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Peter Grant praises Daizen Maeda’s performance after Celtic’s hard-fought win over Motherwell

Originally posted on HITC | By Patrick Sinat | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 1:27 PM ET

The first half of Celtic’s clash with Motherwell didn’t give fans much to cheer about, but the second half told a different story.

Brendan Rodgers knew he’d have to answer for Celtic’s lacklustre start, going into the break level at 1-1. Fans made their frustration clear as the team left the pitch, and it wasn’t hard to see why.

Celtic were flat and uninspired in that opening period. But after halftime, they found some energy and managed to pull out a late win, even if it wasn’t exactly convincing.

Peter Grant backs Daizen Maeda to turn things around for Celtic after standout performance

Speaking about the Celtic win over Motherwell, Peter Grant couldn’t help but praise Daizen Maeda’s impact on the match.

“Maeda had an absolute beast of a game. You know, you think he’s going to be one of the first to take off,” Grant told The Go Radio Football Show.

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

“The manager keeps him on, moves him to the left. He starts to get a wee bit more effectual. But then he moves him again into central and he gets the goal.”

“You know, and they’re the wee things that can spark everyone and he looked delighted to score and the fans were delighted he scored as well.

“So hopefully he’s going to come back after this break and he’s going to have that wee bit more oomph about him.”

Daizen Maeda’s numbers in Celtic’s win over Motherwell

Since his move away from Celtic fell through this summer, Maeda’s form has taken a hit. But the Japanese forward was back to his best against Motherwell.

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His work rate also played a key role defensively, with six ball recoveries, three tackles, and five duels won out of 10.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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