A late Henrik Larsson penalty gave Celtic a dramatic 2-1 win at Motherwell today which protected their seven-point lead at the top of the Scottish premier league.
Larsson converted from the spot on 89 minutes -- his eighth goal of the season -- after Motherwell's Eddie Forrest had fouled Shaun Maloney.
It was rough justice on Motherwell, who had fought gamely to keep Martin O'Neill's side at bay.
Lubomir Moravcik had given Celtic the lead on 13 minutes with a swerving 30-metre free kick, but Greg Strong equalised for the Fir Park side after 68 minutes.
Celtic's closest challengers and city rivals, Rangers, had closed the gap at the top of the table temporarily earlier in the day with a 3-1 win over Kilmarnock 3-1 at Ibrox.
Georgian striker Shota Arveladze was the architect of Rangers' success, scoring after nine minutes and setting up Argentine Claudio Caniggia for the second five minutes before halftime.
Norwegian international Tore Andre Flo was on hand to turn in a rebound on 53 minutes, and Antonio Calderon's free kick was a mere consolation goal for Kilmarnock.
Livingston, in third place, had to settle for a 2-2 draw at home to Aberdeen, as two strikes from Darren Mackie cancelled out Livingston goals from Barry Wilson and Steve Tosh.
Dundee United came from behind to beat fourth-placed Hibernian 3-1, while Hearts eased to a 3-0 victory over bottom club St Johnstone with the help of two goals by Spanish forward Juanjo.
Dunfermline beat Dundee 1-0 in the other premier league match.