Celtic slip up at home
Celtic 0 Dunfermline 1
Celtic’s title hopes suffered a shock setback after defeat at home by Bank of Scotland Premier League bottom club Dunfermline.
The Pars had been hoping to break a seven-game losing streak, which had left them at the foot of the SPL table, at Celtic Park.
But East End Park defender Greg Ross earned the freedom of Fife with the only goal of the game in the 17th minute at Parkhead to lift Jim Leishman’s team above Livingston.
Celtic boss Gordon Strachan badly missed the spark of absentees Shunsuke Nakamura and Shaun Maloney, despite the return of Chris Sutton and Alan Thompson.
The Hoops never got into their stride after Manchester United legend George Best was remembered with a tumultuous minute of applause.
The entertainment was sadly lacking early on with the unambitious visitors more than happy to sit back without committing a striker forward.
The first moment of any significance came in the 13th minute when Yannick Zambernardi hurt himself stretching for the ball, which forced Leishman to make an early change with Iain Campbell coming on in his place.
But Dunfermline had the audacity to snatch the lead in the 17th minute after the Celtic defence fell asleep.
Campbell fired a free-kick into the far side of the area and Andy Tod rose above Mo Camara to head back across goal.
Ross reacted quicker than those around him to force the ball past Artur Boruc from just six yards out.
Now the Pars were growing in confidence and started committing more men forward, which almost saw them double their advantage in the 25th minute.
Noel Hunt had the disjointed Celtic defence in all sorts of problems with his cross into the box.
But Boruc saved from Ross with a brilliant point-blank save before Paul Telfer deflected Derek Young’s follow-up wide of the upright.
The home side looked desperately short of ideas and had failed to produce a single shot on goal in a frustrating first half for the fans.
Aiden McGeady finally came into the game in the 51st minute with a turn inside and powerful left-foot shot from the edge of the area which Allan McGregor saved at the second attempt.
The Dunfermline goalkeeper warmed his hands again in the 57th minute when Sutton got on the end of Thompson’s floated ball into the area but his header was easily saved.
The Englishman summed up the frustration of the Hoops moments later when he clattered Aaron Labonte close to the touchline.
Strachan needed to inject some life into his side and brought on Maciej Zurawski for Thompson in the 62nd minute.
But the heavily-staffed Dunfermline back-line was holding firm and were happy to watch Paul Telfer’s hopeful 35-yard strike fly past the post.
The disappointment continued for the home side as Telfer got above the Dunfermline defence only to head McGeady’s corner wide and over.
Sutton added to the frustration when he blasted the ball over the top in the 74th minute.
Strachan made another change in the 71st minute, bringing on Stephen Pearson for Camara in a desperate bit do make Dunfermline crack under the pressure.
Stephen McManus looked to have won a penalty when he went down under the challenge of Scott Wilson, but referee Craig Mackay was uninterested.
Celtic were getting closer and John Hartson dived to head over Telfer’s cross before Sutton saw his effort, from McGeady’s cross, clip the outside of the post.
Boruc went up for two late Celtic corners but Dunfermline hung on for an unexpected triumph.
