Celtic slipped out of the top five as Nantwich ran riot after taking the lead against the run of play.

The opening quarter of an hour saw pressure from Celtic, penning the home side in the own back third for much of it, but the only chance came from Jack Duckworth latching onto a spilled ball from Ben Garratt palming Isaac Modi’s cross away from Max Leonard. With no time to adjust, Duckworth stabbed at goal, missing by a shoelace width. Ina rapid breakaway, Callum Saunders whipped in a cross past the defenders and attackers alike in the Celtic box, but it wasn’t meant for them, and Kai Evans volleyed from an acute angle across the face of goal and in at the far post. Celtic again finished with some pressing football, but between excellent defending and wayward passing, Nantwich saw out the half.

Second half and Celtic chased shadows, while Nantwich dismantled Celtic. Evans got his second six minutes into the second half, racing onto Tom Pratt’s through ball and lifting it over everybody, including the keeper. Any attempts by Celtic to get back into the game early on saw the Nantwich backline in mean spirits. Duckworth was denied on the line by James Melhado, with Garratt stranded, and Garratt had to get across the face of goal to reach Jack Irlam’s low drive. But the Dabbers put it out of sight when Byron Harrison cut inside, shrugged off the defence and fired between keeper and post to make it three. Modi almost pulled one back, but a deflection took the sting from the shot and so, when Evans robbed Liam Tongue as last man, he made it four, placing the ball past James McClenaghan.