AS poor as their performance against Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday afternoon was and as painful as the 4-0 defeat was for them to take, there is no reason for anyone at Celtic to hold an inquest.
It may be considered unacceptable for the Parkhead club to lose any game domestically either home or away, not to Aberdeen, not to Hibs and especially not to Rangers, to their supporters at any time.
But after going 69 games, 19 months, 585 days, call it what you will, without being overcome in the Betfred Cup, Ladbrokes Premiership or William Hill Scottish Cup they can surely be cut some slack on this occasion.
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Their record-breaking run is a magnificent achievement of which they should be rightly proud. It will not be bettered any time soon in this country or any other. If, that is, it is ever topped.
Brendan Rodgers gathered his players around him in an impromptu huddle on the Tynecastle pitch after Willie Collum had blown the final whistle on Sunday to praise them for their astonishing streak of form not to berate them for allowing their high standards to slip. He was right to do so.
If anything, this is a time for Celtic to reflect on what they have accomplished since the 7-0 triumph over Motherwell which Rodgers’s predecessor Ronny Deila oversaw way back on Sunday, May 15, 2016, rather than castigate those culpable for the weekend reverse.
There will undoubtedly be a reaction to the result in Gorgie when the Scottish champions take to the field at Celtic Park in the Premiership match against bottom-placed opponents Partick Thistle tomorrow evening.
What was already a difficult league fixture for the Firhill club has now become an almost impossible one for Alan Archibald’s men to take something from. They will be doing well to keep the scoreline respectable.
With games against Aberdeen, who are now just two points behind them in the Premiership table having played a game more, at home on Saturday, Dundee away a week today and then Rangers at home four days after that there are ample opportunities for Celtic to atone for their slip-up coming up.
It would be little surprise if they won all of their games before the winter break as they attempt to heal their wounded pride.
With a double header against Zenit St. Petersburg of Russia in the last 32 of the Europa League to look forward as well as the Premiership title and Scottish Cup trophy to be retained there is plenty to keep Celtic motivated in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign despite the end of their run.
The Hearts defeat is likely to be an aberration rather than a precursor of what is to come. They will win their seventh consecutive title comfortably and it will be a major surprise if they are unable to complete their second treble in as many seasons.
That is not, though, to say there are not issues which require to be addressed by Rodgers in the coming days and weeks and stark improvements shown by many of his players. Defensively, in particular, Celtic can do far better than they have been.
It may seem harsh to criticise a team which has only let in 17 goals in 22 domestic fixtures and only conceded two goals as they retained the Betfred Cup with the minimum of bother.
But in Europe the back four has looked unconvincing – something which Hearts manager Craig Levein spotted and capitalised on in the capital on Sunday.
The defence and the team as a whole must sharpen up or reinforcements must be brought in who can. The Hearts result had been coming. Celtic have been fortunate to draw with both Motherwell and Hibs away in recent weeks.
Going forward, too, Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair, have failed to hit the heights of last season and must do more.