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5 things we learned from the Scottish Premiership this weekend

Rangers are eight points off the pace following defeat to Livingston.

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Hearts continue to lead the way at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership after their 2-1 victory over St Johnston but Rangers have dropped eight points off the pace with their defeat to Livingston.

Here Press Association Sport takes a look at five things we learned from the weekend action:

Rangers need travel sickness cure

Scott Arfield (right) and Ovie Ejaria are dejected after defeat to Livingston
Scott Arfield (right) and Ovie Ejaria are dejected after defeat to Livingston (Graham Stuart/PA)

Steven Gerrard needs to find a cure for Rangers’ travel sickness. They have played four games away from home in the Ladbrokes Premiership under new boss Gerrard and have so far failed to win any of them. Points were thrown away in stoppage time at Aberdeen and Motherwell and Gers have now slipped to back-to-back road defeats against Celtic and Livingston. You have to go back to February’s 4-1 triumph at St Johnstone to find the Light Blues’ last away league victory and Gerrard admits his side cannot afford any further setbacks if they want to challenge for the title.

Confidence boost for Scott Sinclair

Kilmarnock striker Kris Boyd accused Celtic winger Scott Sinclair of hiding and not having the belief to go past players following the champions’ defeat at Rugby Park the previous weekend. But the former Swansea player answered his critics in style with a brilliant back-heeled finish to prove the difference against Aberdeen.

Haring scaring opposition defences

When Hearts signed 25-year-old Austrian Peter Haring, it was expected he would vie with Christophe Berra and John Soutter for a place in Craig Levein’s back-line. But the Jambos boss had other ideas and his reward for slotting Haring into an advanced midfield role has been five goals so far, with the latest in the Jambos’ 2-1 win over St Johnstone which maintains their five-point lead at the top of the table.

McCann finally gets his reward

Dundee boss Neil McCann could easily have told his men to ditch their fluid style of play on the back of seven straight defeats and instead opted for a more direct, risk-free approach. But credit to McCann, who has stuck to his ideals and was rewarded as his team passed their way past Hamilton for their first win of the season at the Hope Stadium.

Time for Motherwell to get motoring

Motherwell suffered their fifth league defeat of the season on Saturday as they slumped 3-1 at Kilmarnock. That latest setback has left Stephen Robinson’s men perched just a point off bottom spot, but the Fir Park boss is refusing to panic yet. They face Livingston, St Johnstone, St Mirren and Dundee over the next month and that run of games could yet offer his side scope to kick-start their campaign.

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