Celtic returned to the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a routine 3-0 victory at Motherwell, putting them back above Aberdeen on goal difference.

Brendan Rodgers' Bhoys had been knocked off the summit by the Dons' 1-0 win over Dundee United on Saturday, but they responded by easing to their eighth victory in nine games at Fir Park.

Luke McCowan steered in the opener on his first Celtic start, after Lennon Miller had twice struck the woodwork in the early stages.

Stand-in captain Alistair Johnston then ghosted in to score their second at the back post shortly before the hour mark, with Adam Idah adding a third before Motherwall's Liam Gordon was sent off in stoppage time.

That result piled the pressure on Rangers, who could have ended the weekend nine points adrift of the top two, but they claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over St Mirren at Ibrox to stay within six.

Mohamed Diomande's powerful close-range finish put the Gers ahead, but Alex Gogic rose to nod in a St Mirren equaliser midway through the first half.

Vaclav Cerny spared their blushes, though, as he scored the winner following good work from Cyriel Dessers in the 69th minute. 

Rangers go to second-placed Aberdeen, who are yet to lose this season, for a huge fixture in the title race on Wednesday.

In Sunday's other Premiership game, teenager James Wilson struck three minutes from time to rescue a point for Hearts in a 1-1 Edinburgh Derby draw at Hibernian.

Mykola Kuharevich had put Hibs ahead on the rebound after Marvin Ekpiteta headed against the crossbar just after the hour mark, but Wilson got the final touch to divert James Penrice's long throw home with stoppage time looming.

The result keeps Hibs rooted to the foot of the table with six points, though they are only behind 11th-placed Hearts on goal difference and still have a game in hand to come.

Celtic maintained their perfect start to the Scottish Premiership season with an emphatic 3-0 victory over St Mirren on Sunday.

Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate struck in the first half to put the Bhoys in control, with Alistair Johnston scoring in the second to ensure they would leave with all three points.

Celtic got off to a superb start, with captain McGregor latching onto James Forrest's lay-off to pick out the bottom-right corner inside the opening three minutes.

The visitors' dominance was rewarded with a second goal just after the half-hour mark, with Hatate coolly slotting in via the inside of the far post.

St Mirren started the second half on the front foot, though only Jaden Brown tested Kasper Schmeichel, who got down well to hold onto his low shot.

Celtic soon took control once more, with Johnston darting into the box to meet Nicolas Kuhn's low cross and rifle in a third goal in the 71st minute to settle the game.

Data Debrief: Leading from the front

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers could not have asked for a better start to their title defence, with nine points on the board after three games, having scored nine and conceded none.

McGregor has proven invaluable already, and he netted his second goal in as many games, already matching his tally from last season. 

Celtic have now won each of their last nine Scottish Premiership games, a good run of form with Old Firm rivals Rangers next up.

Luis Palma struck a late winner as champions Celtic twice came from behind to see off St Mirren 3-2 on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season.

It was a day of celebrations at Celtic Park for Brendan Rodgers' side, who wrapped up their third successive domestic title in midweek.

However, St Mirren threatened to spoil the party when Mark O'Hara fired them in front after just seven minutes.

Top scorer Matt O'Riley equalised for the hosts in the 21st minute, but they fell behind again just five minutes later when O'Hara doubled his tally from the penalty spot after Stephen Welsh fouled Toyosi Olusanya.

Kyogo Furuhashi levelled for Celtic before half-time, and the Hoops completed the turnaround with Palma scored the winner with four minutes remaining.

Rodgers' side finished eight points clear of second-place Rangers, who were held to a 3-3 draw by Hearts.

Despite falling behind to Lawrence Shankland's strike, goals from Ross McCausland, Todd Cantwell and Fabio Silva seemingly had the visitors on course for a comfortable win at Tynecastle.

However, there was to be a late twist with Dexter Lembikisa pulling a goal back in the 82nd minute, before Kyosuke Tagawa struck deep into stoppage time to rescue a point for the hosts.

