Celtic’s intense quest to leapfrog Hearts and retain their Premiership crown remains a nail-biting endeavor.

With the second half reaching its midpoint, Yang Hyun-jun had leveled the score at 1-1 after Eli Just’s initial goal for the visitors. This enthralling match could swing in either direction by the final whistle.

Motherwell, buoyed by the unwavering confidence of their remarkable head coach Jens Berthel Askou, boldly entered Celtic’s territory, demonstrating a fearless and authentic style from the onset.

For extended stretches, Martin O’Neill’s squad found themselves on the back foot, allowing Motherwell to dominate possession. Despite their resolute commitment to a passing game, which led to Yang’s goal, the Fir Park team remained unfazed and continued their strategy, steadfast in their approach.

Aside from that misstep, Askou’s players exhibited commendable courage and skill.

Celtic hero Yang Hyun-jun is hailed by team-mates after claiming his second of the afternoon

The match surged with energy from one end to the other. Each error by the home team amplified the anxiety among their supporters. They had just seen a penalty appeal dismissed when Tawanda Maswanhise tumbled in the box under pressure from Benjamin Arthur, following a deflected Just shot that spiraled into the air.

That’s when a rush of blood from Emmanuel Longelo changed everything and delivered the kind of sliding-doors moment that can alter the course of championship races.

Home substitute Luke McCowan fired a ball to the back post from the right and Daizen Maeda moved to get his head onto it. Longelo had an arm round him, though, and the Japanese forward went to ground.

Quite how referee John Beaton didn’t notice it is a conversation topic in itself. VAR Kevin Clancy did, though, and directed his colleague to the monitor. And that was that.

Celtic were correctly given the spot-kick, converted by substitute Tomas Cvancara with a shot straight down the middle, and Longelo was sent packing for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Game over.

Cvancara, on for Sebastien Tounekti at half-time, has looked pretty unconvincing since arriving at the end of the January window. His penalty against Rangers last weekend, though, and this effort from 12 yards has the champions still dreaming of the most unlikely double.

In the end, with Motherwell reduced to 10 men, Celtic won with something to spare thanks to Yang’s second 11 minutes from time.

Eli Just had the visiting fans in dreamland when he rifled Motherwell ahead in the first half

You just wonder how long it can go on like this, though. The champions aren’t playing well. They are scraping by more often than not. Motherwell were upset about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, rusty and relatively quiet throughout, getting away with a yellow card for an early foul on Just that they believed might well have been worthy of a red.

Celtic have perfectly winnable fixtures against Dundee United, Dundee and St Mirren — all bottom-six sides — before the split, but can they keep churning out results afterwards against a better standard of opposition? Can O’Neill keep working the oracle and carry on getting them over the line through sheer force of will as much as anything?

We’ll soon see. There were certainly times in this affair, though, when it looked like the wheels might be about to come off the cart. None more so than on 32 minutes when Just, such an excellent player and understandably attracting attention from Celtic and elsewhere, gave the visitors a perfectly merited lead.

Reo Hatate was robbed by Elliot Watt inside his own area, with the Motherwell midfielder moving the ball onto Callum Slattery. He, in turn, shifted it wide to Just on the left-hand side of the area and the New Zealand international did the rest in fine style.

His left-footed drive was expertly struck and whizzed past home goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo at the near post on its way into the net.

Amid the celebrations, the reaction of Hatate was impossible to miss. He stayed down on all fours inside the box, his head bowed. He knew he’d made one almighty mess of things.

Mercifully for him, Celtic got themselves back into it six minutes later. Motherwell, though, were the architects of their own downfall.

Yang slips the ball beyond Motherwell goalkeeper Calum Ward to draw Celtic level

They play the way they play. It’s the adherence to Askou’s demands to take the ball under pressure, keep passing, keep offering options that has got them where they are. It makes them so great to watch.

It’s what also leaves you looking through the cracks of your fingers at times and that’s what happened in the lead-up to the equaliser. They passed their way into trouble in the far corner and just couldn’t bring themselves to hoof it and get out of the mire.

Kieran Tierney advanced up the left for Celtic and lost the ball. It could have been cleared then. It wasn’t. In the end, Tom Sparrow was short with a backwards pass towards Stephen O’Donnell inside his own penalty area and Benjamin Nygren stole in to gain possession.

The Swede did well to make it to the bye-line and hook the ball into the area. Goalkeeper Calum Ward was forced to intervene, but could only palm it out to Yang, who delivered a clinical low finish into the far corner.

At the start of the second half, the game threatened to go completely bonkers. Nygren hit a post for Celtic. Motherwell had that spot-kick claim. But, then, Longelo held onto Maeda that little too long and it all went to pot.

Askou had just thrown on a couple of subs to try and get back into things when Celtic broke upfield and Yang — who was on the verge of leaving last summer, remember — latched onto a long ball from Sinisalo before finishing emphatically.

Job done in the end, but, by Jove, it was a struggle. That’s how it is for Celtic most weeks, though. And they’re still in there fighting. Somehow.

Celtic (4-3-3): Sinisalo; Donovan (Ralston 78), Arthur, Scales, Tierney (Saracchi 78); Hatate, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Bernardo 78), Nygren (McCowan 62); Yang, Maeda, Tounekti (Cvancara 46). Booked: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Donovan, Hatate, Ralston.

Motherwell (4-3-3): Ward; O’Donnell, McGinn, Sparrow (McGhee 83), Longelo; Fadinger (Priestman 78), Watt, Slattery; Said (Bjorgolfsson 78), Maswanhise (Ross 90), Just (Nicholson 83). Booked: Just, Ward. Sent off: Longelo.

Referee: John Beaton.

Attendance: N/A.