MX23RW : Wednesday, June 12 10:37:23| >> :120:54797:54797:

Five talking points from the Scottish Premiership this weekend

Five talking points from the Scottish Premiership this weekend
© Reuters
Albian Ajeti opened his Celtic account, while Rangers proved they can cope without Alfredo Morelos.

Hibernian beat St Johnstone 1-0 at McDiarmid Park to go level with Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at five things we learned from the latest round of top-flight action in Scotland.

Ajeti up and running at Celtic

Albian Ajeti showed Celtic fans why Neil Lennon brought him to Parkhead with the winner against Dundee United.

In the 73rd minute and with an absorbing game at Tannadice goalless, the 23-year-old Switzerland international, signed from West Ham for £4.5million, came off the bench to make his first Premiership appearance for the champions.

With just seven minutes remaining Ajeti pounced on a loose ball and fired in from 12 yards to give the visitors three crucial points.

Rangers no longer reliant on Morelos

There were times after Christmas when Steven Gerrard was forced to persist with playing Alfredo Morelos, even when it was obvious the Colombian was short on confidence and form.

Lille's recent £16million bid has done little to re-focus the striker's mind, but, with fresh striking options having arrived in the shape of Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten, Gerrard now has the luxury of options. He admitted it was an "easy decision" to leave Morelos out for Saturday's win 2-0 over Kilmarnock following reports he had asked not to play.

Roofe put Gers on way to victory as he opened his Ibrox account before Leeds target Ryan Kent showed how to shrug off transfer speculation as he swept home the second.

Hamilton grab first win of the season in derby

Hamilton picked the perfect place to record their first win of the season as they beat Lanarkshire rivals Motherwell on their own patch.

Accies started the campaign with three straight defeats and were bottom of the table when they arrived at Fir Park.

However, the first points went on the board when defender Hakeem Odoffin, a new recruit from Livingston, bagged his first goal for the club as he powered home an 86th-minute winner.

Managers disagree over red card

St Mirren defender Joe Shaughnessy's dismissal in the 1-1 draw against Ross County left both managers at odds with each other.

Saints boss Jim Goodwin felt the defender had made a "good, hard tackle" on County striker Ross Stewart after fourth official Willie Collum appeared to advise referee Mike Roncone – making his Premiership debut – to overturn his original decision to play on.

County manager Stuart Kettlewell, however, said: "It's a red card in my opinion.

"I have seen it back and I think my player is very lucky to still be playing at the end. By millimetres he has dodged a real serious injury."

Jon Obika's first-half goal was cancelled out by Michael Gardyne's deflected effort – ultimately credited as an own goal from Nathan Sheron – just eight minutes after Shaughnessy departed.

Stevie Mallan makes his mark

With Hibernian struggling against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, midfielder Mallan came off the bench in the second half to make his first appearance of the season.

The game looked destined to end goalless until Hibs were awarded a late penalty.

Mallan showed his confidence to blast his spot-kick past Elliott Parish to take Hibs, unbeaten in five games, level on points with leaders Rangers.

ID:411350: cacheID:411350:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9338:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson lifts the Champions League trophy on June 1, 2019
Read Next:
Champions League final: Every previous winner of the European Cup/Champions League
>
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Friday, June 14
 
8pm
Saturday, June 15
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Sunday, June 16
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Monday, June 17
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, June 18
 
5pm
Wednesday, June 19
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Thursday, June 20
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Group Stage
Spain
vs.
Italy
Friday, June 21
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Saturday, June 22
 
5pm
 
8pm
Sunday, June 23
 
8pm
 
8pm
Monday, June 24
 
8pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, June 25
 
5pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
 
8pm
Wednesday, June 26
 
5pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
 
8pm
Saturday, June 29
Sunday, June 30
Monday, July 1
Tuesday, July 2
Friday, July 5
Saturday, July 6
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Germany Germany00000
2 Hungary Hungary00000
3 Scotland flag Scotland00000
4 Switzerland Switzerland00000

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Albania national flag Albania00000
2 Croatia Croatia00000
3 Italy Italy00000
4 Spain Spain00000

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Denmark Denmark00000
2 England flag England00000
3 Serbia Serbia00000
4 Slovenia Slovenia00000

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Austria Austria00000
2 France France00000
3 Netherlands Netherlands00000
4 Poland Poland00000

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Belgium Belgium00000
2 Romania Romania00000
3 Slovakia Slovakia00000
4 Ukraine Ukraine00000

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Czech Republic Czech Republic00000
2 Georgia Georgia00000
3 Portugal Portugal00000
4 Turkey Turkey00000


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!