5 things we learned in the cinch Premiership this weekend
It was a hugely significant weekend in the cinch Premiership.
Celtic won the big one against Rangers but there were also vital results in the race for Europe, top six and the battle against the drop.
Here are five things we learned from the weekend’s action.
Celtic have one hand on the title
Rangers needed to win at Celtic Park on Saturday to retain any realistic hope of getting the title back but a 3-2 defeat left them 12 points and 29 goals worse off than their rivals. The leaders have only dropped five points all season and only really need three wins from their final seven matches to retain their crown.
Rangers want answers over match officials
The Ibrox club will write to the Scottish Football Association asking for an explanation as to why an early goal from Alfredo Morelos was not allowed to stand. Morelos nudged Alistair Johnston before finishing and referee Kevin Clancy blew for a foul but footage showed the pair had both been grabbing hold of one another with the Rangers striker’s jersey being pulled. Video assistant referee Nick Walsh saw no clear and obvious error from Clancy. Gers manager Michael Beale also claimed the ball came off the arm of Jota before Kyogo Furuhashi scored Celtic’s second goal.
A fifth consecutive defeat cost Robbie Neilson his job as Hearts manager. The 2-0 home loss against St Mirren saw Aberdeen move above Hearts into third and the Tynecastle board acted after seeing interim boss Barry Robson rejuvenate the Dons in the race for third place and the lucrative access to European group stage football it brings. Hearts could now appoint their own caretaker manager ahead of next Saturday’s Edinburgh derby against opponents who are also toiling. Lee Johnson’s Hibernian fell to a fourth defeat on the trot on Sunday when they lost 2-1 against bottom club Dundee United to leave them only one point ahead of Livingston in sixth place.
Saints marching into the top six
Just over a week ago, St Mirren were seventh in the table and facing a tough run of pre-split fixtures. Impressive back-to-back wins over Livingston and Hearts have left them sitting pretty in fifth, five points ahead of the Lions and within three points of third-placed Aberdeen. Barring an unlikely sequence of results over the next two weekends, the Buddies will be in the top six for the first time since the split was introduced more than two decades ago. Considering their form, and the struggles of others, they are also entitled to fancy their chances of a return to Europe following a 34-year absence.
New life breathed into relegation battle
Ross County’s win over St Johnstone on Saturday threatened to cast Dundee United adrift but Jamie McGrath’s last-minute penalty at Tannadice saw them clinch their first league win since January 2 and restore their deficit to two points again. Kilmarnock’s defeat at Aberdeen leaves them in a vulnerable position just three points off the bottom while St Johnstone’s run of five matches without victory means they are only five points above the danger zone. Motherwell continued to edge away from trouble thanks to a 3-0 win over Livi.