There was also nothing to separate Dundee and Kilmarnock, who drew 1-1 in the other match on the final day.

Luke McCowan cancelled out Gary Mackay-Steven's earlier effort, though the Dundee captain squandered a glorious opportunity to complete the turnaround when he missed a penalty two minutes from time.

Rangers boosted their Scottish Premiership title hopes as Cyriel Dessers' strike earned a narrow 2-1 win over St. Mirren at the SMISA Stadium on Sunday.

Rangers were ahead with 32 minutes played as Zach Hemming failed to deal with a cross before James Bolton inadvertently put through his own net under pressure from Dessers.

But St. Mirren hit back just five minutes later as Mikael Mandron nodded goalwards, with the ball flying just past the fingertips of Jack Butland before going in off the post to send the teams into the break level.

Rangers needed a response in the second half, and they got exactly that with 18 minutes left to play as Dessers was left with far too much space in the middle to head James Tavernier's cross into the back of the net.

The hosts huffed and puffed for another equaliser but ultimately could not find one as Rangers held on for three much-needed points that move them level with leaders Celtic but with an inferior goal difference, leaving them second ahead of Celtic's visit to Dundee later on Sunday.

St. Mirren, meanwhile, remain fifth in the Scottish Premiership table.

Reo Hatate scored his first goal for six months to kick-start Celtic’s 3-0 win over St Mirren.

The midfielder produced a classy finish as Celtic recovered from a slack and goalless first half to take control of the game early in the second period.

Hatate has endured an injury-hit 12 months but he stepped up his comeback from calf problems by easing the tension around Celtic Park.

Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah also netted as the cinch Premiership leaders moved four points ahead of Rangers, who have still to play twice before the split.

With Daizen Maeda absent with a hamstring problem, Celtic missed the wide player’s dynamism in a tepid first-half display.

Yang Hyun-jun was handed a start in Maeda’s place despite his poor defensive work when Rangers equalised at Ibrox last weekend. Callum McGregor started on the bench as Celtic continue to manage his Achilles problem while Maik Nawrocki replaced the injured Liam Scales.

The centre-back was fortunate to escape an early booking for a late aerial challenge on Toyosi Olusanya after misjudging the flight of the ball in his first appearance for seven weeks.

He was far from the only Celtic player to start slowly and referee Steven McLean again frustrated the visitors when he gave them a free-kick just as they broke two on one.

Ryan Strain came on for St Mirren after Elvis Bwomono went off with a head knock and the Australian was quickly booked for a foul on Yang.

That was a rare moment of progress for the South Korea winger though and Celtic only managed one shot in the first half, Matt O’Riley’s drilled effort blocked by Caolan Boyd-Munce.

Boyd-Munce was showing strength and composure in the Saints midfield and Alex Gogic was breaking out of defence to spring some counter-attacks.

The visitors looked the more threatening team in the opening half. Greg Kiltie had a great chance from Olusanya’s square ball but could not make the required contact. Strain had an effort blocked and Olusanya fired over from a tight angle.

Whatever Brendan Rodgers said at half-time had the desired effect as Celtic immediately stepped up several gears.

Furuhashi glanced a header wide when Cameron Carter-Vickers looked likely to score behind him but Celtic did not have long to wait for the breakthrough in the 52nd minute.

Alistair Johnston’s pass inside found Hatate and the Japan midfielder took a touch before quickly guiding the ball into the top corner with the outside of his boot from 16 yards.

Yang miskicked when presented with a good chance moments later but Furuhashi doubled the lead on the hour mark when he headed home Johnston’s cross from six yards.

Zach Hemming saved from Greg Taylor, Hatate and substitute Luis Palma as Celtic kept up the pressure.

St Mirren had seen Scott Tanser and Kiltie, through injury, go off at the start of the second half and the visitors were now struggling to impose themselves.

McGregor was among four substitutes who came on in the 71st minute and the home side were able to make a sixth replacement, James Forrest, because of Bwomono’s concussion.

The winger came close before being involved in the move that led to Idah nodding home from close range in the 86th minute as Celtic outnumbered the visiting defence.

