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With Celtic trailing first place Glasgow Rangers by seven points after playing a game more than their archrivals, Celtic found themselves in a very sticky situation.

Last weekend (April 4) Celtic dropped a crucial three points to Motherwell at home in a 1-0 loss that saw the Bhoys lay seige to the oppositions goal but never producing a pure finish. On Saturday, April 13, the Celts took on Motherwell again at Fir Park, still needing another three points to stay within reaching distance of Rangers, and if the Celts were to lose this matchup again the Scottish Premier trophy would surely be out of their reach.

Before the game on Saturday Celtic had only scored six goals in eight games in all competitions in March and April. Celtic manager Gordon Strachan demanded goals from the Hoops this time around, and he got 'em.

Like their old selves, Celtic game out strong early, with Stephen McManus scoring from a corner in the 17th minute.

Seven minutes later Motherwell leveled when McManus accidentally put the ball back into his own net, failing to clear after Ross McCormack's shot bounced off Artur Boruc's hands.

Motherwell enjoyed some time with the ball for a while before Celtic showed their authority and took the lead back in the 30th minute with a goal from Scott McDonald.

And then Celtic pulled away with the match. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scored two goals in the 44th and 57th minutes to take a 4-1 win back to Paradise. Celtic controlled much of the ball and looked confident and determined as ever against Motherwell, which is a huge positive for fans, seeing that their team is still very motivated to finish off the season winning the league despite the heavy odds against them.

Celtic are now only four points away from Rangers, though Rangers have played two less games than Celtic has. Once again, Celtic now need to win every single game this season, while Rangers need to drop a few points in a few places. Rangers and Celtic still face-off in two more Old Firm matches before the end of the season, including a game on Wednesday, so Celtic need to come out prepared and determined like they did last weekend against a side they have lost to twice in the season's two meetings.

So don't fret, Celtic fans. We've still got high hopes for winning the Scottish Premier for a third straight time, and if we come out strong and score goals against Rangers there's a definite possibility the trophy will stay at Paradise.

Paul Hartley (left) and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink celebrate one of Jan's goals in Celtic's 4-1 triumph over Motherwell