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The key takeaways from a busy weekend of action in Scottish Premiership and beyond
We pick out some of the key talking points from another action-packed weekend of Scottish football.
The big match was undoubtedly at Celtic Park, with Hearts winning 2-1 to add another twist to a captivating Premiership title race.
But there were other important results and stand-out performances across the country, and we take a look at them with our weekend round-up.
Claudio Braga, left, and Harry Milne celebrate Hearts' big win over Celtic. | SNS GroupHearts are here to stay
Hearts’ 2-1 win at Celtic on Sunday was the clearest indication yet that they are going to be in Premiership title race for the duration.
While they defeated the champions back in October at Tynecastle, this latest meeting took place amid a run of just one win in six matches. Conversely, Celtic had been rejuvenated by interim boss Martin O’Neill, taking 18 points in that period. The form table did not look good for the Jam Tarts.
Every team has blips - it is about how long they last and how you recover from them. Last season, Aberdeen went toe-to-toe with Celtic until December and then fell off a cliff. This Hearts win show they are made of grittier minerals.
Hearts were well-organised and resolute in defence, tenacious in midfield and clinical in attack. Cammy Devlin was a warrior, snapping into tackles. The centre-halves of Craig Halkett and Stuart Findlay held firm under pressure.
Head coach Derek McInnes won’t get carried away with a second win over Celtic this season, but they lead the Premiership by three points and could increase the gap to six at the end of next weekend. The champions will have two games in hand but points on the board matter most.
Crucially, Hearts managed to wrestle momentum back in this title race. This was a huge result for them.
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy gives tactical instructions to captain Callum McGregor. | SNS GroupCeltic and Nancy gambles backfire
There was always a danger of pitching a new manager into a match of such magnitude for Celtic and one wonders whether the Parkhead hierarchy regrets not letting caretaker Martin O’Neill have one more match given the form he had this team in.
The 73-year-old Northern Irishman was never going to be the long-term solution for Celtic, but what harm would another game have done? Especially given that the stakes were so high against league leaders Hearts.
Nancy only met the players on Thursday and immediately ripped up the old way of working by bringing in a 3-4-3 formation. Celtic did not look entirely au-fait with their new system. Understandably, it will take a bit of time to adapt to the Frenchman’s ways.
The sight of captain Callum McGregor going over to the dugout in the second half on more than one occasion to look at Nancy’s fancy tactics board shows that there is still lots of work to be done.
Celtic may well come very good under their new manager. But with the benefit of hindsight, a top-of-a-table, high-stakes match against Hearts was perhaps not the game to unleash Nancy. A penny for O’Neill’s thoughts as he watched on from afar ...
Keanu Baccus celebrates his goal in St Mirren's 2-0 win over Dundee United. | SNS GroupSt Mirren’s big win
Stephen Robinson will have breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday night. His St Mirren team snapped a four-game winless streak ahead of next Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic by beating Dundee United 2-0 at the SMiSA Stadium.
The Buddies had not won since booking their Hampden date with a 4-1 semi-final win over Motherwell. Their league form had drawn them back towards the wrong end of the Premiership table. The Buddies have enough to keep away from the danger zone but needed a result to prove it.
They rode their luck at times against the Tangerines, who had plenty of chances, but the win gives them a big shot in the arm ahead of what is one of the biggest games in the Paisley club’s history.
Josh Mulligan drove Hibs forward in their win over Falkirk. | SNS GroupHibs have their new McGinn
Out of the three much-vaunted Dundee midfielders of two seasons ago in Lyall Cameron, Luke McCowan and Josh Mulligan, the one who looks like going the furthest is the impressive Mulligan.
The 23-year-old made the switch under freedom of contract to Hibs during the summer and has quickly established himself as one the Hibees’ most important players. He was outstanding in the 3-0 over Falkirk, providing two assists and running the show in midfield.
His display reminded this observer of what John McGinn used to do at Hibs. Strong, physical, dominant, technical and with an end product. He will do well to match the levels that the Aston Villa and Scotland man has hit since leaving Easter Road but he is the closest Hibs have had to McGinn since his departure in 2018.
Continue this form and Mulligan - who can also play as a right wing-back - will be making a serious case for Scotland’s World Cup squad. Teams with greater financial firepower must regret not swooping a few months ago.
Bojan Miovski scored twice for Rangers against Kilmarnock. | SNS GroupMiovski eases Rohl’s concern
Rangers’ striker have been a misfiring rabble this season, so their head coach Danny Rohl will have revelled in watching Bojan Miovski lead the line with aplomb at Kilmarnock and bagging a brace.
When former Aberdeen hitman Miovski returned to Scottish football from Girona this summer, hopes were high he could recreate the scoring exploits he showed at Pittodrie. Prior to Saturday night’s trip to Rugby Park, the North Macedonian had only scored twice.
Miovski doubled that tally with two neat finishes. He was a menace all evening. And given Rangers’ other two strikers - Danilo and Youssef Chermiti - are struggling badly for goals right now, this was a good time for the 26-year-old to show his worth.
Now it is about finding a consistent goal spree. After vanquishing Killie 3-0, Rangers’ next matches are against Ferencvaros and then Hibs.
Livingston manager David Martindale has not won a match since August. | SNS GroupMartindale’s moments of reckoning
Livingston manager David Martindale has done so much for the West Lothian club - from being an assistant coach to taking the managerial reins six years ago. He now enters the most critical time of his tenure.
Four points adrift at the bottom of the table after losing 3-0 to Motherwell, Livingston are 12 Premiership games without a win. Martindale has himself admitted he does not have unlimited credit within the club.
The next match is absolutely vital to the Lions, at home to Dundee on Saturday. They are the team closest to them in the table. Lose and his position becomes very shoogly indeed at Livingston.
Ross County's Ronan Hale looks dejected after the defeat by Airdrieonians. | SNS GroupRoss County hit new low
What on earth is going on up in Dingwall? Ross County are in freefall after being relegated from the Premiership in May.
Their play-off defeat by Livingston has set off a nasty chain of events for the Staggies. Don Cowie was given a handful of games to prove his worth in the Championship but couldn’t last the full month of August. Ex-Dundee manager Tony Docherty was appointed - but he isn’t getting a tune out of his squad so far.
County have only won twice in the Championship under Docherty since his September 2 appointment and Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Airdrieonians at home saw them slip to the foot of the table.
For a team that has experienced players such as Trevor Carson, Declan Gallagher, Connor Randall and Jordan White in it - plus the goal threat of Ronan Hale - you would expect a much loftier position in an albeit competitive division. County are currently in a serious pickle.
Tranent and Inverness' Scottish Cup tie has been postponed three times. | SNS GroupThe never-ending Scottish Cup tie
Spare a thought for poor old Lowland League side Tranent FC, who are struggling to get their Scottish Cup third round tie against Inverness Caledonian Thistle played.
It was due to be staged on Monday night after two call-offs, but the Lothians club revealed on Sunday afternoon that drainage issues remain at their Foresters Park ground. The game is now rescheduled for Wednesday.
Read MoreInverness fans aren’t happy. “Just move the fixture to our stadium!” one wrote on social media. “This has been a complete disaster!”
The stakes are high for the victor - a winnable tie in the fourth round against League Two outfit Spartans.