The Title Race Blows Wide Open!: Sunday's Scottish Premiership Review
Blogs

The Title Race Blows Wide Open!: Sunday's Scottish Premiership Review

Scottish Premiership - Sunday's Round 32 Review

11 goals in only three games played on Saturday which gave the perfect build-up to a big Super Sunday in the Scottish Premiership.

An in-form Kilmarnock welcomed third place Celtic, Motherwell were looking to keep their excellent form going against managerless Aberdeen and the top two, Hearts and Rangers, faced off on what was built up to be the biggest game so far in the Premiership season!

Rangers 4-2 Hearts

Steinwender OG (19'), Chermiti (39', 57', 90'); Leonard (16'), Braga (30')

Second place Rangers host Premiership leaders Hearts with the gap at the top of the table at five points. Rangers had won their last nine home matches, in all competitions, whereas Hearts were looking for a third league win over Rangers in the same season since 1985/86.

Rangers had most of the ball in the opening stages but neither team was unable to find any real rhythm in a game that Ibrox packed full. The Jambos had to be forced into an early change; Oisin McEntee landed on his shoulder and had to be replaced immediately by Michael Steinwender.

It was a defensive mistake that led to the opening goal; a mix-up with Emmanuel Fernandez and Nico Raskin which ended up in the Belgian gifting the ball straight to Marc Leonard, the on-loan Birmingham midfielder combined well with Claudio Braga and the Hearts forward fed the ball back to Leonard who fired past Jack Butland and into the corner.

However the lead would not last long; Tuur Rommens crossed into the back post where Youssef Chermiti was denied by Alexander Schwolow, with the Hearts goalkeeper quickly denying Mikey Moore's follow up, but the ball eventually went into the back of the net from Steinwender's attempted clearance.

Rangers put Hearts under some sustained pressure but it would be the Jambos who would take the lead, for the second time in the first-half. Steinwender was looking to make-up for his mistake which gifted Rangers the equaliser and sent in an excellent cross to Braga who headed home, despite being under pressure from John Souttar, and the Premiership leaders were back in front.

Chermiti then tried his luck from the edge of the penalty box but his effort could not trouble Schwolow in the Hearts goal but the former Everton striker wouldn't be denied for too long; good combination play from recent window signings Andreas Skov Olsen and Ryan Naderi with the striker sliding the ball through to the Portuguese striker who slammed home, after the ball broke off Craig Halkett, and both sides went into half-time all level.

The second half started practically in the same way as the first, the intensity levels had died down but Hearts looked to take control of the game and looking to regain the lead for a third time.

However it was Rangers who took the lead for the first time in the game; Skov Olsen with an excellent ball to the six-yard box where Chermiti put in a powerful header past Schwolow and the home fans inside Ibrox erupted.

Hearts struggled to carve out any real clear cut chances in their effort of coming back into the game, despite the energy levels of Rangers starting to die down. Rangers subsitute, Oliver Antman went to close to finishing the game once and for all but his effort from the edge of the box couldn't find the back of the net.

Rangers knew that a fourth goal would kill the game as a contest and they got it heading into stoppage time. Another Rangers subsitute, Djeidi Gassama, set off on a run in which he managed to feed in Chermiti who was composed in front of goal and slotted home low past Schwolow and the points was remaining in Govan. Chermiti has been criticised heavily by large section of the Rangers support was looking to repay some of the £8m investment made by Rangers.

Rangers close the gap on Hearts to two points, with both sides playing 27 matches in the Premiership. The Jambos lose for only the fourth time in the Premiership this season but two losses have come in their last three games.

Kilmarnock 2-3 Celtic

John-Jules (21'), Hugill (28'); Tounekti (56'), Nygren (64'), Araujo (90+7')

After a dramatic midweek win over bottom side Livingston, Celtic travelled to Ayrshire to take on Kilmarnock in Martin O'Neill's 300th game as Celtic manager. An unlikely win for Kilmarnock looked on the cards as they had only defeated Celtic once in their last 21 Premiership matches against. However Neil McCann has restored some belief and momentum in Killie, with two home wins at Rugby Park since his appointment.

Kilmarnock started on the front foot and were looking to get themselves ahead but it was Celtic who the game's first real clear cut chance; Daizen Maeda with a powerful drive which was kept out by Kelle Roos in the Killie goal. But Kilmarnock quickly went up the opposite end and scored on the break; Tyreece John-Jules scored a hat-trick v St. Mirren in midweek and he scored his fourth goal in two games as he curled home past Kasper Schmeichel after the striker slipped inside Auston Trusty.

With four goals in one and a half games, John-Jules then turned from goalscorer to goal provider; the striker chipped the ball into Celtic's six yard box which was met by the head of Joe Hugill, recently signed from Manchester United on Deadline Day, and his header looped over the line past a scrambing Schmeichel who could and probably should have done better in the Celtic goal.

Celtic were stunned and were looking to get back into the game before half-time; Maeda, Nygren, Junior Adamu and Liam Scales with chances to give Martin O'Neill's side a route back into the game but Killie stood firm and headed into the break two ahead.

O'Neill rang the changes at half-time; Tomas Cvancara on for Adamu, Sebastian Tounekti for Yang and midweek hero Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on for Reo Hatate. Two of the changes combined early on in the second-half as Oxlade-Chamberlain fed in Cvancara but was denied by Roos in the Killie goal. The other subsitute, Tounekti, gave Celtic hope of a comeback as he cut inside and unleashed a shot from 25 yards out which went past Roos and into the far corner. An amazing piece of skill and technique and it was game on at Rugby Park.

