, Stokes, Stefan Johansen and Kris Commons stretched Motherwell all over the place, making openings for themselves and each other.

Commons? Yes, he was out there. That boot-throwing "farewell" to supporters at the Hamilton game wasn't loaded with significance after all, then. Ronny Deila had said he wouldn't be going anywhere before the end of the season and for the moment the manager has called it right.

Commons couldn't manage a goal, although he unloaded a couple of decent efforts, and was used wide on the right with Stefan Johansen in the hole and Stokes left, behind Griffiths. Things would have been easier for Motherwell if the four of them could have been pigeon-holed as conveniently as that. In fact their movement and interplay constantly tested Stephen McManus, Mark O'Brien and the rest of Motherwell's back four.

Without the injured Keith Lasley, Motherwell lacked aggression and leadership in the middle and they were overrun. With the contest over, there was a side issue to concern managers Deila and Ian Baraclough when Johansen and O'Brien clashed heads, requiring both players to be substituted as a precaution.

Motherwell are tenth in the league and stagnant. It was surprising that they held out until the 26th minute before falling behind, but it was always coming.

Celtic got a corner which Stokes whipped to the front post only for Stewart Carswell to head it straight back to him out at the wing. This time Stokes fired it deep to the far post where Van Dijk rose head and shoulders above Josh Law to plant a header under the bar.

The night was a relentless trial for Motherwell. If Baraclough's spirits aren't sinking with every passing week then he's a better man than many of the supporters, whose morale is sinking. He got the bounce a new manager often delivers, with back-to-back wins, but that's now four consecutive defeats. Typically, for a team stripped of confidence, their play was riddled with little errors and weaknesses.

There was no outlet for them to relieve the pressure. John Sutton was on his own up front, and he really was. He wasn't able to get enough of the ball or hold it up. There was one chance when Stephen Pearson made himself a bit of space to wriggle away from Jason Denayer before floating a chip to the back post which might have found a taker, or might have gone in, but in the end did neither.

It was Pearson's first competitive club game in Scotland since December 2006 when he played for Celtic in a 1-1 draw with Motherwell. Now back in claret-and-amber, at the club where it all started for him, the 32-year-old could bring no influence to bear on the game. He was swamped along with all the others. Celtic had the game won before half-time when another delivery from Stokes on the left was converted with a nice, clean header at the front post by Griffiths.

Lustig replaced Adam Matthews at half-time. At the same point Motherwell brought on Dominic Thomas, who was bright, for Lionel Ainsworth, who had been poor, and the young lad almost scored with an early shot into the side netting. Johansen put a header on to the inside of the post and saw it run along the line before goalkeeper Dan Twardzik scrambled back to recover the ball at the other post.

Twardzik saved Motherwell with a point-blank save from Johansen then Emilio Izaguirre somehow hit the bar when he should have buried a Griffiths cutback. Given that Matthews scored at the weekend, Celtic's full-backs are creating havoc. Lustig weighed in with his unlikely pair of goals and, by then, Motherwell wanted to go and lie in a darkened room.