Rangers reclaimed the Scottish Premier League trophy from arch-rivals Celtic for the first time in four years yesterday after an emphatic 3-0 win over Dundee United on the final day of the season.

Needing to win at Tannadice to be sure of clinching the club's 52nd Scottish title, Walter Smith's side cruised to a comfortable victory with goals from Kyle Lafferty, Pedro Mendes and Kris Boyd.

Celtic, who needed to beat Hearts in their final match to have a chance of claiming a fourth straight title, were held to a goalless draw at Parkhead, ensuring Rangers finished four points clear at the top.

The win means Rangers go straight into the group stage of next season's Champions League.

"It was a terrific performance. We had to produce one and I thought we were terrific here today," Rangers manager Walter Smith told the BBC.

Third-placed Hearts and Aberdeen, who leapfrogged Dundee United to snatch fourth place with a 2-1 win over Hibernian at Pittodrie, will take Scotland's Europa League places.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.