Celtic had their tails up high and just eight minutes later they were on level terms; Julian Araujo with a long throw-in which somehow managed to go all the way through to Benjamin Nygren, and Celtic's player of the season scored his 16th of the season and it was all to play for.

The next goal was going to be crucial and Kilmarnock were so close to retaking the lead; John-Jules stepped up with a free-kick but his effort smashed off the crossbar and Celtic survived a big scare.

Late goals has been Celtic's route to winning games of late; against Dundee in the Scottish Cup they needed an stoppage time equaliser and extra time to defeat the Dees and v Livi they needed a stoppage time winner and when seven minutes of stoppage time was added Celtic pushed and pushed for a winning goal. Oxlade-Chamberlain tried again to be the late hero but his effort was denied by Roos but there was still time for some drama; a throw-in to Cvancara who turned in the box and with Kilmarnock unable to clear, Araujo was able to smash beyond Roos and Celtic scored yet another big late goal.

Heartbreak for Kilmarnock who put in so much effort in the game and a result against the Premiership champions could have been so big in their quest to avoid relegation. However for Celtic, they remain in third place but with Rangers defeating Hearts at Ibrox it means they are now only three points behind the Jambos and have a game in hand over both Hearts and Rangers.

Motherwell 2-0 Aberdeen

Just (28'), McIntyre OG (90+3')

Two teams with contrasting form met at Fir Park; Motherwell, the team many believe are the best footballing side in the Premiership this season, were unbeaten at home in their last ten games and were unbeaten in all competitions in 2026. Aberdeen, under interim manager Peter Leven, have lost six of their last eight league games.

Dimitar Mitov was dropped for the Dons for this one and in his place came Per Kristian Bratveit and he was called into action after only six minutes on the clock when he denied Oscar Priestman who sent a powerful strike towards the Norwegian goalkeeper. Motherwell, as expected, started on the front foot and Callum Slattery was next to try his luck but his effort was comfortably held by Bratveit.

The Dons were starting to come more into the game and came the closest to take the lead when Kevin Nisbet's low drive was tipped onto the post by Well keeper Calum Ward. However just minutes later it was the Steelmen who went ahead; Stephen Welsh, goalscorer v Rangers in the week, picked out Elijah Just and the New Zealand international was composured to strike beyond Bratveit and the hosts were ahead.

Just was close to getting a second just minutes later, a good connection from Emmanuel Longelo's cross; his first effort was saved by Bratveit but was denied on the follow up by the Dons defence as Liam Morrison made a big block on the rebound. Tawanda Maswanhise then played a through-ball to Just who cut back for Ibrahim Said and with the goal gaping somehow managed to put his shot wide.

In the second-half Aberdeen could and should have been level; a Lyall Cameron free-kick was skipped off the head of Priestman and into the path of Dons defender Morrison but somehow could not direct his diving header onto the target. The Dons probably knew that today wasn't going to be their day when they hit the woodwork for a second time; Ward spilling a cross into the path of on-loan Houston Dynamo forward Toyosi Olusanya who blasted against the post.

Subsitute Regan Charles-Cook had already scored v the Dons in the Premier Sports Cup earlier in the second and could have scored in this one when he fizzed the ball past Bratveit but somehow it travelled along the goalline and eventually was cleared away to safety. But the Steelmen did get a second goal deep into stoppage time; subsitute Sam Nicholson's cross went into a sea of bodies and was diverted home by Aberdeen defender Tom McIntyre, after the ball cannoned off him from close range.

Motherwell's excellent run and form continues and perhaps they might not be out of an unlikely title push; after the result at Ibrox later in the day, the Steelmen are ten points behind league Hearts and have a game in hand. As for Aberdeen, despite an improved second-half, it's a second Premiership loss in a row which results in their fifth league defeat in 2026 already.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist

Aaron McIntosh

Scottish Football Writer

You May Also Like
See more
Hibernian 1-1 Motherwell: Stalemate at Easter Road as both sides forced to share the points

Hibernian 1-1 Motherwell: Stalemate at Easter Road as both sides forced to share the points

St Mirren 0-2 Falkirk: Stephen Robinson’s Saints’ continue to struggle

St Mirren 0-2 Falkirk: Stephen Robinson’s Saints’ continue to struggle

Videos
See more
Argentina's Massive Talent Pool | Off The Bar Podcast Episode 4 ft. Nacho Z
Seb & Colin Welcomes their first guest ‪@soynachoz‬ where they chat all things South American Football | Off the Bar Podcast Episod
Gyokeres Already a Failure? | Off The Bar Podcast Episode 3
Is Gyokeres already a flop? 🤔 VAR in the Championship & the West Ham Situation | Off The Bar with Colin & Seb Episode 3
Olise to win the next Ballon D'or | Off The Bar Podcast Episode 2
Did Dembele Deserve the Ballon D'or? 🏆 Olise the next winner? & players mental health! | Off The Bar with Colin & Seb Episode 2
Latest In News
See more
11 Goals in Three Games!: Saturday's Scottish Premiership Review

11 Goals in Three Games!: Saturday's Scottish Premiership Review

Scottish Premiership Review

Stags Stun Clarets and Saints Double Up on Late Wins - Saturday’s FA Cup Round 4 Recap

Stags Stun Clarets and Saints Double Up on Late Wins - Saturday’s FA Cup Round 4 Recap

FA Cup Round 4 Review

Millwall Push Towards the Premier League While Leicester Drop Into Relegation

Millwall Push Towards the Premier League While Leicester Drop Into Relegation

Latest News

Join our newsletter

Become a part of our community and never miss an update from Football Park.