Kris Commons helped Celtic cement their place at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a narrow 1-0 win over bottom side Ross County in Dingwall, yesterday.
The visitors got the breakthrough in the 52nd minute through a deflected long-distance drive by the Hoops midfielder.
The slender but deserved victory puts the Hoops three points ahead of Aberdeen who slipped up again with a 1-1 draw against St Johnstone in Perth on Friday night.
Ronny Deila’s side also have a game in hand over the Dons and will look to increase that gap although league aspirations will now be put on hold.
Scottish football will come to a halt next Sunday when the Hoops take on traditional rivals Rangers in their League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park.
It will be the first time in just under three years the two clubs have met after the Light Blues re-emerged in the bottom tier of Scottish football following their highly-publicised descent into administration and liquidation.
Dundee United returned to winning ways in the league with a 3-1 victory over struggling Motherwell at Tannadice.
A second-half brace from midfielder Charlie Telfer allied to defender Jaroslaw Fojut’s header proved enough for Jackie McNamara’s men, despite Simon Ramsden’s goal on 79 minutes for Ian Baraclough’s third-bottom side.
This was Well’s fifth straight league defeat, during which they have conceded 17 goals.
Scottish Premiership
Dundee Utd 3 - Motherwell 1
Hamilton 0 - Inverness CT 2
Kilmarnock 2 - Partick 2
Ross County 0 - Celtic 1
St Mirren 1 - Dundee 2
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Celtic | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 43 | 12 | 51 |
| Aberdeen | 23 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 21 | 48 |
| Inverness | 23 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 34 | 21 | 47 |
| Dundee Utd | 23 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 46 | 30 | 45 |
| Hamilton | 24 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 38 | 31 | 39 |
| St Johnstone | 23 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 24 | 33 |
| Dundee FC | 24 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 36 | 37 | 32 |
| Kilmarnock | 23 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 30 | 28 |
| Partick | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 32 | 27 | 25 |
| Motherwell | 23 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 15 | 45 | 17 |
| St Mirren | 24 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 19 | 41 | 15 |
| Ross County | 22 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 44 | 11 |
Scottish Championship
Alloa 0 - Raith Rovers 0
Cowdenbeath p - Rangers p
Dumbarton 1 - Livingston 5
Hearts 2 - Falkirk 3
Queen of South 0 - Hibernian 2
League One
Airdrieonians 1 - Stranraer 1
Brechin City p - Peterhead p
Morton 2 - Dunfermline 0
Stenhousemuir 1 - Ayr United 1
Stirling Albion 0 - Forfar 1
League Two
Annan 4 - Berwick 2
Clyde 1 - Arbroath 1
East Fife p - E. Stirlingshire p
Montrose 3 - Albion Rovers 4
Queen’s Park 1 - Elgin 1