MX23RW : Friday, December 13 13:49:24| >> :600:115348:115348:

Five things we learned from this weekend's Scottish Premiership action

Five things we learned from this weekend's Scottish Premiership action
© Reuters
Rangers took over top spot as Celtic suffered a rare defeat.

Rangers went top of the Ladbrokes Premiership for the first time this season after a 5-0 victory over Hamilton.

Steven Gerrard's side took full advantage of Celtic's 2-0 defeat at Livingston to go two points clear of the Scottish champions.

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

1. Rangers are showing greater consistency

It took until April last year, when the title was effectively lost, for Steven Gerrard's side to string four league wins together. Their emphatic victory over Hamilton made it 17 goals in four wins since defeat by Celtic, their only slip-up in the league this season.

2. Stephen Robinson knows his stuff

The Motherwell manager claimed on Friday it was only a matter of time before Declan Gallagher was picked for Scotland, reiterating the point 24 hours later after the centre-back strolled through a 2-0 win over St Mirren. The call came sooner than expected, on Sunday evening, after Grant Hanley's withdrawal.

3. Livingston's fairytale is continuing

Livingston's Scott Robinson (left) celebrates scoring their first goal
Livingston's Scott Robinson (left) celebrates scoring their first goal (Graham Stuart/PA)

The West Lothian club looked like their progress had peaked with a 5-0 win over Hearts on December 14 last year. After consecutive promotions, Livi hit the heights of third in their first season back in the top flight but only won three matches after that thrashing of their neighbours. However, Gary Holt and assistant Davie Martindale have rebuilt well and the club are celebrating their first victory over Celtic.

4. St Johnstone still need a penalty-taker

Stevie May followed Scott Tanser as St Johnstone missed from the spot in consecutive matches. The Perth side failed to convert five of their eight penalties last season with Liam Craig (twice), Danny Swanson, Matty Kennedy and the now departed Tony Watt all guilty. May might get another chance after breaking a goal duck that stretched back to Boxing Day 14 minutes after his miss.

5. Craig Levein has lost patience with his players

Craig Levein was unhappy with his team
Craig Levein was unhappy with his team (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The Hearts manager admitted his feelings  had turned to "anger" after a 1-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock left them without a league win at Tynecastle in six matches. Levein swore on live radio before immediately apologising as he outlined why he could no longer keep encouraging under-performing players.

ID:374253: cacheID:374253:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8546:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
General view of McDiarmid Park, home to St Johnstone, from 2015
Read Next:
Stevie May "frustrated" by Ross County draw
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Rams
@
49ers
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1514104444043
2Aberdeen16104230181234
3RangersRangers1510232791832
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd156632215724
5Motherwell157171823-522
6Dundee165472729-219
7St Mirren165381926-718
8Ross County163671230-1815
9St Johnstone1642101829-1114
10Kilmarnock163581734-1714
11Hearts163491825-713
12Hibernian162681828-1012


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!