Celtic 2 Motherwell 1:Maciej Zurawski struck in each half as Celtic edged past a spirited Motherwell side tom maintain their dominance in the Bank of Scotland Premier League.
The Poland international twice ran on to Shunsuke Nakamura passes to score, although his first was helped in by Stephen Craigan as he and Mark Reynolds both tried to clear.
Motherwell had their fair share of possession and Motherwell's Scott McDonald tapped in after 77 minutes to set up a nervous finish but Celtic held on and now have 28 points from 11 games.
Rivals Hearts' title hopes suffered a massive blow as Kilmarnock claimed a stunning 2-0 win at Tynecastle.
Valdas Ivanauskas' side dominated the early exchanges but it was the visitors who took the lead through Danny Invincibile in the 28th minute following good work from Steven Naismith.
Former Hearts manager Jim Jefferies saw his side double their advantage seven minutes later when Gary Wales' shot was deflected off Christophe Berra and past Craig Gordon.
The defeat leaves the Edinburgh club eight points behind Celtic at the top of the league and facing a difficult task to reel in the reigning champions, whom they face in a fortnight's time.
Elsewhere Inverness Caledonian Thistle beat Falkirk 3-2, while Aberdeen ran out 3-1 winners over Dundee United.
