Craig Gordon refused to blame European exertions for domestic despair following Celtic's 2-0 defeat at Hibernian on Sunday.

Brendan Rodgers' side qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League on Thursday night despite losing 2-1 to Group B winners Salzburg at Parkhead.

After going behind to a Vykintas Slivka goal after 46 seconds at Easter Road the visitors struggled to get going and Florian Kamberi's strike early in the second half proved to be a clincher.

The result left the Hoops a point behind leaders Rangers and Kilmarnock, albeit they have one game in hand over the Light Blues and two games in hand over Killie.

Gordon was reluctant to use the Salzburg match as an excuse and is looking for Celtic to bounce back against Motherwell at home on Wednesday night.

The Scotland goalkeeper said: "It is something we have had to deal with a lot of times and more often than not we come back from Europe and get a good result.

"So I am not going to start complaining about that.

"We lost a goal after just a few seconds, I don't think anybody is tired at that stage.

"We are disappointed with the way we played.

"But it is gone now and we have to pick ourselves up and go again and try to get another three points in midweek."

Rodgers admitted he will be looking to bolster the striking department in January after the second-half substitution of Odsonne Edouard left the Hoops without a recognised centre-forward on the pitch.

But Gordon insists everyone has to keep the standards up.

He said: "It is up to the manager to decide what he wants in the squad and what positions he is looking to improve on.

"The guys that are here have to step up and make sure they are in the manager's plans, especially leading up to January.

"So it is up to us to make sure our performances are good because at a club this big if your performances aren't up to scratch for a period of time then you can get replaced.

"We need to make sure we are working hard to stay in the team and deliver what the manager, the club and the fans want."