Scottish Premiership: Leaders Hearts bounce back with late winner from McEntee

Oisin McEntee headed a important precocious extremity arsenic Hearts reasserted themselves astatine nan apical of nan Scottish Premiership pinch a 1-0 triumph complete Dundee. On a tense time astatine Tynecastle, Hearts looked successful threat of dropping points for nan 2nd play moving aft their deflating 1-0 conclusion astatine Kilmarnock past Saturday.

The breakthrough came successful nan 77th infinitesimal erstwhile McEntee roseate astatine nan backmost station to caput Marc Leonard’s free-kick powerfully beyond Jon McCracken.

Hearts were reduced to 10 men successful stoppage clip erstwhile Frankie Kent received a 2nd yellowish paper for a foul connected Charlie Reilly, but they held firm.

Motherwell and Hibernian fought retired a scrappy goalless tie astatine Fir Park that keeps nan hosts successful rod position to seal a European place. Motherwell are six points clear of Hibs pinch 7 games left.

Findlay Curtis slots location Kilmarnock’s 2nd extremity against Livingston. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/Shutterstock

Livingston are 12 points adrift astatine nan bottommost aft their 2-0 conclusion astatine Kilmarnock. The bottommost 2 met astatine Rugby Park, pinch goals from Joe Hugill and Findlay Curtis extending Livingston’s winless convention tally to 29 games.

St Mirren secured a captious triumph for their endurance chances acknowledgment to Liam Donnelly’s first extremity for nan club. The midfielder, playing arsenic an emergency centre-half, headed location successful nan 63rd infinitesimal arsenic Saints won 2-1 for nan 2nd clip astatine Falkirk this season.

Barney Stewart’s 17th extremity of nan play had fixed Falkirk an early lead, but Miguel Freckleton, culpable successful nan buildup to nan opener, equalised 2 minutes later for nan visitors.

Martin O’Neill has braced his Celtic players for a difficult crippled against Dundee United connected a Tannadice transportation that has proved a awesome situation successful caller months. Peter Leven, astatine nan clip Aberdeen’s interim manager, said nan aboveground was nan worst he had witnessed successful his profession aft a goalless tie pinch Aberdeen past month.

After sustained bedewed upwind and a number of postponements for waterlogged areas, nan transportation will person dried out, but O’Neill knows nan aboveground is apt to impact Sunday’s game. “It’s a really difficult crippled for us,” he said. “We cognize that. So arsenic agelong arsenic we’re mentally prepared for that, that’s perfectly fine. I’m judge that moreover pinch a mates of days’ sun, I don’t deliberation nan transportation is going to amended that much.”

• This communicative will beryllium updated