Motherwell took a significant step towards securing cinch Premiership football for another season with a 2-0 home win over Kilmarnock, who remain immersed in relegation danger.
Blair Spittal’s fourth-minute strike and a late second from Kevin van Veen lifted Stuart Kettlewell’s side nine points clear of their vanquished opponents – and with a vastly superior goal difference – with just four games left of the season.
The defeat leaves Kilmarnock in 11th spot in the table and only now a point ahead of bottom side Ross County following the Dingwall side’s victory over Livingston.
Motherwell made just one change from the team that had drawn at Celtic, Mikael Mandron replacing Harry Paton.
There were two changes to the Kilmarnock team that won at St Mirren as out went Kyle Vassell and Lewis Mayo to be replaced by Joe Wright and Scott Robinson.
The home side went ahead with the first real chance of the game after four minutes. Sean Goss sent James Furlong clear down the left and his cutback was finished well by Spittal.
Kilmarnock responded with a Robinson shot that slid past the near post after Christian Doidge had played him in.
Spittal then nearly had his second of the game only to see his effort deflected wide for a corner. The forward took the set-play himself, finding Calum Slattery outside the box whose low driven shot was again diverted wide.
Both teams seemed intent on attacking and Danny Armstrong was unfortunate to see his free-kick beat the wall but strike the outside of the Motherwell post.
Motherwell continued to pursue a second goal and, from Paul McGinn’s deep cross, Mandron somehow headed over the bar from close range.
Van Veen is likely to be a contender when the Player of the Year nominations are shortly announced and the Dutch striker showed his class again with a back-heeled pass to set up Spittal. The former Ross County player cut inside and got his shot away only for Sam Walker to save with his legs.
Van Veen then created a chance for himself but once again the goalkeeper proved equal to it, Walker making a fine save to keep his side in the contest before looking alert to grab Dan Casey’s attempted lob.
McGinn ought to have made the game safe late on but somehow struck the post with the goal at his mercy, the ball then falling kindly into Walker’s arms.
However, Van Veen fared much better in stoppage time as he calmly slotted in his 25th goal of the season to net for a seventh game in succession.
Kilmarnock 0-5 Celtic: Bhoys capture third straight Scottish Premiership title
Celtic have won the Scottish Premiership for the third consecutive season after a dominant 5-0 win at Kilmarnock on Wednesday.
Rangers beat Dundee United 5-2 on Tuesday to make Celtic wait an extra day to secure another league title, but the Hoops brushed aside Kilmarnock with little fuss.
Adam Idah, Daizen Maeda and James Forrest scored in a dominant first half, with Matt O'Riley helping himself to a brace after the interval to cap a memorable display.
Celtic now have an unassailable six-point lead over their Old Firm rivals with one game to play, and they will celebrate their latest crown at home to St Mirren on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Bhoys closing in on rivals
Celtic have won the Scottish title for the 54th time, pulling them within one of rivals Rangers, who have lifted 55.
They have also finished top of the pile in 12 of the last 13 seasons, their only failure to lift the trophy since 2011 coming when Steven Gerrard's Rangers went unbeaten in 2020-21.
Rangers 5-2 Dundee: Cantwell and Wright keep Celtic's title party on hold
Rangers kept Celtic's Scottish Premiership celebrations on ice after Todd Cantwell and Scott Wright inspired a remarkable turnaround to hammer Dundee 5-2 at Ibrox Stadium on Tuesday.
Philippe Clement's side could not afford to drop points in this clash and seemed set to do so after Jordan McGhee bundled home before Antonio Portales headed past Jack Butland in the first half.
Ross McCausland managed to slice the deficit on the stroke of half-time for the hosts, sliding in to convert from Leon King's cross and teeing up a monumental comeback.
The Ibrox crowd were offered further inspiration to keep the title race alive when Cyriel Dessers glanced in from Cantwell's delivery after 52 minutes.
Former Norwich City midfielder Cantwell's fortuitous cross then dipped over Jon McCracken as Rangers hit the front for the first time, before Wright's pair of late finishes sealed the much-needed three points.
Yet this Rangers salvaging act could still matter for little, with Celtic requiring just a point away to Kilmarnock on Wednesday to seal a third successive top-flight trophy.
Data Debrief: Attacking barrage pays dividends
Clement may apportion this victory to Rangers' unrelenting desire to keep the title race ongoing, blasting 31 shots – and 13 of those on target – at the Dundee target for their 3.34 expected goals (xG) tally.
A plethora of attacking opportunities must be credited to star man Cantwell, who created a game-leading six chances – four more than any other Rangers team-mate.
Rodgers hits back at criticism as Rangers triumph puts Celtic on brink of title
Brendan Rodgers hit back at his critics after Celtic overcame Rangers to put one hand on the Scottish Premiership title, with the Bhoys manager suggesting he had been treated "like a novice".
Rodgers' side moved six points clear of Rangers after Saturday's 2-1 victory at Parkhead, needing only a point ahead of Wednesday's trip to Kilmarnock to secure the top-flight trophy.
Soon-to-be champions Celtic have struggled at times after Rodgers' return to the club, though the former Liverpool boss has been hampered by injuries to numerous key players.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda have all suffered from fitness struggles this term, though Celtic have still responded to move within touching distance of the title.
Earlier in the season, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton suggested Rodgers was "going through the motions" after defeats against Hearts and Kilmarnock – and Rodgers clearly took note of those comments.
"From a professional perspective there will be doubt," Rodgers told his post-match press conference after downing Rangers.
"From a personal perspective, I am surprised in a way where I heard somebody saying 'Brendan Rodgers was going through the motions' earlier in the season.
"Now, I get to work between half seven and eight o'clock every day of my life. I leave the training ground between half six and seven o'clock at night. And then when I get home, I have my dinner and probably flip on the computer and watch more football.
"Now, if that's going through the motions, I want to know what every other manager is doing. So, from a personal level, I have been treated like a novice since I've come back here. Like it's my first job.
"However, my first objective is to make sure Celtic win. Part of that is a part of the criticism and I understand that.
"But it's the mentality of the team that is most important to me, and that mentality you can see from where we were, with injuries, how we progressed, how we stayed unified and together, and how we then get to this point where we are nearly crossing the finishing line.
"And we don't just want to cross it, we want to sprint over it. We have two games to go, plus a final, and that is our mentality."
Rodgers and Celtic's celebrations could start sooner than Wednesday, if Rangers fail to beat Dundee the day before.
Another title would mark Celtic's 54th Scottish Premiership trophy and their 12th in the last 13 seasons.
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