Celtic surged ahead of their rivals, Rangers, to secure the second position in the Premiership with a slim 1-0 victory over St Mirren. Meanwhile, Hearts maintained their lead at the top of the table, overcoming Motherwell 3-1 thanks to two late goals.
The decisive goal at Celtic Park came from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the first half. Earlier, he had a goal disallowed for offside, but he found the net after 15 minutes. Celtic controlled the first half with relative ease, although they struggled to create many clear opportunities, while St Mirren posed a threat during counterattacks.
The goal for Celtic was set up when Benjamin Nygren assisted McGregor, whose initial shot was blocked by Alex Gogic. Kieran Tierney then located Oxlade-Chamberlain, who struck powerfully into the bottom corner.
In the second half, St Mirren came out more aggressively in terms of possession but failed to create significant scoring chances.
This match marked the first encounter between these teams since St Mirren’s surprising 3-1 victory over Celtic in December, which secured them the Premier Sports Cup, but a repeat performance was not on the cards this time.
The Green Brigade returned to Celtic Park for the first time since November and were vocally supportive, serving as a warm-up for the upcoming Scottish Cup semi-final.
At Tynecastle, after a scoreless first half, Emmanuel Longelo gave Motherwell the lead, but Hearts quickly responded with an equalizer from Cláudio Braga’s overhead kick. As the match seemed destined for a draw, Stephen Welsh was penalized for a foul on Landry Kaboré, allowing Lawrence Shankland to convert the penalty calmly. Kaboré later added a third goal in stoppage time, ensuring Hearts remained at the summit of the league.
Stephen Robinson finally ended his winless streak after moving from St Mirren to Aberdeen, guiding his new team to a 2-0 victory over Hibernian at Pittodrie, thanks to goals from Kevin Nisbet in each half.
Dundee United achieved a thrilling 3-2 win against Livingston at Tannadice, with Zac Sapsford scoring a late penalty to secure all three points. United initially took the lead through Will Ferry in the first half, but Livingston responded with a quick double from Lewis Smith after the break. However, United equalized with a goal from substitute Krisztian Keresztes, and Sapsford converted from the spot deep into injury time.
Kilmarnock earned a crucial point in their relegation battle, drawing 2-2 with Dundee. Kelle Roos made a vital save from a last-minute penalty taken by Joe Westley. The dramatic finish saw Jamie Brandon concede a penalty for a foul on Scott Wright, with VAR reviewing the decision for offside. After a lengthy wait, referee Ross Hardie confirmed the penalty, but Roos guessed right to deny Westley.
Kilmarnock had taken the lead early on with a goal from Joe Hugill, but Dundee equalized against the run of play through Simon Murray. Kilmarnock regained the advantage before halftime with Michael Schjønning-Larsen’s goal, only for Wright to level the match again in the 81st minute, setting the stage for the thrilling conclusion.
