A rare stumble from leaders Celtic, Rangers just do enough to narrow the gap, but Aberdeen’s downturn continues as they fall to third.
Meanwhile, Heart of Midlothian are off the bottom, replaced by visitors St Johnstone, while there were victories for Hibernian and St Mirren and a draw at Fir Park.
But how did the respective fans react? We asked for your views and here are some of them.
Some Celtic fans are getting restless, despite Brendan Rodgers’ side retaining a nine-point lead, after Sunday’s 0-0 draw away to Dundee United.
Al: For what the squad cost, it is a disgrace that we could not break down a dogged, but limited, opposition. The display in the League Cup final was below par, but the performance yesterday really was woeful.
Paul: Celtic missed their big guns against a very resilient Dundee United side to grind out an inauspicious draw. Several players like Hyunjun Yang, Luis Palma, Anthony Ralston, Luke McCowan and Stephen Welsh showed their frailties and are not worthy of a first-team place, with Kyogo Furuhashi’s miss testimony of his extremely poor form this season.
Tommy: Really poor, laborious, side-to-side tippy-tappy Rodgersball. Hats off to Jim Goodwin and his well-thought-out tactics in the knowledge Brendan Rodgers is incapable of changing his style of play.
Malcolm: With the Celtic line-up against Dundee United, it feels Brendan took a gamble by playing second-string players – why? We didn’t lose, but I think maybe it’s all about the January transfer window and, to be honest, we still need strengthening as we are still very vulnerable in defence.
Peter: Unbeaten run continues but far from convincing display. Really need to sign a proven goalscorer in January. Like Adam Idah, but he will never make it as a regular striker for Celtic. The board needs to act quickly if we are to drive home our current domestic dominance and progress in Europe.
Anon: Rodgers is becoming too arrogant. To make all those changes to the team in one game is completely criminal. He got away with it against Ross County, but making all those changes in one game is asking for trouble.
United fans are heartened by the draw with the reigning champions that keeps their side in fifth spot.
Paul: A result that on paper should never have happened, especially when Celtic can bring £20m worth of players off the bench. Proud of the way we defended, limiting them to only a couple of clear openings. A boost going into some crucial games we should be looking to take a good points haul from.
Stephen: Was it great to watch, no. But this Celtic side has battered everyone else in league and cup, so to restrict them to barely testing Jack Walton, yeah I’ll take it. A good point well earned. On to St Johnstone on Boxing Day!
Ross: A change of gameplan worked perfectly. From a three to back four, everyone behind the ball when out of possession, compact shape to deny the opponents space – all worked to great effect. Proves that a “horses for courses” tactical philosophy might just keep United looking towards a top-six finish rather than the dreaded relegation dogfight.
Anon: Vicko Sevelj is developing into an outstanding defensive midfielder. The cover he provided for the centre-back pairing of Declan Gallagher and Kevin Holt – both pretty impressive themselves – was exceptional and allowed United to frustrate Celtic in a way few teams have managed this season.
Jamie: The draw is brilliant, the clean sheet is outstanding! This was a massive result to move on from last weekend’s disappointment. Now it’s time for Jim Goodwin to play four at the back against teams outside of the Old Firm. Go for it!
Dave: As much a feeling of relief as anything else. Can hardly say we deserved any more, but the defensive performance was almost impeccable and worthy of our point. Will hopefully add to the growing belief that’s developing in the club.
Lee: Back to normal after the disappointing defensive display last week vs Motherwell. Discipline, focus and concentration were all on display against the best team in the league and we could even have won it with those half chances at the end.
Glasgow’s other big side had better luck than Celtic against the other half of Dundee, with Rangers up to second after a 1-0 win.
Gerry: After two uplifting performances, it was back down to earth with a bang. We just can’t seem to put teams to the sword that come to Ibrox and sit back. We had enough chances. Is it anxiety that creeps in playing teams we should beat comfortably at home?
Ronnie: A frustrating 90 minutes but the right result. Why do we struggle to put games to bed against mediocre teams? We dominated throughout yet could have shipped two points at the death. Hamza Igamane was largely ineffectual and, despite the noise around him, he has a lot to improve in his game. Good to see James Tavernier once again have a strong 90 minutes.
Finlay: The second-half performance was nowhere close to what the past two games and the first half have been. We can now celebrate being second in the table, which over the past few games we have shown we deserve.
Peter: Another impressive performance. Good flowing football. Any other day the ones that hit the woodwork would have went in.
Chris: I feel like it was three steps backwards again. I can’t get my head around why we are so bad in the league. We need to start blowing teams away at Ibrox again to reinstate the fear factor. Finishing mediocre teams off like Dundee should be easy, but something’s not quite working yet.
Robert: Competent display. The result was never in doubt. The woodwork will need repainted. We still require to be more clinical in front of goal.
Dundee fans were philosophical despite their side slipping five points behind sixth-top St Mirren.
Brian: We were wide open down the wings and it was exploited many times. Defence a bit better and big Billy Koumetio is improving. However, we need a decent centre-half – recall Luke Graham now. Powder-puff up front and midfield were pretty anonymous. Not a lot more to be said.
