They moved in front on 31 minutes when Raymond Campbell sent in a 30-yard free-kick for David Larmour to nod home.

And Larmour made it 2-0 three minutes from the break with a clinical header from a Stephen McBride cross in an almost identical move.

Celtic squandered a glorious opportunity to halve the deficit early in the second half when Paul McVeigh failed to convert a spot-kick awarded for a Jeff Spiers foul on Marty Lavery while, not long after, Lavery himself came close with a rattling shot against the bar.

But the Crues appeared to put the issue beyond doubt on 66 minutes when David Rainey fired home from 12 yards after McBride crossed from the left.

However the Hoops pulled one back 15 minutes from time through Paul McDonald with a 20-yard drive from a Lavery pass.