Rangers Held to Draw at Livingston as Title Race Tightens
Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw at bottom‑placed Livingston, a result that tightens the Scottish Premiership title race. For rangers, the point leaves them two points behind leaders Hearts and one clear of Celtic, who still have a game in hand, as the run toward the league split grows more consequential.
Rangers head coach Danny Röhl
Danny Röhl said there should be "no question mark" over his players' ability to manage a title fight, stressing that consistency in the next six matches is decisive for the run into the split. He noted Rangers have six matches before the split and argued that the team taking the most points in that period will gain an advantage going into the final five fixtures after the split in April. Röhl underlined that Rangers have lost just one of their 19 league matches since he replaced Russell Martin in October, a run that has produced the most points of any top‑flight side in that span.
Röhl warned against complacency, drawing a parallel with Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Wolves to illustrate how an assumed 'easy win' can turn into a dropped opportunity. He emphasised that matches are decided over 90 minutes, with the familiar refrain that football is 11 against 11 and anything can happen — a reminder that the point at Livingston must be taken seriously.
Livingston manager Marvin Bartley
Marvin Bartley described the contest as "a real rollercoaster of emotions" and said that if he had been offered a 2-2 result before kickoff he would have taken it. Bartley identified a sending off as the turning point of the match, praised his players for giving everything, and warned that it will take a lot to get out of Livingston's current situation even though he saw many encouraging signs in the performance.
Title positions: Hearts, Celtic, Motherwell and Hibs
The day reshaped the table: Celtic were beaten at home while Motherwell and Hearts both won, a sequence that increased pressure on the two Glasgow clubs. Rangers sit two points behind leaders Hearts and one ahead of Celtic, who retain a game in hand. Hibs' head coach David Gray called his side's win "a massive three points" and confirmed Hibs are five points behind Motherwell, with two league meetings still to come between Hibs and Motherwell in the schedule.
Next week sees Hearts at home against Aberdeen and Motherwell at home against Dundee United. If results fall the right way for Motherwell, they would move to one point behind Celtic and three behind Rangers before Motherwell and Hearts meet the following day. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Motherwell could finish above Celtic or Rangers — maybe both of them — a scenario that has become conceivable given recent results.
Match turning point: the sending off
Bartley framed the sending off as the decisive moment that shifted momentum and allowed Livingston to resist Rangers' pressure late on. That disciplinary action altered the match dynamic and contributed directly to the final scoreline of 2-2, demonstrating how a single incident can change the course of a game and, by extension, influence the title race over the coming weeks.
Broadcasts, reaction and public commentary
Highlights of the ties are scheduled on Sportscene on Scotland at 19: 15, and Michael Stewart appeared on Sportsound to discuss the day's outcomes. Public reaction included sharp criticism of Russell Martin, with a strand of commentary insisting Martin's post-match "we were terrific" line did not match the performance and singling out the player Trusty in harsh terms. Those reactions underline the heightened scrutiny on managers and players as the title race compresses.
What makes this notable is the timing: with six matches before the split and only five fixtures to decide the post‑split fate, every dropped point can translate into a gap of two, five or even eight points by the time the league divides. The immediate effect of the Livingston result is to keep the race intensely close while increasing the premium on consistent results and discipline over the run‑in.