Gary: Wasn’t expecting anything from Ibrox, but the team did well under the circumstances. Lack of quality in the opposition box. More winnable games are around the corner shortly.
Hearts’ support remains to be convinced despite Sunday’s 2-1 win at home to St Johnstone.
David: Much better performance, which hopefully will give the players and fans a lift. Feel for James Penrice, who has shone throughout the season, but giving away three penalties (rightly or wrongly) in three games is something that has to be addressed. The January transfer window dealings are crucial for the rest of the season.
Chris: I see Neil Critchley thinks we were excellent. Is he trying to convince us or himself? I think it was an improvement but is miles away from “excellent”. Cammy Devlin, however, was excellent and James Penrice too. Hibs have a lot of talent in the forward areas and should come to Tynecastle confident of a win. We need a little bit of luck.
Kuptin: Any win is welcome just now. The young guys, Adam Forrester and James Wilson, are the least nervous. But Hearts are full of contradictions just now. Cammy Devlin is great but only passes the ball sideways. James Penrice is obviously the best newcomer but gives away too many penalties. Lawrence Shankland is still good at everything except scoring. It’s a hard watch.
Jim: Beating St Johnstone isn’t something normally to crow about, but it’s a start. Hibs will be tougher, but it doesn’t hide the fact that we are struggling to score. January is a chance to start the process of building the team, offload players who don’t have the right attitude and maybe we can avoid relegation. My hopes are not high.
Anon: At last we played for each other, we played as a team. Let’s hope this is a start after a disastrous end in Europe.
John: I think Neil Critchley deserves the chance to turn things around as he still has the squad Steven Naismith wanted. I saw four players in the starting 11 who should be playing in the lower leagues never mind being at Hearts. Basic passing should be simple enough, but some can’t even do that.
The loss at Tynecastle has Saints fans concerned under their new manager.
Les: Yet again, basic errors are costing us. First half was so poor – Nicky Clark was a huge miss. Simo Valakari has to get this sorted in January or it’s Championship football next season. A goalkeeper, a right-back and possibly another centre-half are the bare minimum.
Stuart: Again, poor defensively and in goal. A continuing trend from last January. Fans starting to question Simo Valakari need to remember this squad was built by Craig Levein and he has no options out wide, defensively, or any confidence. We need to break this habit of January windows fixing previous season’s errors.
Perry: The last few years we have stayed up without being a goal threat but having a decent defence. Simo Valakari will need a miracle, or Ross County to finish last, to keep us up. The club’s been run into the ground and it’s now all caught up with us.
Duncan: Not good enough. January signings? No-one worth having would want to come. The Championship beckons. Can see us finding it even harder to avoid further relegation next season.
Gordon: Where do you start after that dross? First-half was a disgrace and, had we been 3-0 down ,we could have had no complaints. Lacked pretty much everything required to win a football match. Team selection a bit baffling and most of the players were gutless. The second-half was better (couldn’t really have been worse), but yet again, defensive frailties cost us dearly.
Henri: Starting to lose confidence with Simo Valakari. He seems to play a different formation and team every week. We need a definite tactic to save us from relegation. David Keltjens was fantastic when he came on last week – surprised he didn’t start.
Some Aberdeen fans are getting concerned at the downturn in results after a good start under Jimmy Thelin following Saturday’s 3-1 home loss to Hibs.
David: We’re not tough enough. Gavin Molloy needs to be replaced – a good footballer but doesn’t have the physical presence needed. Same with Leighton Clarkson. We need a powerful, quick and athletic ball-winning midfielder and a number 10 with good feet who can create chances throughout the 90 minutes.
Ben: All the individual mistakes we weren’t making during our great start to the season, we are now. Sivert Nilsen and Slobodan Rubezic now are making schoolboy errors. It’s not a matter of tactics when you give away two free goals and the momentum to the opposition. I still have total faith in Jimmy Thelin to bounce back.
Stuart: There appears to be a serious lack of confidence in the team. At the moment, January signings are needed.
James: Old saying goes, if you keep a clean sheet you will not get beat. The Aberdeen middle two have lost us a lot of points lately. If I was Angus MacDonald and do not get a game next week, I would ask for a transfer. Credit to Hibs, they came to battle and knew how to play with safety first. Cannot understand how Duk was not on from the start.
Justin: The start of the season was amazing, but this string of results is getting a little embarrassing. We can’t be this easy to break down. It’s clear we need a few new players. Roll on the transfer window.
Fred: Things are beginning to look like last season as we were outplayed by Hibs. Without Bojan Miovski, we seem to have forwards who cannot score and, like last season, a defence that cannot defend. The new manager bounce is evaporated and, on the current form, top-six will be a challenge.
In contrast, Hibs fans are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel for head coach David Gray.
Paul: A good team performance. Hopefully the start of a run of wins as points needed to move up the table.
Scott: So pleased for David Gray and his players. However, the basement is going to be a dogfight this season as there are some very poor teams.
Matt: Having been a vocal critic of David Gray earlier in his reign, I am now eating humble pie. Yet again, we look like we have got grit throughout and are playing for each other, the attackers are converting chances and defenders are putting in a shift. A well-deserved victory for us, which cements my opinion that we clearly are not a relegation team.
