Stephen Robinson believes 4-1 is a harsh scoreline for Motherwell to come away with in their match with Celtic.
The Steelmen had their fair share of chances but were punished for not taking them and being slack at the back, a Mohamed Elyounoussi hat-trick and Oliver Ntcham goal cancelling out Declan Gallagher’s header at Fir Park.
Robinson had plenty of positives to take from the match despite the 4-1 scoreline suggesting a harsh lesson for his team.
“I don’t think the result reflected the performance,” said Robinson. “The scoreline would suggest we got absolutely battered and I don’t think that was the case at all.
“I thought in large periods of the game we were in control with and without the ball. We had numerous opportunities. Probably the most we’ve ever had against Celtic.
“But if you do not take them, you get punished by the quality they have. They took their chances and we didn’t. At 2-1, we were in control of the game and their second and third goals were individual errors. They didn’t have to work for them.
“If you do that against a team of that calibre, you’ll get punished. And we did. Polworth gave the ball away for the first one, but that’s my fault because I want the boys to be brave on the ball. If you want that, you can’t hammer them every time they give the ball away.
“He showed great character after that, dominated the midfield at times and was excellent, but the second and third goals are poor errors. But there are positives to take from our play against an excellent team.”
Motherwell’s boss also commented on whether attacker Devante Cole should have been sent off. Celtic manager Neil Lennon confirmed post-match the young right-back may have suffered knee ligament damage after Cole caught him in the knee with a high boot.
The striker has been defended by his boss: “He tries to win the ball. It’s a red card if there’s malice in it and there’s no malice at all.
“If he caught him, he caught him, but there was no malice. If you know Devante, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him make a tackle, so it would be hard to say there was malice.
“I don’t read the criticism [of Celtic]. I just thought we were facing a very good Celtic side and, for large periods, we controlled the game.”