Scottish champions Celtic returned to the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership table after thumping Ross County 6-0 on Saturday.
Rangers had the chance to regain top spot on Sunday but failed to do so after drawing with Hearts at Tynecastle.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from the weekend’s action.
1. Celtic remind Rangers who are the champions
Neil Lennon’s side had taken only one point from six prior to the visit of Ross County and went into the game two points behind their Old Firm rivals at the top of the table. There was some pressure on the Hoops not to falter further. However, the home side made sure that was never a prospect with a 6-0 thrashing of the Staggies, which left Lennon claiming it was the “most complete” performance of his second tenure as Parkhead boss.
2. Slow start stalls Rangers’ momentum
Rangers’ bid to return to the top of the table got off to the worst possible start as Hearts flew out of the blocks in their lunchtime kick-off. The Light Blues were lucky not to be 2-0 down before they had even settled into the game as the hosts hit the bar and scored in a frenetic opening six minutes. Rangers earned a point courtesy of Alfredo Morelos’ equaliser but boss Steven Gerrard rued his side’s start and admitted they did not perform well enough to win the game. They are now level on 22 points with leaders Celtic.
3. Aberdeen have the versatility to cope with selection crises
With four central midfielders unavailable, Derek McInnes started with two natural defenders in front of his back four at Fir Park. Both made key contributions going forward as well as frustrating Motherwell. Greg Leigh, normally a left-back, set up the opener for Sam Cosgrove and Zak Vyner thumped home the third goal from long range as Aberdeen won 3-0.
4. Kilmarnock have clicked and Alessio reckons there is more to come
Killie backed up their victory at Hearts before the international break with a 2-1 win over Livingston on Saturday. Their three-match unbeaten run has lifted them up to fifth in the table but boss Angelo Alessio believes his side have more to give and can improve further. If that proves to be the case, a repeat of last season’s strong league finish could well be on the cards.
5. St Johnstone’s winless run goes on
St Johnstone remain rooted to the foot of the table following Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at St Mirren. They are three points adrift of Edinburgh clubs Hibernian and Hearts after failing to win any of their nine league matches so far. Boss Tommy Wright believes decisive defending and ruthlessness in front of goal are required as the Perth side look to turn things around.
