MX23RW : Wednesday, December 18 18:07:48| >> :120:56682:56682:

Five things we learned from the Scottish Premiership weekend

Five things we learned from the Scottish Premiership weekend
© Reuters
Rangers closed the gap to their Old Firm rivals.

Rangers moved one point behind Ladbrokes Premiership leaders Celtic after thrashing Aberdeen 5-0.

The champions had earlier been held to a 1-1 draw by Hibernian at Easter Road.

Here, the PA news agency looks at five other things we learned from the weekend's action.

Celtic are not infallible

Neil Lennon's side were enjoying their best start to a season for nine years but could not extend their winning sequence to seven matches. Lennon was fairly relaxed about his side's performance after they bounced back from an unfortunate own goal from Kristoffer Ajer to level through Ryan Christie before being frustrated by his former side and referee Kevin Clancy, who rejected two strong penalty claims from the visitors.

Ross Laidlaw has redeemed himself

The Ross County goalkeeper let in a howler against St Mirren two weeks ago as Tony Andreu's weak free-kick squirmed through his body to level the scores. But County went on to win 2-1 and Laidlaw earned his team a point against Kilmarnock on Saturday by saving Osman Sow's penalty at Rugby Park.

Goals are in short supply at Kilmarnock

Laidlaw's penalty save ensured a second goalless draw at Rugby Park in three days and a third in four matches there. Killie have kept six clean sheets in their last seven games but have only scored five goals in their seven league matches.

Greg Stewart has forced his way into Steven Gerrard's thoughts

Greg Stewart scored for Rangers
Greg Stewart, right, scored for Rangers (Robert Perry/PA)

The former Dundee forward had to wait a while for his first league start but he justified his selection in style. The creative forward scored once, won a penalty, hit the post, set up a series of chances and came close on a number of other occasions in a performance brimming with creativity and confidence.

Hearts' luck has not turned

Craig Levein eased some of the pressure on him by leading Hearts to a derby win and Betfred Cup success against Aberdeen but there was more bad luck around the corner. Levein lost defender Craig Halkett to a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for several months early in his team's goalless draw against St Mirren. The centre-back joins Steven Naismith, Craig Wighton, Peter Haring, Jamie Walker, Ben Garuccio, John Souttar and Conor Washington on the sidelines.

ID:373315: cacheID:373315:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7458:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Paul Heckingbottom pictured in charge of Hibernian in April 2019
Read Next:
Hibs boss Paul Heckingbottom hits out at "shambles" in Celtic draw
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1514104444043
2Aberdeen16104230181234
3RangersRangers1510232791832
4Motherwell168172226-425
5Dundee UnitedDundee Utd166642519624
6St Mirren176382228-621
7Dundee165472729-219
8Kilmarnock174581834-1617
9Hibernian173682129-815
10Ross County173681333-2015
11St Johnstone1742112032-1214
12Hearts1734101826-813


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!