Dundee, St Mirren, Hearts, Celtic and Hibs all claim wins in a weekend full of drama.
Dundee 2-0 Aberdeen
Dundee defeated a very poor Aberdeen side on the day, beating the Dons for the third time in a row as goals from Joe Westley and Joe Bevan secured Steven Pressley’s first win of the season. It was a very poor overall performance by Aberdeen, as Dundee looked far better throughout the game. Overall, a very deserved win for Dundee as Aberdeen suffered their first defeat of the season, and things certainly don’t get any easier in the coming weeks, as these sides meet again next week in the League Cup.
St Mirren 1-0 St Johnstone
The Buddies scraped past new boys St Johnstone 1-0 in Paisley, thanks to a Killian Phillips penalty which grabbed his fourth goal of the season so far. St Johnstone did get a first-half penalty, which was taken by Jamie Gullan, but St Mirren shot-stopper Coleman denied the Saints an early lead. Both sides had chances, but ultimately, St Mirren probably just about deserved that one as they continue their great start.
Kilmarnock 1-5 Celtic
A five-star display by Celtic on Kilmarnock’s new hybrid pitch, after having a grass pitch for the first time since 2014 as the Ayrshire side ditched Astro. In the game itself, it was a thoroughly deserved win for Celtic as a first-half hat-trick by Høgh helped Celtic ease to victory. Shortly into the second half, Nygren gave Celtic a fourth, although Killie pulled one back through Larsen, but a late McCowan goal sealed what was an excellent away-day win which saw Celtic climb to the top of the league.
Motherwell 0-0 Falkirk
Falkirk earned themselves a point in what wasn’t the most exciting of games at Fir Park. Many people have criticised Falkirk so far after losing so many key players, and as we know, Motherwell is far from an easy place to go to. Both sides just lacked the cutting edge on the day, as Falkirk picked up a crucial point on the road.
Hearts 4-0 Dundee United
The Jambos have had a tough past few weeks, with a heavy defeat to Sturm Graz on aggregate and an opening-day defeat at Pittodrie followed by a demolition job at the hands of Benfica, but a huge win will only do Hearts good as they got their first league win of the season. Renaud opened the scoring early on with an outrageous strike before Calvin Miller converted a penalty. Braga made it three in the second half, with Josh McPake also getting his first goal in maroon, as Hearts demolished Jim Goodwin’s side, which will only boost confidence going into Thursday despite the tie almost being over.
Rangers 1-2 Hibernian
A very disappointing afternoon in Govan, as McInnes still awaits his first win as Rangers manager, which has already seen some fans turn against the former Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Hearts boss. The Hibees appear to enjoy a trip to Govan in recent years, as they did yesterday afternoon. Hibs were awarded a penalty after a VAR check just inside 12 minutes, which saw Josh Campbell convert to send the small travelling support into chaos. Rangers kept trying all they could to equalise, and in the 85th minute an own goal by Chaiwa gave Rangers a route back into things, but as Rangers fans started to hope for a winner, it went the other way, as a very late Callum Wright goal gave Hibs the massive win in Glasgow.
A short break away from the Premiership awaits, as League Cup football returns this weekend, with Aberdeen looking to get revenge on Dundee. Hibs take on Championship side Partick Thistle, Dundee United take on Celtic — a side they defeated at home twice last campaign — Rangers host St Mirren at Ibrox, Motherwell travel to Championship new boys Stenhousemuir, Killie host Ayr in the Ayrshire derby, and finally Hearts welcome Inverness to Gorgie.