Hearts Vs Falkirk: Chesnokov’s first goal settles Tynecastle as leaders stretch clear
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, a strike that moved the leaders five points clear of Rangers. The result matters because it restored momentum to Hearts after a defeat at Rangers and altered the top-of-the-table arithmetic ahead of a busy fixture run.
Hearts Vs Falkirk — Chesnokov’s decisive strike
Hearts, who had been beaten 4-2 at Rangers the previous weekend, broke the deadlock late in the first half when Islam Chesnokov, a January signing, lashed home his inaugural goal for the club. The Jambos then defended the single-goal advantage to record a 1-0 victory at Tynecastle. The win put Hearts five points clear of Rangers; those rivals retain a game in hand to be played on Sunday.
Dundee v Aberdeen — red card swings momentum and late winner
Dundee added to Aberdeen’s problems with a 3-2 victory at Pittodrie. Aberdeen took an early lead after 13 minutes when Kevin Nisbet’s shot was fumbled by Dundee keeper Jon McCracken and Toyosi Olusanya reacted to force the rebound over the line. The match turned before half-time when Aberdeen defender Liam Morrison hauled down Tony Yogane in the box. A lengthy video assistant referee review preceded Morrison’s red card and Simon Murray converted from the penalty spot.
Dundee then edged ahead just before the break when Joel Cotterill’s effort was spilled by Per Kristian Bråtveit. Aberdeen pulled level in the 68th minute through a 25-yard free-kick from Nisbet, but Ethan Hamilton lashed a winner into the top corner with six minutes remaining to secure a 3-2 turnaround for Dundee against 10-man Aberdeen.
Motherwell 5-0 St Mirren in Paisley
In Paisley, Motherwell routed St Mirren 5-0, a result that the visiting manager described as a welcome revenge after a 4-1 League Cup semi-final defeat to the same opponents earlier in the season. Elijah Just opened the scoring early, Tawanda Maswanhise added a penalty, and Ibrahim Said struck a third soon after the restart.
St Mirren were reduced to 10 men when defender Richard King received a red card in the 52nd minute following a clash with Callum Slattery. Emmanuel Longelo made it 4-0 on the hour when a goal 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 have now kept 12 clean sheets and conceded just three goals in their last 15 league games. They have lost only three league matches this season; only second-top Rangers have fewer defeats. The team are unbeaten in their latest four visits to SMiSA Stadium, all without conceding, and have suffered just one defeat in their last 12 league visits.
Kilmarnock draw at Dundee United; disciplinary turns alter results
Kilmarnock snatched a stoppage-time equaliser to draw 1-1 at Dundee United. Panutche Camará struck the crossbar early and Amar Fatah had an earlier penalty saved before curling in a goal in the 74th minute. Kilmarnock then salvaged a point in added time through David Watson’s header. The match also saw a sending-off when Jack Thomson received a red card for hauling back Fatah as he sprinted clear.
Table implications, fixtures and coverage notes
Hearts’ victory left them five points clear of Rangers, though Celtic sit six points behind Hearts with two games in hand and are due to host Hibernian as they look to recover from recent European disappointment. Rangers travel to bottom-placed Livingston on Sunday, and Rangers’ game in hand is scheduled for that weekend.
Commentators and club channels will carry further reaction: manager reaction from Paisley is available on the St Mirren and Motherwell club pages, and highlights will be shown on Sportscene on One Scotland at 22: 25. One planned live match blog was unavailable at the time of publication.
Former Hibernian and Dundee United midfielder John Rankin noted that a performance like Motherwell’s can be a major boost but warned that fixtures are running out; if Motherwell win their game in hand they move to seven points behind Hearts and still have matches against Rangers and Celtic to play. What makes this notable is how single incidents — a first-half penalty, a late strike, or a sending-off overturned by VAR — directly reshaped results across the Premiership weekend.
