St Johnstone 4-1 Rangers | Scottish Premier League match report

Old Firm teams losing four goals in a match is becoming an unlikely habit. Six days after Celtic capitulated 4-0 at St Mirren, the other of Scotland's top-flight Saints inflicted a 4-1 defeat on Rangers. There will be nothing like the fallout which followed that Celtic result – Tony Mowbray paying with the sack – but this served as a reminder that securing the Scottish Premier League may not be totally straightforward for Rangers.

Unless Celtic suffer at least one defeat in the meantime, Rangers cannot now clinch the title before the division's annual split. Their 10-point advantage remains intact, the only crumb of solace for Walter Smith after this result.

"It was a very disappointing night for us," the Rangers manager said. "St Johnstone looked keener than us, more aggressive than us. The first half especially was not good enough from our point of view."

Not since September 2007 had Rangers conceded four goals in the league. This was, then, the heaviest defeat in that competition since Smith returned as manager three years ago. It was also St Johnstone's first top-flight win against this opposition in a decade.

It would be disingenuous not to recognise the impressive attacking nature of St Johnstone's play, a characteristic of their first season back in the SPL. Nonetheless, Rangers contributed heavily to their own downfall, as their manager observed, with an error-prone display. Their night began poorly and faded.

The on-loan Celtic striker Cillian Sheridan scored the first goal of a rampant early spell from St Johnstone, a stunning angled volley after Danny Grainger's speculative long ball. Chris Millar promptly doubled their lead with a 30-yard shot which took a wild deflection off the Rangers defender David Weir on its way past Allan McGregor. Weir would have chosen a more auspicious moment to celebrate becoming the oldest player to represent Rangers in a competitive match, at almost 40.

Sasa Papac's angled finish seemed to haul Rangers back into the game, with Lee McCulloch and Steven Naismith passing up subsequent chances, but any visiting hope was ill-founded.

As Sheridan shot into the side-netting when attempting to restore St Johnstone's two-goal advantage, the widely held notion that Rangers are routinely involved in cagey domestic encounters had been blown to pieces.

This one was more open than was healthy for Smith, or any of his players. Liam Craig further exploited their defensive generosity with a header from Millar's cross which was again deflected, this time by McCulloch. Just days after Celtic's stunning capitulation in Paisley, their city rivals seemed on a mission to replicate that display. At the interval the visiting support had forgotten imminent championship glory to boo their players from the field.

Smith replaced Kris Boyd and Kevin Thomson during the interval, though by the manager's admission he "could have taken any of them off at half-time". Those changes did little to alter the game's flow. St Johnstone's fourth of the night was the simplest, the substitute Murray Davidson prodding home from close range after Michael Duberry had nodded a Grainger free-kick into his path.

Robbie Keane on target again as Celtic crush St Johnstone

• Tony Mowbray’s team still 10 points behind leaders Rangers
• Aberdeen come from 2-0 down to draw with Dundee United

Robbie Keane kept up his impressive scoring rate for Celtic as his second-half penalty helped the Parkhead team to a comfortable 3-0 Scottish Premier League victory over St Johnstone.

Teenage defender Josh Thompson’s first goal for the Hoops gave them a half-time advantage before Saints keeper Graeme Smith conceded a penalty in the 67th minute for fouling Marc-Antoine Fortuné, allowing the on-loan Republic of Ireland striker to take his tally to nine in nine games since arriving from Spurs in January. Keane has now matched his tally for his permanent employers this season.

Georgios Samaras, on for Fortune, made it 3-0 with three minutes remaining when he slotted the ball past Smith from 14 yards. However, despite their victory Tony Mowbray’s men are still 10 points behind leaders Rangers.

The league’s other two fixtures both ended in 2-2 draws. The New Firm derby between Aberdeen and Dundee United ended level at Pittodrie, with the struggling Dons giving a spirited display to fight back from 2-0 down to claim a point. Aberdeen have now gone 11 games without a win, having only twice previously gone on such a dire run, in 1917 and 1927. But under-fire manager Mark McGhee can take some solace from this performance.

The hosts made a bright start with United’s Slovakian goalkeeper Dusan Pernis called upon to punch clear a Derek Young free-kick inside four minutes.

However, some careless Aberdeen defending gifted United the lead after only eight minutes. Irishman Jon Daly took advantage of some hesitant play between Zander Diamond and Charlie Mulgrew to advance on goal before thrashing the ball high past Jamie Langfield for the opening goal.

