Rangers win at St Mirren to close on Celtic as Hibernian overtake Aberdeen
Rangers moved to within one point of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a 2-0 win at St Mirren on Saturday, according to The Guardian.
Ryan Naderi gave Rangers the lead from the penalty spot after 18 minutes. A penalty is a free shot from 12 yards, awarded when a defender fouls an attacker inside the box. Dan Neil doubled the lead just after the hour. His shot hit a defender on the way in, changed direction and beat the keeper.
The win stretched Rangers' unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions, league and cup together. Rangers have played the same number of league games as Celtic, so the gap at the top is now a single point. Derek McInnes, the Rangers manager, has watched his side go ten games or more without defeat before, but this run now covers league and cup matches alike.
Rangers have a strong recent record at St Mirren. They beat them 5-1 in the Scottish League Cup in August, and BBC Sport has noted that they have lost only one of their past 16 league visits there.
The other result that changed the table came at Pittodrie, where Hibernian beat Aberdeen 4-0. Jamie McGrath, Callum Wright, Thibault Klidjé and Nicky Cadden scored the goals. Hibernian began the evening three points behind Aberdeen. They finished it above them, moving into 10th place on goal difference. Goal difference is the number of goals scored minus the number conceded, and it is used to separate teams who are level on points.
For Aberdeen, it was a hard night at home. Stephen Robinson, their manager, now has to pick up points quickly, with a visit from Hibernian to come on Saturday 21 November.
Elsewhere, Dundee United and Motherwell drew 1-1 at Tannadice. Motherwell captain Lukas Fadinger scored from the penalty spot, and Jesse Randall equalised for United. St Johnstone beat Dundee 2-1.
Next up, Hibernian host Dundee on Tuesday 24 November at 19:45, and Rangers travel to face Aberdeen on Saturday 28 November. Both games will show whether Rangers can keep their run going and whether Hibernian can hold on to their new place in the table.
