Celtic and Rangers both drop points as the top two stay four apart
Four draws in six matches on MatchDay 11 left the top of the table unchanged, while Dundee FC and Falkirk gained ground with wins.
By Harvey Watkins,
Both of the leading sides drew on MatchDay 11, so the gap at the top did not move. Celtic remain first on 28 points and Rangers second on 24, both with 11 games played. Four of the six matches finished level. The two wins went to sides in the top six, and both were settled in the final quarter of an hour.
Draws for the top two
Celtic 2-2 Dundee United was the most eventful of the stalemates early on. Three goals came in 13 minutes, from Camilo Durán on 18, Zachary Sapsford on 28 and Neil Farrugia on 31. Liam Scales scored the fourth on 65. Dundee United leave with a point that keeps them fifth on 16, and their record against the leaders now reads as a solid return rather than a warning.
Rangers drew by the same score at Tynecastle. Hearts 2-2 Rangers had goals from Kevin Kelsy on 16, Cláudio Braga on 48 and Calvin Miller on 57, and the last one came from Olwethu Makhanya with a minute of normal time left. Rangers had the chance to close on Celtic and did not take it. Hearts stay third on 20, four points behind Rangers and three clear of the chasing group.
Late winners for Dundee FC and Falkirk
The two victories came from sides who now look settled in the top six. At Dens Park, Dundee FC beat Kilmarnock 3-1. Joe Bevan scored on 32 and Joe Hugill on 75, and it was level going into the closing stages. Ashley Hay then scored twice, on 83 and again four minutes into added time, to win it. Dundee FC are fourth on 17. Kilmarnock are 11th on nine and without a win in their last three.
Falkirk won 1-0 at Pittodrie. In Aberdeen against Falkirk, Ben Krauhaus scored the only goal on 73. It was Falkirk's third win in a row and takes them to 15 points in sixth. Aberdeen have now lost two in a row and sit tenth on 11, which is a modest return for a side with a goal difference of only minus two.
Little separation at the bottom
The other two draws involved sides in the lower half, and neither result changed much. St. Mirren and Hibernian drew 1-1, with both goals coming late, from Marko Ivezic on 78 and Paul Nsio on 83. Hibernian are still bottom on eight and without a win in five. However, they are only a point behind Kilmarnock and have a game in hand on them, having played 11 to Kilmarnock's 12. St. Mirren are eighth on 14.
St. Johnstone and Motherwell shared four goals at McDiarmid Park. Taylor Steven scored on 19, Ibrahim Said on 34 and Tawanda Maswanhise on 54, and Josh Campbell added the last in the third minute of added time. St. Johnstone are seventh on 14, level with St. Mirren, and Motherwell are ninth on 12.
Only six points now cover the sides from seventh to 12th. On this round's evidence, none of them has yet found a way to pull clear.