Scottish Premiership: Celtic return top, Rangers unconvincing, Aberdeen late show & derby drama

There were some impressive wins and comebacks in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend – so what did we learn from the latest round of games?

Confident Celtic return to summit

There was no Callum McGregor for Celtic, but the loss of their captain did not hamper them as their persistent passing eventually wore Motherwell down to see them end the weekend back at the top of the Premiership.

After Lennon Miller threatened early for the hosts, the Hoops looked back to their best with a full team performance.

Luke McCowan showed he deserved his first start and also netted the opener, 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 dropping further behind in the title race, but they were booed off at half-time after an unconvincing start against St Mirren.

Captain James Tavernier was dropped and only introduced along with Cyriel Dessers after the break as Philippe Clement looked to see off the Buddies.

It was Vaclav Cerny 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.

While there were no points for Stephen Robinson’s side, the manager will be encouraged by the much-improved performance from their defeat at Hearts.

Can Aberdeen be stopped?

After their impressive fightback at Celtic Park, Aberdeen produced another late goal to keep up the pressure at the top of the Premiership.

It’s 18 games since their last defeat and their refusal to give up which is impressive as they remain behind Celtic on goal difference only.

Jimmy Thelin’s half-time changes made an impact with Peter Ambrose scoring only his second goal for the club.

Dundee United have found their feet quickly on their Premiership return with that only their first defeat away from Tannadice this season.

Pressure at Hibs as Hearts snatch late draw

Once again Hibs dropped points from a winning position as the pressure on head coach David Gray shows no sign of easing.

There was joy with Mykola Kuharevich firing in the opener, but there were also nerves with the fans knowing how often they have conceded late on this season.

And their defensive issues were exposed again as Hearts scored late on with one of only two shots on target.

It is another point for Neil Critchley at Hearts but he will be looking for Lawrence Shankland to rediscover his form of last season after he once again passed up chances he would have scored.

Are St Johnstone on the up under Valakari?

St Johnstone made it two straight wins under new boss Simo Valakari as they lifted themselves into the top six.

They gifted Dundee the opener at Dens Park but they showed their attacking threat in the second half to secure another win in their bid to avoid another season in a relegation battle.

Dundee impressed at Motherwell a week ago but they failed to build on that performance and struggled to shine at home.

Tony Docherty’s side have not won back-to-back games this season as they struggle to show the form that saw them finish in the top half last season.

Ross County claim valuable victory

Kilmarnock shocked Rangers with a win last time out but they came undone in the Highlands as Ross County secured what could be a crucial win in their fight to avoid a third season in the play-offs.

It was only a narrow win but their home form saved them from automatic relegation last season with Don Cowie determined to keep Dingwall as a difficult place to play.

Killie picked up their fifth red card of the season with Liam Donnelly’s needless red when they were 1-0 up the catalyst to their downfall.

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