Table of Content
Rangers secured a 2-0 victory away at St Mirren to move within a single point of league leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premiership. Derek McInnes’s team bounced back from recent away draws against Dundee and Hearts to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to 12 matches.
Rangers Claim Solid Victory in Paisley
In-form forward Ryan Naderi opened the scoring from the penalty spot 18 minutes into the match. Returning captain Dan Neil then sealed the win shortly after the hour mark with a deflected shot.
The result puts Rangers just one point behind Celtic, having played the same number of matches. Celtic retained the opportunity to extend their advantage back to four points with a home fixture against Kilmarnock before the international break.
Aberdeen Suffer Heavy Home Defeat
Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson stated he will face his team’s struggles head-on after a 4-0 home defeat against Hibernian at Pittodrie sent them tumbling down the table. Hibernian capitalized on a dominant second-half display to leapfrog their opponents into 10th place on goal difference.
Aberdeen started strongly when Jack Milne forced a save from Raphael Sallinger and hit the crossbar, before Jamie McGrath opened the scoring with a 25-yard shot for the visitors. Callum Wright doubled the lead shortly after, triggering protests from the home fans, with further goals from Thibault Klidjé and Nicky Cadden rounding off the victory.
Robinson described the outcome as an unacceptable performance and result, noting that his team failed to take their chances while Hibernian converted four of their five or six opportunities. He added that he will continue fighting in a difficult situation for himself, the players, and the club, emphasizing the need for players willing to battle out of their current position.
Controversy at Tannadice and St Johnstone Victory
Elsewhere, Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin strongly criticized the awarding of a penalty that cost his side victory in a 1-1 draw against Motherwell at Tannadice. Referee Ryan Lee initially signaled for an offside free-kick before VAR official Andrew Dallas advised him to review a challenge by home captain Dylan Tait on Tawanda Maswanhise, leading to a penalty converted by Motherwell captain Lukas Fadinger.
Jesse Randall later secured a point for the hosts with an equalizer, but Goodwin maintained his team deserved all three points, questioning what Tait could have done differently. Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson defended the decision, stating that the player got down from a tackle and it was a valid penalty.
In another fixture, Simo Valakari celebrated a 2-1 win for St Johnstone over Dundee to end recent struggles against their Tayside rivals. Josh Campbell opened the scoring with a header after five minutes, and although substitute Joe Westley equalized early in the second half following a defensive mix-up, Kai Fotheringham scored the decisive deflected winner on his first Premiership start for St Johnstone in the 72nd minute.
