Celtic climbed back to the top of the Scottish Premier League table but not without the expense of captain Scott Brown. The Hoops edged Motherwell 1-0 at Parkhead thanks to a 27th Patrick McCourt goal but will go into the weekend's Old Firm clash with second-placed Rangers without Brown who was sent off in the final minute of the match for a second bookable offence.

Motherwell lacked any creativity whatsoever throughout the match and they fell behind just prior to the half-hour mark when McCourt netted his fifth league goal of the season with an effortless curling shot past Darren Randolph.

The win was vital for the Glasgow giants but came at a cost with the suspension of Brown and the injuries to both Olivier Kapo and Daryl Murphy which forced both of them off the pitch.

Brown only returned to the line-up following a lengthy lay-off because of injury and now Neil Lennon will need to find a replacement for the short trip to Ibrox to face a Rangers outfit who are just one point behind but have two games in hand.