Posted by Sandy Thin

Saturday saw Rangers put five past a poor Motherwell side at Fir Park to take them four points clear of Celtic at the table. This was short-lived however, as Celtic took another step closer to the title with a 4-1 victory over Dundee United.

Kyle Lafferty put the Blues ahead from a tight angle in the eighteenth minute, scoring only his sixth goal in the league this season. The second half was when Rangers really hit their stride, as Steven Davis found the back of the net from just inside the box with a low shot into the far corner. Nikica Jelavic made it three with a header from close range taking his league tally to thirteen in his first season in Scotland following his summer move from Rapid Vienna.

Steven Naismith sealed the victory with two fantastic goals. The first came after a slick one-two with Gregg Wylde finished with a superb 22-yard strike that left Motherwell keeper Darren Randolph with no chance. He then controlled a through ball from El Hadji Diouf before curling his volley perfectly into the far top corner.

However, Celtic remained hot on their heels with an emphatic win over a fixture that could have proved difficult. The Hoops went ahead after 23 minutes when Motherwell defender Gary Kenneth’s misplaced pass found Anthony Stokes who remained composed enough to play the through ball to Gary Hooper who slotted home his 17th goal of the season, still hoping that he can catch Kenny Miller’s 21 goals for the SPL Golden Boot.

They doubled their lead six minutes into the second half when Beram Kayal dribbled past three defenders before curling the ball into the net from well outside the box with his left foot; another definite contender for goal of the weekend. The Tangerines brought on Johnny Russell who made an immediate impact with several dribbles that troubled the Celtic defence and gave his team hope. However, Kris Commons managed to connect to the rebound that came after his original shot was saved by Dusan Pernis.

United found a consolation goal as Goodwillie set up the substitute, Russell. It was replied to almost immediately as Daryl Murphy, who had also just come on to the pitch, blasted through four United defender’s before smashing the ball into the top corner, for his first goal in front of home fans. This means that Celtic are six goals ahead on goal difference with a game in hand which could prove vital should they be tied on points with Rangers come the end of the season.

Elsewhere in the league, in an exciting match, Kilmarnock and Hearts drew 2-2 at Rugby Park with both sides taking the lead. St Johnstone, who prior to this match had not scored since early in March, came from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory over Hibs at Easter Road, who themselves are on a bad run of form. Aberdeen managed to end their run of eight games without a win with a 1-0 home win over Inverness CT.