Manager Stephen Robinson praised his St Mirren players for sealing top-six football for a second successive season and urged them to now aim for Europe.

The Paisley side lost 2-1 at home to Hearts, who forged into a two-goal lead thanks to Jorge Grant’s penalty and a Mikael Mandron own goal.

Toyosi Olusanya’s strike wasn’t enough to prevent St Mirren slipping to defeat but Hibernian’s failure to win against St Johnstone confirmed a top-half finish for the Buddies.

Robinson said: “The top six is achieved over 33 games and you get your rewards. We are five points clear in fifth place and this group thoroughly deserves that.

“It’s the first time the club has achieved successive top-six finishes in 39 years. People’s expectations have risen massively and that’s down to the players.

“With the resources we have, we shouldn’t be in the top six. We are punching way above our weight in terms of the clubs we are competing with.

“Credit to the staff who work tirelessly to drag every bit of energy and quality out of the squad. And to the board who have backed us for the last two years and tried to push the club forward.

“Now our aim is can we get into Europe? It’s 37 years since we managed that but now we can breathe a bit, relax and play our football.”

Opposite number Steven Naismith was equally satisfied as Hearts ground out their 10th away victory of the season to strengthen their hold on third place.

He explained: “I said that to the squad after the game. I think this is probably the stereotypical game Hearts have been questioned in over the years.

“Can you deal with the fight? Add to that St Mirren are going for the top six so when we take the lead, we know they were going to go gung-ho.

“They did and brought more attacking players on and we had to deal with it – and I think we did.

“We did it without three of our most consistent players this season and we did it in terrible conditions that both teams had to play in. So for me it’s a fantastic win.”

Boss Stephen Robinson believes there are plenty of positives despite St Mirren not quite managing to secure a place in the top six after drawing 1-1 at Motherwell.

The Buddies opened the scoring after 18 minutes when Marcus Fraser nodded home but they were pegged back with 16 minutes remaining as Theo Bair bundled over the line.

Robinson’s side remain fifth in the Premiership and hold a five-point advantage over Hibernian in seventh with just two games remaining.

He said: “Overall, to come to Fir Park and get a point is another point towards our ultimate goal which is top six.

“I thought we should have won the game but when you don’t take your chances then you don’t.

“The fact we’re in the running for the top six two years in a row after such a long absence tells you we are going in the right direction.”

Having lost 5-2 at Kilmarnock in their last league outing, Robinson was pleased with the resilience his side demonstrated against the Steelmen.

The Northern Irishman also praised their travelling support for staying with the team throughout.

“After Kilmarnock, it was important we were hard to break down, hard to beat and we were,” he added.

“The reaction to two weeks ago and the fans reaction, they stayed with the boys even when they equalised.”

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell talked up his team’s spirit after they battled back from behind to claim a hard-earned point.

Bair took his tally for the season to 12 to earn Well a share of the spoils.

“I thought we started really well in the game, we played with a real purpose and we were a real threat down our left-hand side,” Kettlewell said.

“There was a frantic four or five-minute spell, St Mirren hitting the crossbar from a free-kick, we know they’ve got quality with the guys that surround the ball and even from the follow-up that cannons off the bar as well.

“It probably just rocked us a wee bit leading into the goal we concede. We’ve got the throw-in, it leads to a corner for then and, fundamentally, we’ve got to defend it better.

“The most pleasing aspect is not being at our best, not passing as well as what I’ve seen us do, not connecting key players in the game – we still had that bit of character.”

Motherwell have kept their slim hopes of landing a top-six place alive despite failing to win at home for the second game in a row.

The Steelmen are six points behind Dundee, with just two games remaining, so will need favours from elsewhere and to take maximum points before the split.

Kettlewell added: “It still keeps us in the position of trying to get the top six, we find ourselves six points behind and still have Dundee and Hibs to play.

“It keeps us in the mix, we need a few favours and a few things to drop our way.”

Theo Bair was on target again as Motherwell recovered from a goal down to claim a 1-1 draw against St Mirren at Fir Park.

