Calamitous Celtic missed the opportunity to move level on points with Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts after defeat at classy Motherwell heaped pressure back on manager Wilfried Nancy as his chaotic reign took another wrong turn.
Back-to-back league wins against Aberdeen and Livingston showed something of a recovery under the Frenchman who, unprecedently, lost his first four games.
But the brief rally came to a shuddering halt at Fir Park, where the reigning champions were outclassed, out-thought and outplayed by Jens Berthel Askou’s impressive side.
Motherwell took a well-earned lead through Ibrahim Said, the Nigerian heading in Stephen O’Donnell’s delightful, deep pinpoint cross.
The half-time whistle was met with boos from a furious away support, who continually expressed their anger and exasperation at their club throughout the rest of the game.
They were silenced temporarily when Elliot Watt slid a second goal in to an empty net after a Kasper Schmeichel mistake.
The Celtic keeper failed to find Arne Engels on the edge of his box from a goal-kick and the alert hosts pounced to pile on the misery and cruise to their first home win against the Glasgow club since April 2013.
Celtic looked spooked by their hosts and struggled to test Calum Ward in the home goal on a night they chased shadows rather than league leaders Hearts, who remain three points clear at the summit.
Motherwell, who were magnificent, remain in fourth, two points behind Rangers – who can move level with Celtic should they defeat their Old Firm rivals on Saturday.
A performance and result which has been coming for both sides.
Motherwell were everything Celtic were not as they beat the champions for the first time in 35 attempts. They were dominant, hungry and played with a purpose. They took charge from the first minute.
It took nearly eight minutes for the visitors to string five passes together.
But while much of the attention will be on the awful state of Celtic, Motherwell’s brilliance should not be overlooked.
Of all their qualities, their consistency was most influential. Not only in their style and system, but in their patterns.
Every time Callum McGregor tried to get on the ball, a Motherwell player pounced. When Celtic were exposed at the back, the hosts exploited it.
Away players were shaking their heads throughout, but they are the architects of their own downfall.
O’Donnell was gifted the freedom of Fir Park to fling in the fabulous cross for the opener, while Schmeichel was all over the shop for the second.
Sloppy and second-best, they were utterly schooled, and not for the first time during Nancy’s short time at the club.
His wait for a first clean sheet goes on.
The Frenchman has insisted he is seeing improvements, that the risks are rewarding and his team will come good. There was no signs of any such things here.
Celtic were taught more than a thing or two by a team who are together, trust each other and are moving in the right direction.
Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou tells BBC Sportsound: “I think it’s probably the best we have performed so far in the season, if you take the full game into consideration.
“The level of the opponent, us coming in from a hard game three days ago where we had to shake off some disappointment, some frustration, to then come today and deliver this with a tactical change in the way we set up our defensive structure, with just one day for the players to convert that into this performance, that was fantastic.
“It’s an impressive win and it’s a day that our supporters and everyone in the club will remember for a long time… We’ll try and forget it.
“I think my most important words I said in the dressing room were that we are not going to let this stop us, meaning that we’re not going to think now we’re a fantastic team and now we’ve done everything because we had this signature win that everyone’s talking about for us.
“What we need to do is to create something over time and over the course of the season and the three points today and the clean sheet helps on that.”
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy: “We want to keep going, but this was a stop. This stop is going to allow us to be better collectively.
“The message is getting across, but we faced adversity today and that is the reality, after that comes a bit of doubt.
“I believe I saw good stuff, to press in the good moment and defend in the good moment.
“We were not as connected as we have been tonight.”
Motherwell welcome St Mirren on Saturday, 3 January (15:00 GMT), while Celtic host Rangers in the second Old Firm league game of the season earlier in the day (12:30).
