“
There were some impressive wins and comebacks in the Scottish Premiership over the weekend, what did we learn from the latest round of matches?
Confidence in Celtic‘s return to the top
There was no Callum McGregor for Celtic but their captain’s absence didn’t hurt them as their persistent passing play eventually wore down Motherwell to see them finish the weekend back on top of the Premiership.
After Lennon Miller threatened early for the hosts, the Hoops looked to be back to their best with a full team performance.
Luke McCowan showed he deserved his first start and also scored the opening goal, while Alex Valle and Alistair Johnston impressed in defence.
Stuart Kettlewell demanded an improvement from the Steelmen but, after an encouraging start, they faded and struggled to cope with Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Rangers claim unconvincing win against St Mirren
The pressure was on Rangers to deliver a performance to avoid falling further behind in the title race, but they were booed at half-time after an unconvincing start against St Mirren.
Captain James Tavernier was dropped and was only introduced alongside Cyriel Dessers after the break as Philippe Clement looked to dispose of the Buddies.
It was Vaclav Cerny who came to the rescue as they won 2-1, but they face an even tougher test on Wednesday night against unbeaten Aberdeen, live on Sky Sports.
Although there were no points for Stephen Robinson’s side, the manager will be encouraged by the much improved performance compared to their defeat to Hearts.
Can Aberdeen be stopped?
After their impressive comeback at Celtic Park, Aberdeen produced another late goal to keep the pressure on at the top of the Premiership.
It’s 18 games since their last defeat and their refusal to give up is impressive as they still trail Celtic only on goal difference.
Jimmy Thelin’s half-time changes made an impact with Peter Ambrose scoring only his second goal for the club.
Dundee United have quickly found their rhythm on their return to the Premiership with that being their first defeat away from Tannadice this season.
Pressure on Hibernian as Hearts snatch a late equalizer
Once again Hibs let points slip away from a winning position as the pressure on manager David Gray shows no signs of easing.
There was joy with Mykola Kuharevich scoring the opening goal, but there were also nerves with the fans knowing how many times they have conceded goals late this season.
And their defensive problems were exposed again when Hearts scored late with one of only two shots on target.
It’s another point for Neil Critchley at Hearts, but he will be looking for Lawrence Shankland to regain his form from last season after again missing opportunities he would have scored.
Is St Johnstone on the rise under Valakari?
St Johnstone made it two consecutive wins under new coach Simo Valakari as they moved into the top six.
They gifted Dundee the opening goal at Dens Park but showed their attacking threat in the second half to secure another victory as they bid to avoid another season in a relegation fight.
Dundee impressed at Motherwell last week but were unable to build on that performance and struggled to shine at home.
Tony Docherty’s side have not won two games in a row this season as they struggle to show the form that saw them finish top last season.
Ross County claim valuable victory
Kilmarnock shocked Rangers with a win last time out but were undone in the Highlands as Ross County secured a crucial victory in their bid to avoid a third play-off season.
It was only a narrow victory, but their home form saved them from automatic relegation last season, with Don Cowie determined to keep Dingwall a tough place to play.
Kilmarnock picked up their fifth red card of the season with Liam Donnelly’s unnecessary red card when they were 1-0 up, being the catalyst for their fall.
