Scottish Premier League: Motherwell...0 Celtic...4. Celtic moved effortlessly to the top of the Premier League after a bitter confrontation with relegation-threatened Motherwell last night.

Indiscipline has cost Motherwell dear through a troubled season and their 11th red card, together with a raft of bookings, plunged them into further trials and tribulations.

It was always going to be difficult for them against a Parkhead side intent on retaining their title and the dismissal of Derek Adams for elbowing Alan Thompson off the ball around the half-hour was as costly as it was needless.

Earlier Terry Butcher's team had lost David Cowan to a broken ankle. Meanwhile everything in the Celtic garden is rosy as the championship pressure is piled back on Rangers.

As befitted a match with so much at stake it was all fairly frantic from the first whistle. In the opening 20 minutes Celtic created two outstanding chances. First Henrik Larsson, of all people, stretched out a leg to connect with a Thompson corner only to see the ball slip wide from a yard out.

Then Didier Agathe crossed, Larsson knocked the ball back and another outstretched leg, this time belonging to the goalkeeper Stevie Woods, deflected the ball past a post.

A minute later and Tony Vaughan was lucky not to be red-carded when he pulled Larsson back. Referee Dougie McDonald awarded a free-kick and Maloney's right-foot shot was comfortably saved by Woods.

If this put Motherwell on the rack, their game plan was disrupted more by an injury to Cowan in a challenge with Paul Lambert after 16 minutes. The young midfield man required considerable treatment before being carried off and replaced by Willie Kinniburgh.

It was an innocuous and perfectly fair challenge but the game deteriorated after it and Dougie McDonald, who sent off two players and booked a further 10 in the weekend fixture between Kilmarnock and Hearts, was soon in action once more.

After half-an-hour he booked Neil Lennon for a foul on James McFadden and the Motherwell player was perhaps fortunate to escape censure for retaliation. But 60 seconds later the referee's attention was drawn by his assistant to an off-the-ball incident involving Adams and Thompson that left the Celtic player in a heap and Motherwell's midfielder was sent off after the two officials consulted.

It was non-stop action of one sort or another - some of it unsavoury - and Javier Sanchez Broto had to produce an outstanding save to deny Martyn Corrigan before Celtic went ahead after 35 minutes.

It was a goal that could and should have been avoided from Motherwell's point of view as Larsson fed Stilian Petrov on the right and the Bulgarian's shot somehow slithered past Woods.

There was little respite until the interval, with Corrigan booked for a bad tackle on Lambert, then Woods saving well from Petrov's drive.

The half-time break did little to calm Motherwell tempers and just after the restart Tony Vaughan was booked for a foul on Shaun Maloney, who then went close with a decent effort as the visitors attempted to make their extra man tell and add to a goal tally that may be crucial in the title battle.

The second duly arrived after 55 minutes when Larsson brilliantly released Petrov to run in on Woods and beat the goalkeeper with ease.

Celtic could sense that more goals were available and they squared the goal-difference at the top of the table in stunning style.

Lambert and Maloney exchanged passes for the Scotland international to fire past the rooted Woods from close range.

The midfielder was not finished there and he produced arguably one of the goals of his European Cup-winning career in the 65th minute to score Celtic's fourth.

Again he played a one-two with Maloney, but this time he controlled the ball and lobbed the ball over the stranded Woods and into the corner of an empty net.

Motherwell again lost their cool with David Partridge and McFadden joining the growing list of cautions.

Larsson could have rounded the result off in style with four minutes left, but he fired over from eight yards after substitute Jamie Smith had done well down the right.

Broto enhanced his growing reputation in the final minutes when he saved from Richard Offiong to make sure Celtic were top of the table.

For Motherwell it was simply going from bad to worse as more names went into the referee's book.

Guardian Service

MOTHERWELL: Woods, Corrigan, Partridge, Vaughan, Hammell, Cowan (Kinniburgh 19), Adams, Leitch, Pearson, McFadden (Offiong 70), Clarkson (Lehmann 76). Subs Not Used: Lasley, Dubourdeau. Sent Off: Adams (31). Booked: Corrigan, Vaughan, McFadden, Partridge.

CELTIC: Broto, McNamara, Balde, Laursen, Agathe (Sylla 83), Lennon, Lambert, Petrov, Thompson (Crainey 90), Maloney (Smith 80), Larsson. Subs Not Used: Marshall, Varga.Booked: Lennon. Goals: Petrov 36, 56, Lambert 61, 65.

Referee: D McDonald (Scotland).