The Canadian international bundled the ball over the line with 16 minutes left to draw the Steelmen level in an entertaining encounter that could have gone either way.

The visitors struck the bar twice before breaking the deadlock when Marcus Fraser took advantage of some poor defending to head home Greg Kiltie’s corner after 18 minutes.

Motherwell’s chances of claiming a place in the top-six have all but gone after failing to win for the second successive home fixture, while Saints remain in fifth, two points behind fourth-placed Kilmarnock

The hosts were quick out of the traps and almost went ahead on four minutes when a wonderful pass from Andy Halliday released Georgie Gent who had his effort turned on to the post.

Bair was quickest to the rebound but he would see his shot blocked and despite pleas from the home players, a short VAR check would deem that the ball had not struck the hand of James Bolton.

Surviving a close scare seemed to jolt the visitors into life and a minute later, Olutoyosi Olusanya outmuscled Gent before being denied by a good stop from Liam Kelly.

The home side had the crossbar to thank twice in the space of 30 seconds as Ryan Strain struck the frame of the goal and Mikael Mandron followed up by heading the rebound inches too high.

St Mirren had a grip on proceedings and would deservedly open the scoring after 18 minutes following poor communication between Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell that led to a softly conceded corner.

Kiltie floated across the resulting set-piece and despite Halliday getting a slight touch on the ball, Fraser was on hand to nod it home at the back-post.

There was an early change for the visitors when Bolton hobbled off to be replaced by Richard Taylor.

Scott Tanser blazed over from a promising position after indecision in the home defence, before Motherwell had a chance of their own as Halliday forced an excellent save from Zach Hemming.

Both Olusanya and Halliday had opportunities in the closing stages of an entertaining first half – and there were chances at both ends following the restart.

Bair was unable to make proper contact with Gent’s tantalising delivery which allowed Hemming to gather, while at the other end, Dan Casey was able to divert Olusanya’s angled drive away for a corner.

Both sides looked to their bench in order to freshen things up and it almost paid dividends for Stephen Robinson when Keanu Baccus sent a curling effort just wide of the target.

Motherwell would level with 16 minutes remaining as Jack Vale’s cross was nodded back across goal by O’Donnell and Bair was in the right place to bundle the ball over the line.

It was all set up for a dramatic conclusion and Mandron dragged a shot inches wide as the visitors almost came up with the perfect response.

Gent had proven to be a constant threat for the Steelmen throughout the afternoon and he almost turned provider again with a dangerous cross that somehow evaded everyone inside the box.

Chances came and went for Blair Spittal and then Mark O’Hara in the final minutes but neither side would be able to come up with a vital winner.

Stephen Robinson believes Kilmarnock’s strike duo ‘bullied’ his St Mirren players during their astonishing second-half collapse at Rugby Park.

The Saints led 2-0 at half-time and they looked comfortable but they were put to the sword after the break by the rampant hosts.

Derek McInnes’ men scored five goals in a crazy 18-minute spell through Kyle Vassell (2), Marley Watkins, Danny Armstrong and David Watson to win 5-2 and move two points above their opponents in the cinch Premiership table.

St Mirren wilted under pressure in the second half and were unable to cope with Kilmarnock strikers Vassell and Watkins, with Robinson labelling the performance ‘unacceptable’.

He said: “I’m shellshocked. It’s very difficult to explain. We were in total control and we were excellent in the first half. We said at half-time that we’d need the same performance in the second half and we started brightly.

“They didn’t change anything at the break, they didn’t make any changes and it was the same shape. I’d love to say that it was a tactical change that caused us problems but it wasn’t.

“We didn’t deal with balls over the top and the front two threw us about – they bullied us.

“As a collective, we didn’t stop their momentum. We tried to slow the game down and prevent them from creating opportunities.

“We need to learn from that and how to deal with the game when the momentum swings the other way because we didn’t.

“It was three goals in five minutes and it was very difficult to get any changes on. I didn’t get the subs on quick enough but we couldn’t as the goals kept going in.

