Four teams in the title race and three points separating the top three - this was a weekend at the top of the Scottish Premiership that swung the race towards a 'race to the wire' contest.
Celtic's dramatic recovery from 2-0 down to a 3-2 win away at Kilmarnock ramped up the pressure on Rangers and Hearts ahead of their Ibrox clash - and the pressure showed as both sides took part in a ding-dong six-goal thriller.
Report & highlights: |
|
Rangers' 4-2 win over Hearts has now created a two-point gap between the top two - with Celtic three points off the summit with a game in hand.
But do not forget Motherwell in all of this - as their eight-game winning run has put them ten points behind Hearts with a game in hand. It's not impossible...
So after this weekend - where do we stand? Your Site' football reporters look through each team's main talking points...
Since Christmas, Hearts have lost to Hibernian, failed to beat 10-man Celtic, lost to St Mirren and now beaten at Ibrox. Another big game that Derek McInnes' side have failed to win since the expectation has risen.
But despite a second loss in three games, Hearts are still in a fantastic position for the time being.
First and foremost, they have two home games to respond to this against Falkirk and Aberdeen - which are favourable for a side currently hurting from an energy-sapping loss at Rangers.
But crucially, that second game against Aberdeen comes ahead of the Old Firm derby at Ibrox, where something has to give in terms of the Glasgow rivals' chances.
Yes, defeat to Rangers has opened up the title race and Hearts' dominance of this season looks vulnerable. But it's worth remembering Celtic are heavily reliant on late winners - including against second-bottom Kilmarnock on Sunday. Rangers are struggling to get back-to-back wins. They're still in a great spot.
Sam Blitz
For the third consecutive game in just eight days, Martin O'Neill's Celtic were rescued in injury-time.
It's been a feature of many great title-winning Celtic sides for years. Even in recent history, think back to Matt O'Riley v Motherwell (2023), Girogos Giakoumakis v St Johnstone (2022), or even Anthony Ralston v Ross County (2021).
All goals where at the time we said would prove crucial in the title race. Goals that make champions.
But this year is different, and these late winners actually will make a difference. The league is no canter this year - it's quite the opposite, and Celtic have the crucial ingredient of winning experience.
They have a core of serial winners, who know nothing but success: Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor, James Forrest to name a few.
But a 'winning mentality' will only take you so far. The performance levels in the first half were once again extremely alarming.
O'Neill admitted: "I don't think you can keep that going." You're right, Martin. Some seriously tough games coming up, and you can't be bailed out in of them all in stoppage-time.
Adam Binnie
Rangers fans could be forgiven for thinking they had seen this movie before. New manager goes on a winning run after shambolic goings-on had threatened to derail the season, only for those revitalised results to crumble in clutch moments.
Dropping points in the final minutes to Motherwell in midweek after Hearts and Celtic had scored late winners could have seen Rangers revert to the type of recent times. Instead, a big win over the league leaders on Sunday puts them within touching distance of the summit - even if huge challenges lie in wait.
Under Danny Rohl, Rangers have cut the gap to Hearts from 13 points to just two. That in itself is quite the achievement given just how bad the Ibrox side were before the German took over.
Rohl refuses to get too up or too down, no matter the result. As fans were still leaving Ibrox on Sunday evening he told Your Site that he was already thinking about another big game next week at Livingston. One game at a time might be a cliché but it's the mantra that saw Steven Gerrard deliver Rangers' last title in 2021.
Derek McInnes made the point that Rangers will still have to go back to Tynecastle. Hearts will be licking their lips at the prospect of two league Old Firm fixtures, while matches against the likes of Falkirk, Hibernian and Motherwell have been anything but straightforward for Rangers this season.
The truth is, this likely isn't a campaign which sees a Brendan Rodgers, Gerrard or Ange Postecoglou side devour all before them. Points will be dropped; there will be twists and turns and the top six will likely be of such a quality that the post-split fixtures could be among the most intriguing we have seen for years.
If there was any doubt before this weekend - we have a tantalising title race. An actual, proper, title race. And, thanks to a Youssef Chermiti hat-trick, Rangers are very much a part of it.
Allan Valente
Maybe we've been billing this incorrectly all along.
Some Motherwell fans, even some Motherwell players, will tell you there are four teams in this title fight, not three.
Top-scorer Tawanda Maswanise told me on Thursday: "Watch out for us." JT, I'm watching.
Jens Berthel Askou's side won again today, beating Aberdeen 2-0 at home. They remain unbeaten in seven matches in 2026 and have only lost once in their last 18 league games.
The form table would tell you that they're every bit as good as Danny Rohl's revitalised Rangers - who are the only team to score a goal at Fir Park since October.
With a semi-favourable run of fixtures on the horizon, we could be looking at a fourth force come the split.
This isn't the old cliché of 'they can't win the title, but they may have a say in who does.' A win in their game in hand would take them to within seven points of the league leaders…
Adam Binnie
