Scottish football in brief: Celtic hand title initiative to Rangers, Aberdeen-Hibs drama, Falkirk’s big win.
All you need to know from a busy day of SPFL action on Saturday.
Rangers now lead the Premiership title race after Celtic conceded a 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock at home. Rangers’ lead was given by Kyogo Furuhashi in the first half, but David Watson’s equalizer two minutes into stoppage time means that if Rangers defeat St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park tomorrow, they will take the lead by two points and reach the summit for the first time since August 2022.
After his team had already suffered two losses to Killie this season, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers stated: “At this point, it is more about mindset than skill or ability. It’s about playing with that desire and poise, about not letting that man pass you by. We witnessed that in the second half; despite not being under a lot of pressure, we continued to put ourselves through hardships.
At Tynecastle, Hearts strengthened their hold on third place with a 2-0 victory over Motherwell, thanks to goals from Lawrence Shankland and Kenneth Vargas in the second half. Since December, the Jambos have enjoyed a successful run of 11 straight victories, and Naismith is adamant that throughout that time, there has been a noticeable improvement both on and off the field. “There has definitely been a shift in mentality,” he stated. Every game we play, we want to win. We are aware that there are instances, like this one, when we must exercise caution and others when we must exercise patience.
After St. Mirren missed a late penalty through Mikael Mandron, Tete Yengi’s goal in first-half stoppage time gave Livingston a 1-0 lead and a lifeline at the foot of the table. After losing 2-0 at Dundee due to two goals from Scott Tiffoney, the Lions are currently just three points behind second-bottom Ross County.
Neil Warnock is still seeking for his first league win as Aberdeen manager, following a 2-2 draw at home to Hibs. The visitors, aiming for their first league win since December 9, took an early lead when Martin Boyle scored in the 13th minute, only for Nicky Devlin to level shortly after. Jamie McGrath then scored from Duk’s cross early in the second half to put the hosts ahead for the first time, but Emiliano Marcondes equalised.Both managers were upset with the refereeing decisions.
Drama in the Championship
In the Championship, Anton Dowds scored three goals as Ayr triumphed 3-2 against Airdrie, propelling them into the top half of the league. Dunfermline wasted an opportunity to move out of the bottom two when they were held to a draw at home by struggling Arbroath. Partick Thistle rallied from behind twice to draw 3-3 with Inverness at Caledonian Stadium, while Calum Ferrie saved Queen’s Park with a succession of superb saves in a goalless draw against Morton. Raith drew level with Dundee United on Friday night, thanks to a goal from Scott Brown.
Falkirk’s big League One win
Falkirk now leads League One by 11 points after defeating Hamilton 3-2. The race for the top two appeared to be over as Falkirk scored three times in 12 first-half minutes through Callumn Morrison, Ross MacIver, and Calvin Miller, but Ahkeem Rose’s double either side of half-time kept Hamilton in contention. Alloa remained in third position with a 4-1 win over Cove Rangers, Montrose advanced to the play-offs with a 4-2 win over Kelty Hearts, Annan won 2-1 over Stirling, and bottom club Edinburgh City drew 1-1 with Queen of the South with to Ruairidh Adams’ stoppage-time goal.
Warriors stay 16 points clear
Stenhousemuir leads League Two by 16 points despite being beaten to a 2-2 draw at Elgin. Second-placed Peterhead rallied from three goals behind to draw 3-3 in Forfar. Ayrton Sonkur scored twice in stoppage time as the Spartans denied struggling Stranraer a much-needed win with a 2-1 victory, while Brian Easton and Alan Trouten (penalty) scored inside three minutes to help East Fife win 2-0 at ten-man Bonnyrigg Rose.
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