“It was five but it could’ve been more and we must learn lessons from that.

“The experienced boys didn’t manage the game properly and we got punished. To concede five goals is unacceptable and it’s very uncharacteristic for us. We need to look at ourselves as we got punished for our mistakes.”

Meanwhile, Killie boss Derek McInnes heaped praise on Watson after the Kilmarnock starlet added another stunning goal to his growing collection.

McInnes said: “What a goal that was from wee Watson. That’ll be remembered here for a long, long time. He doesn’t score ordinary goals.

“He was playing as an auxiliary right-back today because Brad Lyons and Lewis Mayo couldn’t play. He wasn’t really a right-back out of position but we asked him to nullify Greg Kiltie and he got forward brilliantly.

“It was a great day for the club and we’ve taken a huge step towards securing a top-six finish.”

Derek McInnes hailed the mentality of his Kilmarnock players after their stunning comeback win over St Mirren.

Killie trailed by two goals at the interval but they produced an incredible comeback as they scored five goals in 18 minutes to secure a 5-2 triumph to overtake St Mirren in fourth in the cinch Premiership table.

Captain Kyle Vassell scored twice with Marley Watkins, Danny Armstrong and David Watson all on the scoresheet to leave a visibly delighted McInnes praising the character of his squad.

He said: “When the questions were getting asked of my players today, they met that responsibility brilliantly.

“I’ve got proper men in that changing room and it was a proper grown-up performance.

“We were 2-0 down at home and the fans were getting a bit antsy. It’s easy for my staff and I to point out what’s going wrong but the players stood up.

“I wasn’t surprised that there was an element of a response there and once we got one goal, I felt the second one was coming.

“I was always confident that we had another goal in us but to get five was fantastic. I’m delighted for my front two getting the goals as they led the line well.

“It was such a big game and it felt like a proper game, which is recognition of the season that both clubs are having. We were second best for the first half hour and we never met the threat that they posed.

“We didn’t do stuff that we worked on through the week and there was loads of stuff wrong with us in that opening half hour. Sometimes you need half-time to reset and we scored five goals in 18 minutes – it could have been more.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Robinson believes his St Mirren players were unable to deal with the momentum shift in the second half.

He said: “It was three goals in about five minutes and the ball must’ve only been in play for 90 seconds. “As a group, we have to learn from that and can we slow the game down?

“We knew that we’d need to defend in the second half but we didn’t do that well enough and we had no ownership of the game.

“The momentum kept increasing and we were unable to deal with it. We looked naive today for that spell and that’s something that we need to learn from.

“There won’t be a hangover from that because it’s not something that happens every week.

“You’re not fifth in the table if that’s the norm but know that it’s not acceptable and it’s a wasted opportunity.”

Kilmarnock scored three goals in an incredible seven-minute spell to complete a breathtaking 5-2 comeback win over St Mirren at Rugby Park.

More than 2,000 away fans travelled through to Ayrshire and they were singing about playing in the Europa League at half-time as they led 2-0 courtesy of goals from Charles Dunne and Michael Mandron.

The hosts were miles off the pace in the first half but they were unrecognisable after the break as they blew the Saints away to win.

Kyle Vassell got them back into the game on the hour before Danny Armstrong and Marley Watkins completed the comeback with goals in quick succession to leave St Mirren shell-shocked.

The home support were in complete disbelief at Kilmarnock’s barnstorming turnaround and they were sent into dreamland when Vassell scored his second before David Watson added the icing on the cake with a sensational solo effort.

Both sides entered the encounter with realistic European ambitions but the home win moves fourth-placed Kilmarnock two points ahead of their opponents.

In stark contrast to the second-half madness, it was an uneventful opening to the game before Charles Dunne opened the scoring for the visitors in the 20th minute.

Kilmarnock failed to clear Greg Kiltie’s corner and the ball fell invitingly for Dunne to powerfully rifle the ball past Dennis for his first goal in six years.

The hosts struggled to respond but they almost equalised in the 35th minute when Watkins’ looping header from Armstrong’s free-kick was brilliantly tipped over by Zach Hemming.

