6 hours ago
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Landry Kaboré scored a double as Premiership leaders Hearts cranked up the pressure on title rivals Rangers and Celtic by easing to a 3-0 away win over nine-man Dundee United.
The Jambos struck early through Kaboré and then doubled their lead with an Alexandros Kyziridis penalty shortly after home winger Amar Fatah was sent off. Kaboré then sealed a comfortable victory after United substitute Pan Camara was dismissed as Derek McInnes’s rampant league leaders soared seven points clear of Rangers and nine ahead of Celtic. Both Glasgow sides play on Sunday, Rangers at Hibernian and Celtic at home to Falkirk.
Kabore has had to be patient this season, but an injury to the top scorer, Lawrence Shankland, has paved the way for the Burkina Faso forward to start the last two matches. “I thought Kabore led the line well,” said McInnes. “Obviously, a lot has been made recently about key players being out so you’re looking for somebody to take over that goalscoring threat, and Kabore stepped up tonight. Two great goals, led the line brilliantly. And he was ably supported by a really strong Hearts performance.”
Tawanda Maswanhise struck twice to keep Motherwell snapping at the heels of Celtic with a 2-0 victory at the basement club, Livingston. The Zimbabwe international opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a looping header and as the half-hour mark approached he curled home a second. Elijah Just hit the woodwork and Maswanhise could have scored a third in a match dominated by the visitors.
Livingston’s problems mounted with news that 11th-placed Kilmarnock had crushed Aberdeen 3-0 at Rugby Park to move six points clear of the bottom. A glancing header by Brad Lyons and a well-taken finish by Bruce Anderson, scored in quick succession, propelled Kilmarnock into an early lead. The Dons’ problems mounted when their captain, Graeme Shinnie, was shown a straight red card for a high challenge and Tyreece John-Jules added the third soon after.
St Mirren and Dundee fought out a goalless draw at Love Street. Stephen Robinson suggested St Mirren would consider appealing against the red card shown to Jake Young. Young, who was making his home debut, was sent off after 63 minutes by Nick Walsh for catching Brad Halliday on the foot as he stretched for the ball, a decision upheld by the video assistant referee.
Robinson said: “For me it’s never a red card. I’m not sure where Jake has to put his foot. It’s in his stride. He can’t jump up in the air. If it was a yellow card, nobody in the stadium complains about it. Nobody at Dundee complains about it either.
“You’re hoping for a review and they get it right and pull it back, but sometimes that goes against you as well and it did. I’d like to appeal it. It obviously costs money to do that but I would like to think we’d win an appeal. But it’s gone to VAR as well so maybe they’ve seen angles that I haven’t.”
