Hearts have further tightened their grip on the Scottish Premiership title with a convincing 3-0 victory over Dundee United, sending Rangers and Celtic seven points and nine places behind in the table. Landry KaborΓ© scored a double for Hearts, while Alexandros Kyziridis sealed the win from the penalty spot after Amar Fatah's dismissal.
The win has boosted Hearts' chances of claiming the championship, as they now sit seven points clear of Rangers and nine ahead of Celtic, who face Dundee United in the fixture between them. The victory was all the more impressive given that Dundee United were reduced to nine men, with Fatah sent off for a foul on the edge of the penalty area.
Despite being nine points behind their title rivals, Hearts' manager Derek McInnes expressed pride in his team's performance. "I thought Kabore led the line well," he said. "Obviously, a lot has been made recently about key players being out so you're looking for somebody to take over that goalscoring threat, and Kabore stepped up tonight. Two great goals, led the line brilliantly."
The win also brought Motherwell within striking distance of Celtic, as they secured a 2-0 victory at Livingston with Tawanda Maswanhise scoring twice. The Zimbabwe international's second goal came in the half-hour mark, and Elijah Just had to hit the woodwork to prevent him from adding a third.
In contrast, Livingston's struggles continued, with news that Kilmarnock had thrashed Aberdeen 3-0 at Rugby Park to move six points clear of the bottom. The Dons' problems mounted when captain Graeme Shinnie was shown a straight red card for a high challenge, and Tyreece John-Jules added the third soon after.
Finally, St Mirren and Dundee drew goalless at Love Street, with Stephen Robinson suggesting that he would consider appealing against Jake Young's dismissal for catching Brad Halliday on the foot. The decision to give Young a red card was upheld by the video assistant referee, but Robinson hopes that it will be reviewed again in order to overturn the ruling.
The win has boosted Hearts' chances of claiming the championship, as they now sit seven points clear of Rangers and nine ahead of Celtic, who face Dundee United in the fixture between them. The victory was all the more impressive given that Dundee United were reduced to nine men, with Fatah sent off for a foul on the edge of the penalty area.
Despite being nine points behind their title rivals, Hearts' manager Derek McInnes expressed pride in his team's performance. "I thought Kabore led the line well," he said. "Obviously, a lot has been made recently about key players being out so you're looking for somebody to take over that goalscoring threat, and Kabore stepped up tonight. Two great goals, led the line brilliantly."
The win also brought Motherwell within striking distance of Celtic, as they secured a 2-0 victory at Livingston with Tawanda Maswanhise scoring twice. The Zimbabwe international's second goal came in the half-hour mark, and Elijah Just had to hit the woodwork to prevent him from adding a third.
In contrast, Livingston's struggles continued, with news that Kilmarnock had thrashed Aberdeen 3-0 at Rugby Park to move six points clear of the bottom. The Dons' problems mounted when captain Graeme Shinnie was shown a straight red card for a high challenge, and Tyreece John-Jules added the third soon after.
Finally, St Mirren and Dundee drew goalless at Love Street, with Stephen Robinson suggesting that he would consider appealing against Jake Young's dismissal for catching Brad Halliday on the foot. The decision to give Young a red card was upheld by the video assistant referee, but Robinson hopes that it will be reviewed again in order to overturn the ruling.