Hearts Vs Falkirk: Chesnokov’s strike restores leaders’ momentum

Hearts Vs Falkirk ended 1-0 at Tynecastle as January signing Islam Chesnokov lashed home his first goal for the club just before half-time, a strike that pushed the leaders back on track and left them five points clear of Rangers. The result matters now as rivals have games in hand and several matches across the top flight produced late drama and emphatic results.

Hearts Vs Falkirk — Chesnokov’s first for the Jambos at Tynecastle

Hearts claimed a 1-0 win over Falkirk at Tynecastle when Islam Chesnokov, a new January signing, lashed home his first goal for the club just before the break. The Jambos had been beaten 4-2 at Rangers last weekend, but held out here to move five points clear of Rangers, who play their game in hand on Sunday.

Motherwell routs St Mirren in Paisley downpour

Motherwell ran out 5-0 winners at St Mirren in a downpour in Paisley, raining on St Mirren's parade with a flood of goals to keep their fairytale season going. St Mirren had kept a clean sheet in four of their latest five games, but the roof well and truly fell in tonight.

Elijah Just fired Motherwell into an early lead, Tawanda Maswanhise added a penalty and Ibrahim Said hit a third soon after the restart. Emmanuel Longelo made it 4-0 on the hour after a VAR review overturned an offside flag, and substitute Eythor Bjørgolfsson scored his first Motherwell goal in the 65th minute with an acrobatic overhead kick. St Mirren finished with 10 men after a red card for defender Richard King in the 52nd minute following a clash with Callum Slattery.

Motherwell’s season statistics and manager comments

Motherwell have now kept 12 clean sheets and conceded just three goals in their last 15 league games. They have now lost only three league games; only second-top Rangers have lost fewer. Jens Berthel Askou said before kick-off that "we still have that little bit of feeling of revenge" after they were beaten 4-1 by St Mirren in the League Cup semi-final earlier this season. John Rankin, a former Hibernian and Dundee United midfielder, added: "That type of performance can really kick you on. " The side are now unbeaten in their latest four visits to SMiSA Stadium, all without conceding, and have suffered just one defeat in their last 12 league visits. If they win their game in hand, they are seven points behind Hearts and they still have Rangers and Celtic to play as well.

Dundee overturn Aberdeen as Morrison is sent off

Ethan Hamilton’s late goal gave Dundee a 3-2 win at 10-man Aberdeen. Aberdeen had taken the lead after 13 minutes when Kevin Nisbet’s shot was fumbled by Dundee keeper Jon McCracken and Toyosi Olusanya turned in the rebound. Before half-time Liam Morrison was sent off after hauling down Tony Yogane in the box; following a lengthy VAR review Morrison received a red card and Simon Murray converted the penalty.

Dundee then went ahead just before the break when Joel Cotterill’s shot was spilled by Per Kristian Bråtveit. Aberdeen equalised in the 68th minute through a 25-yard free-kick from Nisbet, but Dundee snatched a late winner with six minutes left when Hamilton lashed his shot into the top corner.

Kilmarnock salvage late draw at Dundee United

Kilmarnock came from behind to draw 1-1 at Dundee United. Panutche Camará’s early shot hit the bar and Amar Fatah had an earlier penalty saved, but Fatah curled in a goal in the 74th minute off a post. Kilmarnock then secured a point in added time through David Watson’s header, and Jack Thomson was shown a red card for hauling back Fatah as he sprinted clear.

Match coverage notes and league ripple effects

A live blog of one match was unavailable this evening and displayed the message: "Sorry, this blog is currently unavailable. Please try again later. " Highlights are scheduled to be available at 22: 25. Dundee’s win added to Aberdeen’s woes, and Kilmarnock’s late equaliser earned them a point away at Dundee United.

Beyond the weekend’s results, Rangers go to bottom-placed Livingston on Sunday, while Celtic sit six points behind Hearts but have two games in hand and will be looking to bounce back from their European humiliation when they host Hibernian. Manager reaction from Paisley will be posted on the St Mirren and Motherwell club pages.