Celtic edge ahead of Rangers

SPL round-up: Shaun Maloney celebrated his return to the Scotland squad with a double as Celtic came from behind to beat Hamilton…

SPL round-up:Shaun Maloney celebrated his return to the Scotland squad with a double as Celtic came from behind to beat Hamilton 3-1 at Parkhead and go top of the Scottish Premier League.

Mark McLaughlin scored a shock opener for the visitors after three minutes and it was only goalkeeper Fraser Forster who prevented the Hoops falling further behind with some impressive saves as the home side struggled to get going.

But in the 25th minute Maloney, back in Craig Levein’s squad for the forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifying double header against Czech Republic and Spain, levelled with a header.

The former Aston Villa player put the Hoops ahead with a wonderful free-kick after the break before Gary Hooper sealed the win that took them above Old Firm rivals Rangers on goal difference.

READ MORE

Steven Naismith was the hero once again for Rangers as the Scottish champions staged a dramatic late comeback to snatch a 2-1 win against Hearts earlier in the day.

Rudi Skacel marked his first start for Hearts with a first-half opener, before Kyle Lafferty came off the bench to haul Rangers back into the match.

Just when it looked as though both teams would have to settle for a draw, Naismith — who also grabbed the winner against Bursaspor in the Champions League - secured all three points deep into stoppage time.

A Tom Hateley penalty and Jamie Murphy strike in the final three minutes at Fir Park gave third-placed Motherwell their first home win of the season in the SPL against St Mirren.

Chris Humphrey had put the hosts in front after three minutes although the visitors came close to an equaliser through Michael Higdon on the stroke of half-time.

Gareth Wardlaw restored parity for the visitors in a second half which lacked goalmouth action until the dramatic conclusion.

Dundee United’s superior finishing was the difference as they won 2-1 at Kilmarnock. After David Goodwillie put United ahead on 15 minutes, Kilmarnock dominated the first half and again after the break before United doubled their lead on 69 minutes through Jon Daly.

Killie ended the game with 10 men after two late bookings for Frazer Wright, before Conor Sammon’s stoppage-time goal for the hosts.

Two bizarre goals helped Inverness beat Aberdeen 2-0. Irish duo Jonny Hayes and Adam Rooney were both on target to seal maximum points against the Dons to give Terry Butcher’s men back-to-back league wins for the first time this season.

The Dons ended the game with 10 men as substitute Michael Paton was shown a straight red card in the 66th minute for a foul on Hayes.

A second-half header from Liam Craig and a stoppage-time strike from Marcus Haber earned St Johnstone their second win of the season and heaped yet more pressure on Hibernian’s under-fire manager John Hughes.

Craig, who Hughes had as a player at Falkirk, sprang from the bench after an hour and effectively snatched all three points for the hosts 15 minutes later. Saints’ victory was assured in stoppage time as substitute Haber ran through to add a second.