BOLTON - Sir Alex Ferguson was sent to the stands as title-chasing Manchester United crashed to their first defeat since August.
Ferguson was dismissed by referee Mark Clattenburg for a half-time tunnel rant at a succession of minor decisions that had gone against his team.
And the United manager's mood could not have been improved by the sight of his side losing at Bolton for the first time since December 1978, nor the fact the matchwinner, Nicolas Anelka, was a man he has tried to buy himself on several occasions.
Not that Gary Megson will be too bothered about that as his first win as Trotters boss swept his new charges out of the relegation zone for virtually the first time this season.
Having survived the entire Sam Allardyce era without losing at Bolton, Ferguson felt sufficiently confident about registering another success against a side battling to get out of relegation trouble that he gave Cristiano Ronaldo the weekend off.
As the only member of his squad to play two Euro 2008 qualifiers over the past week, Ferguson had hinted he may rest his star winger, although with Wayne Rooney currently injured, it definitely represented a gamble from the United manager.
Ronaldo was missed alright in a disjoined opening period. But the real problem for the Red Devils was the absence of Nemanja Vidic with a back injury.
With Vidic missing, Ferguson turned to Gerard Pique as Rio Ferdinand's central defensive partner, leaving Wes Brown in the right-back role he has been filling for much of the season.
Pique appeared quite hesitant but that still did not excuse the Spain under-21 international his crass mistake in flying out to head away a free-kick Ivan Campo floated into the United box.
In leaving Anelka on his own, Pique had to win the header. Instead, he made no contact at all and the Frenchman had enough time to control, turn and fire his seventh goal of the campaign past Edwin van der Sar before Ferdinand could close in.
It was a blunder United could well have done without given their lack of cohesion further up the field.
Carlos Tevez beavered away without much success, as did Louis Saha, while wide pair Ryan Giggs and Nani were virtually anonymous.
Indeed, the Red Devils only decent opportunity fell to Owen Hargreaves, who screwed tamely wide.
In contrast, Bolton were full of energy, the exuberance of Danny Guthrie providing the perfect midfield foil for Campo's old head.
A blood-and-thunder duel was too stop-start for United to gain any momentum and the only real spectacle, other than Anelka's goal, was the running battle between Kevin Davies and Patrice Evra.
Davies was booked for a very late tackle on the Frenchman by the touchline and was then given a final warning by Clattenburg after a clash of heads the official did not believe was entirely accidental.
For his part, Evra was exceedingly fortunate to escape a caution when he clattered the Bolton man in front of the dug-out, although by now, Ferguson's patience had snapped following a succession of decisions that had gone against his team.
The Scot was waiting for Clattenburg as the players left the field and embarked on a finger-jabbing tirade which resulted only in his banishment to the stands.
Condemned to sit with Red Devils legal expert Maurice Watkins and communicate by mobile phone with coach Mike Phelan, Ferguson's frustrations only grew as United's toils continued.
Moved to right-back following the introduction of Anderson for Pique, Hargreaves forced Jussi Jaaskelainen into a fine fingertip save with a 20-yard free-kick.
When United last lost in the Premier League, at Manchester City on August 19, Tevez missed a gilt-edged chance to level when he turned a point-blank header wide.
This time, from hardly any further out, Tevez somehow turned his shot wide when Evra drilled a low cross into the six-yard box.
United continued to push forward but with hardly a defender left on the pitch by the end, they looked equally likely to get caught on the counter-attack as they did to find a leveller.
And when Hargreaves clipped the roof of the net with an injury-time free-kick, Bolton were able to celebrate a memorable and long-awaited triumph.
