A stoppage-time winner by substitute Josh Sims in a 3-2 victory boosted Ross County’s survival hopes and drove a dagger into the hearts of bottom side Livingston.
Having fought back from two goals down to level this bottom-of-the-table tussle, Livi threatened to turn the match on its head in the closing stages.
Trailing to Eamonn Brophy’s first-half double in the space of seven minutes, Livi mounted a brave comeback when substitute Bruce Anderson also struck twice.
But Sims cancelled out Anderson’s 86th-minute leveller in the second additional minute to leave County six points ahead of their rivals and just two adrift of 10th-placed St Johnstone.
Livi were clearly boosted after ending a 16-match winless run with a home success against St Mirren last week, but it was County who posed the greater threat as they sought to record their first victory of 2024.
Brophy, back in favour after being given only a bit-part role for much of the season, lacked composure after six minutes, otherwise the home side would surely have been in front.
Michee Efete created an opening for the striker when he laid the ball off for Brophy, but his shot from the edge of the box was a little too high.
Victor Loturi went closer in the 13th minute with a cracking 25-yarder, forcing Shamal George to finger-tip the ball over the bar.
Livi’s best chance fell between these openings when Jamie Brandon made a smart dash down the right side before sending over a probing cross which George Wickens was glad to claw away.
Andrew Shinnie, following up, saw his effort blocked before the ball was eventually scrambled clear.
Livi proved to be much less composed under pressure and paid a heavy price as a consequence of failing to shackle Brophy, who followed up his 21st-minute opener with a second in the 27th minute.
But they threatened to eat into their two-goal deficit when Tete Yengi unleashed a powerful shot from the left side, forcing Wickens to push the ball over the bar.
It also served as a warning that the Livi players were not of a mind to simply roll over and accept their fate.
If the County players required any further proof that they were a long way from being home and dry they got it within 67 seconds of the restart.
Anderson made an immediate impact when he found the net from the centre of the box following a set-piece.
It then required the combined efforts of Wickens and Efete to deny Jason Holt a 61st-minute equaliser as Livi stepped up the pressure.
Holt was again at the centre of the action in the 71st minute, this time forcing a quick reaction block by Wickens.
And when Anderson struck with four minutes remaining Livi looked like they had salvaged a point – that was until Sims produced the cruellest of endings.
Bayern Munich 3-0 Augsburg: Hat-trick hero Kane smashes Bundesliga record
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick to become the quickest player to score 50 Bundesliga goals as Bayern Munich comfortably dispatched Augsburg 3-0 on Friday.
Kane opened the scoring in the 63rd with a penalty before netting a quickfire double in second-half stoppage time to smash the record previously held by Erling Haaland.
Despite controlling the early possession, Bayern were unable to make their dominance count, with Nediljko Labrovic rarely troubled in the opening 45 minutes.
The hosts maintained their dominance after the interval, with Leon Goretzka's looped header grazing the crossbar before Jamal Musiala went close soon after.
However, Bayern were awarded a penalty after a lengthy VAR review saw Mads Pedersen penalised for handling the ball, with Kane stepping up to score from 12 yards.
The England captain grabbed his second of the game in the third-minute of stoppage time following another VAR review which saw Keven Schlotterbeck sent off after tripping Kane inside the box.
Kane sent Labrovic the wrong way but was not to be denied a fourth treble of the season, brilliantly taking down Goretzka's searching ball before heading the ball home.
Data Debrief: HurriKane
Kane has now scored 50 Bundesliga goals in 43 matches. Before him, Haaland was the quickest player to reach 50 Bundesliga goals, having done so in 50 appearances in the competition for Borussia Dortmund.
He is also the quickest to reach that total for Bayern by some distance. Kane has reached that tally quicker than the likes of Gerd Muller (83 games), Mario Gomez (71 games), Roy Makaay (67 games) and Robert Lewandowski (64 games).
10 of Kane’s goals have come from penalties, while 32 of them have been with his right foot, nine with his left and nine with his head.
Messi 'will be our No.10 in 2026', hopes Inter Miami chief Mas
Inter Miami fully expect Lionel Messi to remain at the club beyond his current contract ahead of the 2026 MLS season.
Those were the words of Miami's club managing owner, Jorge Mas, who was speaking to the media following Gerardo Martino's resignation earlier on Friday.
Messi joined the MLS side in July 2023 on a two-and-a-half-year contract, leading the Herons to the Supporters' Shield and Leagues Cup during his time in the United States so far.
His current deal is due to expire at the end of next year, though Mas made clear his desire to see Messi remain with the Herons at Miami Freedom Park, the club's new stadium that will open in 2026.
"He’s under contract through 2025. Leo and I will sit, and we’ll discuss the future,” Mas said.
“As I’ve said before, and I will repeat it now: I fully expect that in the opening of our new stadium in 2026 in Miami and the opening of our 2026 season, hopefully after a trophy-laden 2025 season, that Lionel Messi will be our No. 10.”
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
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