Hearts Vs Falkirk: Chesnokov strike sends leaders five points clear after tight 1-0 win
Hearts Vs Falkirk ended 1-0 at Tynecastle after January signing Islam Chesnokov lashed home his first goal for the club just before half-time. The narrow victory restored momentum to the leaders and left them five points clear at the top with rivals holding games in hand.
Hearts Vs Falkirk at Tynecastle
Hearts opened the scoring late in the first half when Islam Chesnokov, a January arrival, lashed home his first goal for the club to make it 1-0. The Jambos had been beaten 4-2 at Rangers the previous weekend, but Chesnokov’s strike proved decisive as Hearts held out to move five points clear of Rangers, who have a game in hand on Sunday. Club sources set out highlights on Sportscene on One Scotland at 22: 25.
Islam Chesnokov and the decisive first-half goal
Chesnokov’s finish just before the interval produced the only goal of the match and directly produced the result: by taking the lead at half-time, Hearts were able to defend their advantage for the remainder of the game. The outcome left Hearts five points clear at the top, a margin that narrows when rivals use their outstanding fixtures—Celtic are six points behind Hearts but have two games in hand, while Rangers have a game in hand on Sunday.
Dundee 3-2 Aberdeen: Liam Morrison sent off after VAR review
At Pittodrie, Dundee beat Aberdeen 3-2 in a match disrupted by a sending-off and several lead changes. Aberdeen took the lead after 13 minutes when Kevin Nisbet’s shot was fumbled by Dundee keeper Jon McCracken and Toyosi Olusanya bundled in the rebound. Before half-time, Liam Morrison hauled down Tony Yogane in the box; after a lengthy video assistant referee review Morrison was shown a red card and Simon Murray scored from the penalty spot to level. Joel Cotterill then put Dundee ahead just before the break when Per Kristian Bråtveit spilled his shot. Aberdeen equalised in the 68th minute with a 25-yard free-kick from Nisbet, but Ethan Hamilton grabbed a late winner six minutes from time with a rasping shot into the top corner, sealing a 3-2 turnaround for Dundee.
Motherwell 5-0 St Mirren in Paisley
In a downpour in Paisley, Motherwell ran out 5-0 winners at St Mirren, who finished the game with 10 men. Elijah Just fired Motherwell into an early lead, Tawanda Maswanhise scored from the penalty spot, and Ibrahim Said added a third shortly after the restart. St Mirren’s Richard King was sent off in the 52nd minute after a clash with Motherwell midfielder Callum Slattery. Emmanuel Longelo’s 4-0 on the hour was awarded after a VAR review overturned an offside flag, and substitute Eythor Bjørgolfsson completed the rout with an acrobatic overhead kick in the 65th minute.
Motherwell’s defensive record is striking: they have now kept 12 clean sheets and conceded just three goals in their last 15 league games. St Mirren had kept a clean sheet in four of their latest five matches before this collapse. The Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou had spoken of "that little bit of feeling of revenge" after his side were beaten 4-1 by St Mirren in the League Cup semi-final earlier this season. Former Hibernian and Dundee United midfielder John Rankin commented that "that type of performance can really kick you on".
Motherwell are unbeaten in their latest four visits to SMiSA Stadium, all without conceding a goal, and have suffered just one defeat in their last 12 league visits. They have now lost only three league games; only second-top Rangers have lost fewer. The club also face a compressed run of fixtures: if they win their game in hand, they would be seven points behind Hearts, and they still have matches against Rangers and Celtic to play as well.
Kilmarnock draw at Dundee United and wider matchday implications
Kilmarnock salvaged a stoppage-time equaliser to draw 1-1 at Dundee United. Panutche Camará saw an early shot hit the bar and Amar Fatah had an early penalty saved, but Fatah scored in the 74th minute when he curled the ball in off a post. Kilmarnock secured a point in added time through David Watson’s header, and Jack Thomson was later shown a red card for hauling back Fatah as he sprinted clear.
Across the day, the table was affected by multiple results: Hearts’ win over Falkirk moved them clear, Dundee’s late victory compounded Aberdeen’s woes, and Motherwell’s 5-0 romp reshaped the immediate challengers. Rangers are scheduled to travel to bottom-placed Livingston on Sunday, while Celtic, six points behind Hearts but with two games in hand, will host Hibernian as they seek to respond to recent European disappointment. One line in the coverage reads unclear in the provided context: "Now four points behind third-top Celtic, who play tomorrow along with second-top Rangers. "
Matchday manager reaction will be posted on the St Mirren and Motherwell club pages, and further live Premiership action is due tomorrow.
