Hearts 1-2 Celtic
It may not have been too pretty but it was certainly effective from Brendan Rodgers’ men as they navigated one of the trickiest away trips in the country. James Forrest has been brought in from the cold by Rodgers and he took his chance once again, curling Celtic ahead with a classy finish – although they were fortunate given that Stuart Armstrong was in an offside position.
Jamie Walker brought the home side level from the spot after diving to win a penalty. He was subsequently called a “cheat” by Scott Brown, although given Brown’s embarrassing tumble at Inverness last year, the words pot and kettle spring to mind.
The stage was set for substitute Scott Sinclair and the new signing duly obliged, finishing off a swift counter-attack which included a brilliant run by Leigh Griffiths. Celtic may not be invincible but the bounce generated by Brendan’s appointment shows no signs of slowing down just yet.
St Johnstone 0-0 Aberdeen
The less said about this game the better. Perhaps not surprising given Aberdeen started without Jonny Hayes, Niall McGinn and Adam Rooney, and of course had the old cliche of the ‘European hangover’ to fall back on. They dominated large periods of the match but did not create much and Saints Danny Swanson had the best chance of the game, seeing his fierce volley saved by Joe Lewis.
A resolute defensive display from both sides who will happily take the point and move on.
Rangers 1-1 Hamilton
Accies spoiled Rangers title party, with a screamer for Ali Crawford earning a point for the side that are one of the favourites for relegation. Martyn Waghorn finished off a wonderful Rangers move to equalise but then limped off clutching his hamstring as Rangers flag day did not go to plan.
They did create a plethora of chances and would probably have won the game 9 times out of 10 but their shaky defence showed no signs that it has become sturdier over the summer months. Perhaps a timely reminder for some, such as Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar, that the SPFL isn’t quite as easy as they had planned.
Ross County 1-3 Dundee
Talk about making a statement. Dundee players were clearly out to prove that they can cope without Kane Hemmings who left for Oxford United, and Greg Stewart, who was injured but looks to be off soon. A Rory Loy double and a Paul McGowan strike saw the Dark Blues off to the perfect start, and with new signing Faissal El Bakhtaoui to come into the side, perhaps it won’t all be doom on gloom on Tayside after all!
Kilmarnock 1-2 Motherwell
Worrying times for Kilmarnock. Lee Clark was sent to the stands as Motherwell ran out pretty comfortable winners. 2-1 probably flattered Killie as Well could’ve been out of sight if they’d taken their chances. Lionel Ainsworth scored a goal that his Argentinian namesake would’ve been proud of before Marvin Johnson emphasised his importance to the side by capping a good performance with a goal. You suspect Motherwell will be looking up the way this season, while a relegation battle surely beckons for Kilmarnock.
Partick Thistle 2-0 Inverness Caley Thistle
Chris Erskine, who is set to alternate between Partick Thistle and Dundee United until the end of time, opened the scoring as Partick won the battle of the Thistles. Caley looked good in the Betfred Cup but didn’t create too much on the opening day. David Amoo scrambled in one of the most Scottish goals you will see (until next week!) as the Maryhill side secured the perfect start to the season.
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