Aberdeen move four points clear

[sake]

A review of Sunday's action in the Scottish Premiership.


Adam Rooney's double moved Aberdeen four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership as they beat Motherwell 2-0 at Fir Park.

Rooney scored in each half to secure Aberdeen's seventh consecutive league win and put more pressure on Celtic ahead of the champions' trip to Kilmarnock on Monday night.

The Irishman opened the scoring in the 36th minute after some poor defensive work from Motherwell, who did not get going as an attacking force until the final quarter.

Even then they could not seriously trouble Dons goalkeeper Scott Brown and David Goodwillie missed two sitters before Rooney netted a controversial 89th-minute penalty.

The award came when Willie Collum, who was under fire for giving three soft spot-kicks when Kilmarnock and St Mirren met on New Year's Day, sent off Stephen McManus for deliberate handball to end Motherwell's comeback hopes.

A first-half opener from Tony Andreu earned Hamilton a hard-earned 1-0 victory over 10-man St Johnstone to stay firmly in the title race.

Andreu volleyed in a Stephen Hendrie cross in the 34th minute to ensure Accies built on a stunning 5-0 victory over Lanarkshire rivals Motherwell on New Year's Day.

St Johnstone's hopes of snatching a point slipped away as time wore on when James McFadden was sent-off after being shown a second yellow card in the 84th minute.


Ryan Stevenson and Kris Doolan both scored as they helped injury-hit Partick pull off a surprise 2-2 draw with Dundee United.

Gary Mackay-Steven put United ahead early on but their lead lasted just a quarter of an hour before Stevenson headed the hosts level.

Doolan then capped off a magnificent first-half display from Alan Archibald's side with a second goal just after the half-hour mark.

It was a different story after the break as United piled forward but it took them until the 73rd minute to find an equaliser as Celtic target Nadir Ciftci netted.

Scots Prem

Inverness 1 - 0 St Mirren
Partick 2 - 2 Dundee U
St J'stone 0 - 1 Hamilton
Motherwell 0 - 2 Aberdeen
Dundee 1 - 1 Ross Co

Scots Prem Results

A cheeky backheel from Billy McKay proved St Mirren's undoing as Inverness claimed a 1-0 victory in the Highlands.

The Caley Thistle forward bagged his seventh goal of the season after 77 minutes to seal the win, making it strikes in consecutive games for the first time since December 2013.

Craig Curran's equaliser gave bottom-club Ross County a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw with off-form Dundee at Dens Park.

Curran hit a 64th-minute leveller on his debut after Jim McAlister had opened the scoring shortly before for the Dark Blues, whose recent woes continued as they failed to end their winless run which stands now at eight games.

Jim McIntyre's men had also Terence Dunfield red-carded in seven minutes for going in high on Paul McGowan.