St Mirren had a strong penalty claim denied in the 38th minute but they were not frustrated for long as they scored from the resulting corner. There was a sense of deja vu as Kiltie’s corner was not dealt with and Mandron bundled home from close range.

Derek McInnes’ message to his players during the interval clearly had an impact as Killie threatened on multiple occasions before captain Vassell scored their first on the hour, wriggling clear of two defenders in the box to prod the ball past Hemming.

Vassell’s goal galvanised Killie and they were back on level terms just four minutes later when referee Ross Hardie awarded them a penalty. Ryan Flynn clumsily barged into Watkins and Armstrong confidently converted.

Killie were rampant and Watkins scored their third goal in a crazy seven-minute spell with a deft header from Armstrong’s cross in the 68th minute.

Vassell doubled the hosts’ advantage five minutes later when he raced onto a long-ball before producing an excellent drilled finish into the bottom corner.

Watson saved the best for last as he embarked on a mazy run before slotting post Hemming in the 79th minute to complete a dream second-half for Kilmarnock.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson praised his players for their perseverance after coming from behind to defeat Aberdeen 2-1 at home in dramatic fashion.

Neil Warnock’s side had led from Connor Barron’s first-minute strike and looked on course for a first league victory for two months.

But Mark O’Hara converted a penalty after Toyosi Olusanya was fouled in the sixth minute of time added on before Olusanya claimed the winner a minutes later.

Robinson admitted he would have preferred to have seen the goals arrive sooner but felt his team were well worthy of the final outcome.

He said: “We had 70 per cent possession and 14 shots – we deserved to win.

“It took a lot longer than we wanted to get the goals but it showed the character and quality of the squad with the subs we made.

“Conor McMenamin was outstanding after training only three days, Toyosi comes on and scores the winner, it shows the strength in depth.

“It was everything we deserved. We dominated the game. They scored from a wonder goal but outwith that they were not a threat and looked a team under pressure.

“We tried to get the ball down and when we did that we controlled the game. It didn’t surprise me. It would have been an injustice otherwise if we hadn’t scored.

“We got the penalty we deserved, arguably we could have had two more that were very close decisions. The players showed a great attitude.”

Warnock, in contrast, was devastated at not seeing the game out as Aberdeen’s winless streak in the league was extended to 10 games.

The veteran manager said: “It’s difficult to talk as I’m absolutely distraught. The lads have given me everything and I’m so disappointed to lose in the way we did.

“You can’t go away from today and not be disappointed. We were on our knees and that’s how they should feel.

“They deserved to win that game. I don’t think they [St Mirren] knew how to break us down, not a clue. So it makes it doubly disappointing.

“The penalty knocked the players’ confidence and it was disappointing to concede again after all that effort. I thought that was the best we defended since I had been here.”

Mark O’Hara and Toyosi Olusanya scored in stoppage time to earn St Mirren a 2-1 home win and deny Neil Warnock his first league victory as interim Aberdeen manager.

Connor Barron’s goal after just 62 seconds looked set to earn the Dons a first league win for two months.

But substitute Olusanya won a penalty after a long VAR delay that was converted by O’Hara before just moments later the striker volleyed in what proved to be the winner to improve Saints’ top-six chances.

St Mirren were unchanged from the team that started their midweek draw away to Ross County, with Conor McMenamin fit enough for a place on the bench.

Aberdeen, in turn, made four changes after losing to St Johnstone.

In came Nicky Devlin, Junior Hoilett, Killian Phillips and Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes, with Jack Milne, Jonny Hayes, Jamie McGrath and Leighton Clarkson all dropping out.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino took a seat in the main stand after attending the IFAB AGM at Loch Lomond earlier in the day.

He was treated to a stunning goal after just 62 seconds as Aberdeen took an early lead.

Duk made a great run down the right wing before putting in a cross that was knocked out by Alex Gogic but only as far as Barron, who lashed a shot high in the net from 25 yards.