Aidan: Controlled the game and actually ran the show, which to do at Pittodrie is not an easy thing. After 90 minutes, it would be very difficult to say that Hibs did not deserve the win after the endeavour put in. Massive confidence boost ahead of Boxing Day at Tynecastle.
Kenny: This was the best performance of the season so far. Confidence is growing now and we are playing some really good football. We still need to strengthen the team in the window and I hope Gray is allowed to bring in the players he wants and isn’t been told by the Black Knight Group what players he’s getting.
Sandy: The winning mentality is back for Hibs. Every player in green and white on that park showed passion, determination and some good football. Can’t ask for more than that. Three goals a game becoming habitual.
Ross County are another bunch who are beginning to question their team boss after Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to St Mirren.
John: The team worked hard. However, they lacked cohesion. Everyone was playing their own game. The team looked disjointed. I hope that Don Cowie has a plan for January.
Ron: Terrible conditions, terrible game. We didn’t deserve to take anything out of it. Hard to pick out any positives. Failure to counter the physical element of St Mirren’s game was worrying. Inability to adapt to the conditions was inexcusable, goal kick after goal kick kicked long and straight out of play! Hearts game next week is critical.
Ronny: We are in deep, deep trouble. We’ve found ourselves in decent positions in the last two games and have bottled both of them. These were two winnable games. Now, Dundee and Hearts will be rubbing their hands because we are absolutely rotten all over the park at the moment. Desperate stuff.
Paul: Fantastic start to the second half. When Saints went down to 10 men, we seemed to run out of ideas. Saints were dangerous on the counter. We failed to make the extra man count. Slow, ponderous build-up that leads nowhere. We lack width and, when the smallest guy on the pitch wins more headers than the target man striker, that sums up the County attack.
Calum: Negative formation kills us again. Against 10 men for most of the second half yet looked second best throughout. The system, or dare I say, manager, needs to change!
Buddies fans, meanwhile, are feeling content.
Ian: Oh St Mirren, you put us through the wringer almost every other week. But what a strike, another valuable win and three points. Please begin to change the slow start to each second half in games. Well done lads, you kept fighting until the end.
There were understandably mixed emotions among Motherwell and Kilmarnock fans after Friday’s 1-1 draw – and not just with the controversial red card for home defender Dan Casey.
Ian: We didn’t do enough to win the game and were again disappointing in our use of possession. Putting on Davor Zdravkovski was never going to change the game. Tawanda Maswanhise and Moses Ebiye made a difference, but by then we were a man down. The red card was a total joke from a referee who was awful for both teams all night. I’d be gobsmacked if it’s not appealed successfully.
John: Watching the game from the opposite end, it was hard to see why the red card was given. When the ref was called to the monitor, there had to be doubt over the decision. On watching it later, how he stuck with the red card is beyond me. Where is our game going? Players are going to get sent off for breathing at this rate. All teams are suffering, it’s a joke.
Alan: The game was totally spoiled by an overzealous referee who consistently blew for free kicks that were questionable in the extreme. It spoiled the flow of the game and both teams suffered from it. Tawanda Maswanhise brought pace speed and creativity when he came on. Play him from the start please.
Eddie: The referee had a bad game, but our football is dire to watch. Young Lennon Miller should leave in January as his valuation is plummeting playing in a midfield that can’t string three passes together.
Ryan: Thought we were bad, passing was off. Harry Paton can’t offer anything. The red card on Dan Casey was a red these days – any movement towards a player’s neck is a red. Their goal could have been saved. Far from good enough from Stuart Kettlewell.
Alan: A very good performance from the much-maligned manager and his team. The manager has shown he can adapt the style of play and the high energy with good goals has helped consolidate our position in the league. All the team and the substitutes contributed to an excellent result. Let’s keep it up and hopefully it will encourage more local supporters.
Some Kilmarnock fans are urging changes up front.
Stephen: No idea what game Derek McInnes was watching if he thought we were the better team throughout. We were awful in the first half – far too narrow and lacked any movement up front. It was so easy for Well to defend their lead and counter attack. Danny Armstrong and Bobby Wales made an instant difference and turned the game. The starting line-up and formation was baffling.
Frank: Silly defensive mistake for goal totally avoidable. Thought Kyle Vassell worked his socks off and had a couple of goalscoring opportunities. We will certainly be in the mix for the top six.
Kenny: We were the better team, but there wasn’t much in it. A game where the poor refereeing will be remembered more than the football.
Jim: We are back to the same problem – Marley Watkins and Kyle Vassell up front will not score for us. Both wasted chances to score. Vassell backs into players and gives fouls away, gets too many yellow cards and wastes the ball by losing it too many times. I am afraid we will linger in the relegation zone all season. Something needs to change.
Scott: This was a match where all post-match talk is rightly dominated by comments around the incompetence of match officials. Despite that, we showed character and I feel we are on the cusp of change for our striking options. The old guard might be about to be retired with new blood taking over. Turn those chances into goals with Bobby Wales up front.
