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Celtic returned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 win against St Mirren at Celtic Park, and were able to stretch their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 13 points after Rangers hiccupped at Hibs in an entertaining 3-3 draw at Easter Road.
On the other side of the capital, Hearts picked up a mammoth win in their battle to avoid the drop as James Penrice bagged the games only goal in a 1-0 win over high-flying Dundee United. Aberdeen couldn’t take advantage though, as their miserable run of form continued at Motherwell, where they lost 2-0 and saw key defender Slobodan Rubežić sent off.
Elsewhere, Ross County picked up a huge win in their bid to avoid the drop by beating Kilmarnock 1-0 at Rugby Park, while Dundee were comfortable winners at basement club St Johnstone, running out 3-1 winners in Perthshire.
But who were the players who stood out for their teams this weekend? Who were the weekend heroes that it was a happy new year for their sides?
Here, The Scotsman look at the XI players who were rated as the league’s best performing players this weekend, using player ratings from popular football website FotMob in a 4-3-3 formation, complete with live photos from the weekend’s fixtures.
1. GK: Kasper Schmeichel - Celtic
Another clean sheet for the Dane, who took his tally to 16 for the league season in the 3-0 win over St Mirren. Ranked at 8.1 for his performance, Schmeichel produced one save, had a 94% passing accuracy rate and made eight recoveries. | SNS Group
2. RB: Josh Mulligan - Dundee
Employed in a right-wing back role in the 3-1 win over St Johnstone, Mulligan was one of the weekend's top performing players, securing a rating of 8.1 for his performance. Picked up an assist, won 100% of his tackles and produced a 100% dribble success rate in the victory. | SNS Group
3. CB: Auston Trusty - Celtic
The American centre-back enjoyed a strong return to the starting XI in the 3-0 win over St Mirren. Rated at 8.4 for his performance, he was the pick of the Hoops' backline, scoring a goal and producing 17 defensive actions, which included 10 clearances, three recoveries and an 88% passing accuracy rate. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group
4. CB: Kacper Lopata - Ross County
The big Polish centre-back was his team's top performer in the 1-0 win over Kilmarnock, ranking at 8.2 for his performance at Rugby Park. He won 89% of his ground duels, made 13 clearances and won every single tackle he made. Mountainous. | SNS Group