Tony Gallacher popped up with his first career goal as St Johnstone eased their relegation concerns and simultaneously dented Hibernian’s top-six bid with a surprise 2-1 win at Easter Road.
Nick Montgomery’s Hibs were jeered off by their supporters after the former Falkirk and Liverpool defender scored an 81st-minute winner for the Perth side to take them five points clear of Ross County in the battle to avoid finishing second bottom.
At one point, it looked like Hibs’ hopes of securing a top-six place were over, but Dundee’s late collapse at home to Motherwell means the Leith outfit remain within a point of the Dark Blues and still have a chance of scrambling into the top six.
There was one change for both sides after their respective defeats a week previously, with Hibs attacker Martin Boyle replacing Elie Youan, who dropped to the bench, and Saints defender Andrew Considine taking over from the injured Liam Gordon.
The hosts thought they should have had a penalty in the ninth minute when St Johnstone goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov clattered into Emiliano Marcondes as he tried to punch a high ball clear after Myziane Maolida’s shot from outside the box had deflected up into the air, but play was waved on.
Three minutes later, Joe Newell had a good opportunity after being set up by a cutback from the left by Maolida but the midfielder blazed an angled shot over the bar from 15 yards out with his weaker right foot.
Saints got their first notable sight of goal in the 24th minute when Adama Sidibeh drove at Hibs’ defence and saw a strike from the edge of the box deflect just wide off Marcondes.
The hosts were struggling to generate any rhythm in a strong, swirling wind and Saints – enjoying a more comfortable afternoon than they probably anticipated – threatened again in the 40th minute when Nicky Clark pinged a shot over from outside the box after things opened up nicely for him.
The visitors made the breakthrough in the 48th minute when Matt Smith clipped a well-weighted pass in behind the home defence and Sidibeh raced away from Rocky Bushiri to fire an angled shot beyond the exposed David Marshall.
With their top-six rivals Dundee leading Motherwell at that point, the pressure was on Hibs to summon a response and they did exactly that in the 56th minute when Chris Cadden followed up to ram the ball into the net from 12 yards out after Mitov parried a Maolida shot from the edge of the box into his path.
The hosts had several good chances to get their noses in front, with Cadden and Maolida sending efforts over the bar and Adam Le Fondre and Maolida denied by excellent saves from Mitov.
Hibs were made to pay in the 81st minute when Gallacher pounced on the edge of the six-yard box to hook in a Graham Carey corner.
Sevilla 1-2 Barcelona: Bittersweet farewell for Xavi as Barca end season with a win
Barcelona ended the season with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla in LaLiga on Sunday, making departing coach Xavi's farewell bittersweet after a trophy-less season.
La Blaugrana came out all guns blazing from the start and took the lead in the 15th minute through Robert Lewandowski who scored from close range after latching onto Joao Cancelo's cross.
Sevilla levelled with Youssef En-Nesyri's strike in the 31st minute and went close again but failed to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen before Barca got the winner on the hour through Fermin Lopez.
Barca were already guaranteed second place going into Xavi's final game. The Spaniard was sacked on Friday, after a disappointing campaign in which they lost the Spanish Supercopa final to Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-final.
Data Debrief: A legend departs
Xavi never lost any of his six games as a manager against Sevilla in LaLiga (W5 D1), making them just the third opponent that he faced six times without defeat (also W5 D1 against Real Mallorca and Osasuna).
Fermin got the all-important goal to ensure Xavi's tenure ended on a high note. He has scored seven goals in LaLiga in 2024, a record surpassed by only one other Spanish player in Europe's top five leagues this year: Iago Aspas (eight).
Verona 2-2 Inter: Arnautovic double earns point for Serie A winners
Champions Inter end their Serie A season with a 2-2 draw against Verona thanks to a Marko Arnautovic double.
The Austrian opened the scoring after 10 minutes with a neat finish, but Inter were soon pegged back as Tijjani Noslin equalised six minutes later.
The Dutchman then set up Tomas Suslov for their second to turn the game on its head, but another smart finish from Arnautovic on the stroke of half-time ensured they would salvage a point.
Simone Perilli proved the hero for Verona in the end, pulling off a string of fine saves to keep his side level.
Data Debrief: Landmark for Inzaghi
Simone Inzaghi has now earned 250 points as a coach in Serie A with Inter, an achievement only Roberto Mancini has reached so far with the Nerazzurri in the three-points-per-win era (436). This draw takes him up to the landmark after 77 wins and 19 draws (18 losses).
After winning the Scudetto with five games to go, Inzaghi has led Inter to 94 points in Serie A, with only three teams ever earning more points in a single campaign in the competition in the three-points-per-win era: Inter in 2006-07 (97) and Juventus in 2013-14 (102) and 2017-18 (95).
Bonucci calls time on glittering career
Leonardo Bonucci has called time on his glittering career, after playing his final game for Fenerbahce.
The decorated defender announced on Saturday that he would retire at the end of the Turkish Super Lig season, which concluded with Ismail Kartal's side inflicting a 6-0 rout on Istanbulspor.
However, it was not quite enough to snatch the title from Galatasaray, who finished three points clear after a 3-1 victory at Konyaspor on the final day.
Bonucci, who signed from Union Berlin in January, was given a wonderful reception as he was presented with a plaque before the game, in which he came on as a 64th-minute substitute.
The 37-year-old enjoyed the most success during his career with Juventus, where he won eight Serie A titles and reached two Champions League finals, while he helped Italy to glory at Euro 2020.
"It was a pleasure for me to be a part of this wonderful family," he said of his time at Fenerbahce on Saturday. "I tried to show my best on and off the field.
A statement on the club website paid tribute to Bonucci, reading: "It was an honour to see a legend like you in a Cubuklu jersey.
"At this special moment of your career, we would like to thank you on behalf of the entire Fenerbahce family. We wish you successful and healthy days in which you will be a part of football in your future life."
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