Livingston Vs Rangers: Scottish Premiership chaos as Celtic lose at home and title race tightens
The Scottish Premiership produced a dramatic afternoon that left the title race reshaped and nerves frayed. Livingston Vs Rangers finished in a 2-2 draw, Celtic were beaten at home and comments from managers and former players underline how tight and unpredictable the run-in has become.
Livingston Vs Rangers: match summary and key moments
The fixture between Livingston and Rangers ended 2-2. Brooklyn Kabongolo and Smith put Livingston two up early on. Rangers were reduced to 10 men when Montano was sent off; Fernandez produced a late lash to pull one back and Moore glanced a leveller to secure the draw. Livingston’s opener came from a sumptuous volley after a Robbie Muirhead free-kick; the defender who scored had been playing in the English sixth tier last season. Jack Butland was the Rangers goalkeeper beaten by that volley.
Earlier in the match Rangers won a free-kick on the edge of the box with James Tavernier striking well, only for Jerome Prior to palm the attempt away. Sebastian Tounekti delivered a dangerous ball to the back post that was cleared by Jack Iredale; there were later appeals when the ball appeared to hit Iredale’s hand as he challenged Benjamin Nygren at the edge of the box, but his arm was recorded as being by his side.
Rangers' title bid — Danny Röhl's perspective
Danny Röhl, the Rangers head coach, framed the current run as a consistency battle. His side sit two points behind leaders Hearts and one clear of Celtic, with Celtic holding a game in hand. Röhl, described as the German head coach, said the upcoming block of fixtures is decisive: Rangers have six matches before the league splits in April, starting with the visit to bottom-side Livingston on Sunday, with live coverage listed from 2. 30pm and a kick-off at 3pm.
Röhl argued the focus must be on collecting the most points before the split and preparing the final five games by treating the next six seriously. He stressed that while two points looks healthy, Rangers remain in second place and that football is unpredictable — one game can change everything — so the team must be serious and aggressive in matches where a win is necessary. Since he replaced Russell Martin in October, Rangers have lost just one of 19 league matches and have taken the most points of any top-flight team in that period.
Celtic beaten at Celtic Park and the fallout
Celtic lost 1-2 at home to Hibernian. The scoring sequence saw Passlack and Benjamin Nygren head in goals for Hibernian before Andrews struck a late winner after Trusty was sent off. Benjamin Nygren had an earlier effort from the edge of the box that narrowly missed the bottom-right corner a slight deflection. At Celtic Park the result and circumstances heightened pressure on the Glasgow clubs and shifted momentum in the title race.
Voices from the pitch and the touchline
Hibs head coach David Gray described the win as long-awaited, noting it was the second time this season his side had been in that position and not lost, and saying the result shows his team can match opponents when every player performs at their best. He called the three points massive, coming after a positive result the previous week against St Mirren, and stated Hibs sit five points behind Motherwell while still to play Motherwell twice. Gray emphasized that it is all to play for to the end of the season and that his team must take one game at a time as they aim to push up the table.
Livingston manager Marvin Bartley called the day a rollercoaster of emotions and said he would have taken a 2-2 result before the game. He noted that at 2-0 Livingston looked comfortable, that the turning point was the sending off, and praised his players for giving him everything. Bartley added it will take a lot for Livingston to get out of their situation but that he saw many positive things in the performance.
A former Hearts and Hibs midfielder, Michael Stewart, commented on a radio programme that Motherwell won emphatically and Hearts also won, a combination that piles pressure on the Glasgow clubs; he said the two Glasgow teams had buckled under that pressure that day. Separate, strong criticism of Russell Martin’s assessment of one performance circulated among fans, arguing the defence was poor, the midfield went sideways or back, there was no one capable of scoring up front, and singling out Trusty as a major weak point in that game.
What this means for the table and the run-in
Next week’s fixtures include Hearts at home against Aberdeen and Motherwell at home against Dundee United. If results go certain ways, Motherwell would move to one point behind Celtic and three behind Rangers before Celtic and Rangers play each other the following day. Observers noted that it is not beyond the realms of possibility for Motherwell to finish above Celtic or Rangers — perhaps both — meaning Celtic and Rangers could be third and fourth in the table if current trends persist. The situation remains fluid heading into the last phase before the split.
