An imperious display from Celtic toppled the league leaders, making them look ordinary.

For the opening half an hour, it was one way , with all the chances falling Celtic’s way, and but for some outstanding defending, Celtic could have recorded four or five at the interval. Ash Leather went looking to add to his tally, terrifying Sean Smith, cutting inside and firing across the face of goal, with Matty Bryan and Joe Duckworth arriving at pace, but inches away. Leather tried again, sweeping into the box, one-on-one with the keeper, Jonny Spittle had to time his sliding tackle perfectly, and he did, cleanly taking the ball. Bryan came close before a one handed flying save from Tony Thompson just about kept Aaron Chalmers’s overhead kick from flying in off the far post. A goal looked on the cards, and it came through Leather again beating Spittle for pace and sliding the ball across the face, this time, though Duckworth didn’t make it, Bryan did side footing in the opener.

Liam Tongue had two chances, his first clearing the bar, the second needing a stuck out leg from Thomas Peterson. Celtic’s defence restricted the visitors to one chance in the first half, Mackenzie O’Neill powering from the wing skipped past a challenge and launched a rocket towards the far post, requiring Charlie Monks to fly and push the ball away, with Chalmers clearing up the loose ball.

Had Leather’s low shot early in the first half gone in, instead of hitting an unwitting Anthony Miley, Bootle may have folded. Instead, Michael Burkey met William Bell’s ball down the line and had enough sight of goal to try his luck, curling his shot beyond Monks’s fingertips. Celtic stepped up through the gears, quashing any chance of a Bootle comeback. Sean Tse heading over, before Jordan Buckley’s excellent effort could only be parried away towards Tongue, who fired the half-volley back in, hitting the side netting. Thompson knew he was in a game as he again had to deny Buckley when the loan striker went one-on-one.

Thompson had no chance when Bryan powered down the line, cut inside and lofted his ball to the back post. Scoring his first goal, Sean Tse powered his header into the top corner, why Tse was lurking in the six yard box, only he knows. Bootle tried to find an equaliser, but Celtic kept their shape and resolve to keep them at bay and take the three points.