Celtic slip hands Rangers the title

By Alex O'Henley

Two Scott McDonald goals in the last three minutes gave Motherwell FC a 2-1 victory against Celtic FC and dramatically handed the Scottish Premier League title to Rangers FC. The Ibrox side won 1-0 at Hibernian FC thanks to a second-half strike by Nacho Novo which ultimately clinched the title by a point.

McDonald magic
Celtic, two points clear of Rangers at the start of play, looked to be heading for their fourth title in five seasons when Chris Sutton gave them the lead on 29 minutes at Fir Park. But with three minutes remaining, McDonald scored with an overhead kick from ten metres to equalise for Terry Butcher’s side.

'Phenomenal finish'
At that stage Rangers were set to win the title on goal difference courtesy of Novo’s deflected effort on 59 minutes at Easter Road, but a second goal from McDonald in added time meant Alex McLeish’s men won the championship by a single point. "We always dreamed that something like this might happen," said McLeish. "It has been a phenomenal finish to the season."

Hibernian delight
Meanwhile, Hibernian secured third place and a UEFA Cup berth next season on goal difference after Aberdeen could only defeat Heart of Midlothian FC 2-0 at Pittodrie. Richie Byrne opened the scoring for the Dons with a headed goal just before the interval and although Derek Adams added a second goal four minutes into the second half, it was not enough to achieve the six-goal swing required to overhaul Hibernian.

Dundee downed
At the bottom, Dundee FC went down after only managing a 1-1 draw at relegation rivals Livingston FC. Calum Macdonald’s 18th-minute header had given the Dens Park side the lead, before Craig Easton’s header levelled matters seven minutes later. The visitors almost stole an added-time winner through Tam McManus, only to be denied by the post as Dundee dropped down to the First Division for the first time in seven years.

Robson returns
Meanwhile, neighbours Dundee United FC secured their top-flight status for another season with a 1-0 victory at Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC, thanks to a Barry Robson penalty against his former club. Kilmarnock FC ended their campaign with a convincing 4-0 home win against Dunfermline Athletic FC with goals coming from Gary Locke, Rhian Dodds, Kris Boyd and Gary McDonald.