The visitors scored a second goal after 24 minutes when Daly outjumped a static Dons defence to head home a Danny Swanson free-kick.

McGhee’s team fought back with a Diamond header and a Michael Paton penalty in first-half stoppage time. Steven MacLean and Fraser Fyvie were introduced into the action for the Dons in place of the tiring Michael Paton and Sone Aluko, while the visitors introduced the lively Jennison Myrie-Williams and Francisco Sandaza for Prince Buaben and David Goodwillie.

Both sides pressed for a winning third goal in the closing stages but some poor finishing and resolute defending ensured the two teams had to settle for a draw.

The winger Ryan Flynn earned Falkirk a crucial point in their battle to avoid relegation as the Bairns came from behind to draw a see-saw encounter at Hamilton. The visitors earned themselves the advantage at half-time thanks to Scott Arfield’s 26th-minute strike but Accies drew level through a Mickaël Antoine-Curier header and went ahead with a Simon Mensing penalty. The Accies’ lead lasted only three minutes, however, as former Liverpool youngster Flynn volleyed in what could prove to be a vital equaliser on the hour mark.

Three league fixtures take place this midweek. St Johnstone host Steven Pressley’s Falkirk side on Tuesday night while Kilmarnock play Hamilton. St Mirren host Celtic, who will seek to reduce Rangers’ advantage. The leaders follow up their League Cup final against St Mirren with a visit to Dundee United for a Scottish Cup sixth-round replay on Wednesday evening.

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Derek Riordan lifts Hibs to third with late winner against Kilmarnock

• Derek Riordan free-kick eases Hibs' nerves
• Aberdeen end losing streak in draw at Hamilton

A Derek Riordan free-kick gave Hibernian a narrow 1-0 victory against Kilmarnock at Easter Road, despite Abdessalam Benjelloun missing a penalty. The win ended a five-match winless run and raised John Hughes's team to third place in the Scottish Premier League ahead of Dundee United's fixture with Hearts tomorrow.

Benjelloun, on as a substitute, won a 59th-minute penalty when Manuel Pascali appeared to bundle him over just inside the area. Benjelloun took the spot-kick himself, but it was too close to Lee Robinson, who sprang to his left to keep it out. The home fans were becoming increasingly frustrated as the second half wore on, but their nerves were settled in emphatic fashion by Riordan 12 minutes from time.

James Fowler was booked for bringing down Danny Galbraith 25 yards out and Riordan curled a stunning free-kick high past Robinson. Killie might have equalised in the 85th minute, when Frazer Wright sent a free header from an Iain Flannigan corner straight at Graham Stack. Stokes could have added gloss to Hibs' win in stoppage time after Liam Miller sent him clear, but Robinson thwarted him again, while Maguire volleyed over under pressure.

Zander Diamond prevented Aberdeen's losing streak from reaching four games with a 76th-minute goal against Hamilton Academicals as the teams shared a 1-1 draw at New Douglas Park. Diamond struck the equaliser following a quickly-taken free-kick to cancel out a Flávio Paixao second-half header. But Hamilton were left with a strong sense of injustice after being denied a penalty moments earlier when Jim Paterson brought down Dougie Imrie. The Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee brought on Darren Mackie for Derek Young to revert to a three-man strike force, but Aberdeen escaped the strong penalty claim in the 75th minute, when Paterson brought down Imrie after the forward had cut in from the right wing. Aberdeen were level within 60 seconds when the unmarked Diamond slotted in from Steven MacLean's cutback after a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick . The Dons soon had another chance, but Alex Neil cut out Mackie's square ball as MacLean waited for an open goal and Cerny held McDonald's header from a Mulgrew cross.

Hamilton had another penalty claim, but Paixao's shout was more ambitious after he was brushed off the ball by Mulgrew, and the Portuguese forward soon fired just over from 18 yards after being set up by Imrie. David Elebert had a great chance to win it for the hosts in the 89th minute, but he headed just wide after James McArthur's measured ball had found him unmarked eight yards out.

A late goal from John Sutton gave Motherwell a 2-1 away win at St Johnstone. The two sides could not be separated at the midway point of the match at McDiarmid Park. The in-form striker Jamie Murphy put the visitors ahead in the 12th minute when he beat the offside trap, rounded Graeme Smith and slotted in at the second attempt after Graham Gartland had blocked his initial effort. Saints responded well and spurned several chances before Steven Milne equalised from close range in the 26th minute. Sutton scored the winner with four minutes remaining when he converted from close range. The Steelmen are now unbeaten in ten games, with increased hopes of securing European football next season.

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