'The reality': Celtic address their current level, fan discontent and Daizen Maeda character

The Fir Park side looked on course for their first victory in this fixture since 2015 after Apostolos Stamatelopoulos’ double had overturned a first-half Kelechi Iheanacho penalty.

Celtic were gifted an equaliser, though, when Motherwell goalkeeper Calum Ward misplaced a pass straight to Benjamin Nygren before Daizen Maeda landed a winner in injury time.

Rodgers was pleased with that commitment to rescue a seemingly lost cause but conceded that Celtic were still not firing on all cylinders following another disjointed performance.

He said: “It was a fantastic win for us. I thought our players deserved it as it’s not easy to play here when you go behind. But we kept fighting. The subs coming into the game made a great impact for us. In that final 15 minutes where we had them pinned back and were moving the ball at speed and creating opportunities, it was great to see.

“We’re nowhere near our level. That’s the reality. I think we can all see that in terms of where I would want us to be. But you have to get results. You have to find a way and you have to dig deep and show heart. The players did that today.

Celtic ‘will get better’

“We’re having to work so hard to try to get balance and speed, everything into the team when there are certain characteristics that are missing from the squad. I do believe that as the season goes on, we will be better. But the speed in the team that we've had over the last few seasons, it’s not quite the same.

“However, we have to find a way to get the win. And the players did that today. Showing a big heart, a lot of spirit, great determination and a lot of fight, which is what you need over the course of a long season.”

There were once more chants and banners aimed at the board ahead of a meeting set to be held between supporters’ representatives and the directors. And Rodgers hoped a winning team might help off-field matters after a “challenging summer”.

He added: “We’re trying to see if we can pull it together on the pitch, which can help unify everything. Because it's what Celtic is about. Celtic is that feeling. And clearly the feeling isn't quite right across the club. However, on the pitch you have to win.

“It’s amazing for the supporters. Because even though we've only lost once this season, it's still been a challenging summer to this point. But that's for them to enjoy that.”

Rodgers praised Maeda for his character after being played repeatedly out of position and having a transfer move blocked.

“He just deserves so much credit. Everything that happened in the summer is well-documented and that's not easy. If it affects a player like him, then you know how deep it goes. But he's still turned up every day. He's playing in probably the third [favourite] position if you asked him, because we have a gap on that side. And he’s just got on with it.”

For Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou, disappointment at a first loss of the season was tempered by the way his team played.

“We delivered an extremely good performance and gave ourselves the opportunity by giving it our best shot and playing to our strengths for most of the time,” he said. “I'm extremely proud of the way we invested in the game, to not just show up and [play for] a scrappy draw, but to actually go and [try] to win it.”