Five things we learned from the Scottish Premiership weekend

Carlos Pena, right, did not impress after coming off the bench for Rangers. Picture: SNSCarlos Pena, right, did not impress after coming off the bench for Rangers. Picture: SNS
Carlos Pena, right, did not impress after coming off the bench for Rangers. Picture: SNS
Aberdeen now lead the way after Celtic were held at home by St Johnstone, while Rangers will feel they are back in the hunt with their win over Ross County.

Here, we look at five things we learned from the weekend’s Ladbrokes Premiership action.

1. No Mexican stand-outs for Rangers

The Light Blues faithful finally got a glimpse of the lesser-spotted Carlos Pena as their side edged out Ross County 3-1 in Dingwall. While Columbian frontman Alfredo Morelos embellished his growing reputation with another brace, substitute Pena - Gers’ most expensive summer signing at £2.5million - showed why boss Pedro Caixinha has been so reluctant to throw him into action. He looked sluggish and struggled to find his touch despite having several opportunities to hurt the Staggies after being thrown on midway through the second half. Compatriot Eduardo Herrera also looked cumbersome at times but at least grabbed the goal which relaxes the pressure on the Ibrox boss.

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Ross County 1 - 3 Rangers: Alfredo Morelos nets brace in win

2. Celtic never accept defeat on the domestic front

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It looked for a while that St Johnstone would end Celtic’s 52-game domestic unbeaten run. Steven MacLean’s strike just before the break had the home fans in some state of agitation as the second half wore on and the Perth striker missed a great chance to make it 2-0 when he headed straight at Craig Gordon. The Perth side had been the last Scottish side to beat Celtic in May, 2016. However, the home side refused to accept defeat and got their reward with 10 minutes remaining when substitute Callum McGregor fired in the leveller. It is going to take something special for a Scottish side to get one over the treble-winners this season.

3. Jon Daly’s Hearts role remains in the balance

The Jambos interim boss has made no secret of his desire to take the role of Tynecastle job on a full-time basis following the departure of Ian Cathro, but the 2-1 loss to Motherwell will not help his cause. A decision is expected to be announced in the coming days, but with just one win in four games in charge, Daly doesn’t hold quite the hand he may have expected. However, he retains the support of the players, as proved by Kyle Lafferty’s celebration at Fir Park and that could yet sway Ann Budge’s decision.

4. Doubt over John McGinn’s Hibs future

The Hibs midfielder has been continuously linked with a move away from Easter Road throughout the transfer window, but Neil Lennon has not been happy with the behaviour of certain managers. After seeing his side frustrated and held to a 1-1 draw at Dundee, Lennon branded Nottingham Forest’s recent offer for the Scotland midfielder “laughable” but did admit the club may be forced to sell if they receive a bid which meets their valuation. Lennon will want the situation resolved one way or another after suggesting the speculation was behind McGinn’s muted Dens Park display.

5. Accies are on a roll

Having recorded back-to-back wins over Dundee and Hibs, Martin Canning’s Hamilton continued their impressive start to the season as they fought back from two goals down to claim a valuable 2-2 draw at Kilmarnock. Accies’ main priority this term will be to again avoid the drop. Considering they collected 35 points in the whole of last term, picking up a fifth of that total in the first four games of the season will offer hope that they can have a less stressful time of it this year.

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