St Mirren rallied but a Greg Kiltie header from Scott Tanser’s cross was easily saved by Kelle Roos.

The home side should have drawn level when Zach Hemming’s deep free-kick was pushed on to the post by opposite number Roos after being helped on by Tanser.

The ball ran across the face of the goal but Lewis Jamieson couldn’t finish from close range. VAR checked for a penalty but it wasn’t given.

The forward tried a more spectacular attempt in Saints’ next attack only for his volley to clip the bar and go over despite his protests that Roos had saved it.

Aberdeen replied with a Barron header from a corner that went just wide before Mikael Mandron was similarly off target at the other end. Again VAR checked for a penalty for a foul on Mandron but once more it wasn’t given.

The visitors had been kept quiet for much of the first half but had a chance early in the second, Hoilett crossing for Bojan Miovski who headed over.

St Mirren had a chance to equalise but Elvis Bwomono sliced his shot wide at the back post while, in a rare Aberdeen attack, Phillips volleyed high into the stand.

Aberdeen looked like holding out for the win but Nicky Devlin tripped Olusanya and, after a three-minute delay, VAR decided it had been inside rather than outside the box.

O’Hara finished from the spot but Saints weren’t done there as McMenamin crossed from the right and Jonah Ayunga headed it back across for Olusanya to volley past Roos.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson felt his side should have been awarded a penalty in their 1-1 draw at Ross County.

The Buddies had to come from behind after an Alex Gogic mistake allowed Jordan White to slot past goalkeeper Zach Hemming early on, but Robinson felt a possible handball from Ross County’s Ryan Leak should have been checked by VAR.

Toyosi Olusanya salvaged a point late on for St Mirren, but Robinson said: “There was a blatant handball and I believe it wasn’t checked.

“That happened before the foul, so I don’t understand why that would be.

“I can’t control that, but it seems quite obvious from what we’ve seen and what we’ve been told.

“We were not at the top of our game, there were three or four players who were below what they have been recently, but we showed great character to get back into it and get a point – and it could have been three with the chance at the end.

“We didn’t start well. We made a mistake, which is so uncharacteristic of Alex, but he showed great mentality to play the way he did after.

“Ross County scored with their only shot on goal, which came from our mistake. But we didn’t play as well as we can.

“The subs gave us a real impetus when they came on. A point away from home is a point gained. If we can take seven points from this week it would be fantastic for us.”

Ross County interim manager Don Cowie looked at the result as two points dropped after they had enjoyed the lead for so long in the match.

“It was two points dropped, especially when you’re leading with five minutes to go,” Cowie said.

“It wasn’t the greatest game or the best performance from us but when you’re leading at that stage you have to get the points.

“I thought we defended very well until the goal.

“St Mirren are a very good team with a lot of players who can hurt you but I thought we kept them pretty quiet so it’s frustrating.

“The message before the game was to build on Saturday and we’ve done that by adding a point. It’s a step in the right direction, taking four from six, and we want to add to that against Hibs now.”

Toyosi Olusanya’s last-gasp strike for St Mirren denied Ross County three points that would have moved them out of the relegation play-off place in the cinch Premiership.

Jordan White had given the hosts a first-half lead in Dingwall, making the most of an Alex Gogic mistake to put the Staggies ahead in the 12th minute.

St Mirren fought valiantly for an equaliser but they had to be patient, with Olusanya’s goal eventually coming in the 90th minute.

There was just one change between the two starting XIs – Eli King coming into Ross County’s line-up in place of Teddy Jenks.

The visitors had not settled when a mistake at the back gifted Ross County the opening goal in the 12th minute.

Gogic attempted to pass the ball back to his goalkeeper, only for White to nip in ahead of Zach Hemming and round the Buddies goalkeeper before rolling the ball into an empty net for his sixth goal of the season in all competitions.

County had to be on their guard to prevent a quick St Mirren response, with keeper George Wickens diving to his right to keep out Caolan Boyd-Munce’s deflected strike.

It was a similar story at the start of the second half, with Lewis Jamieson this time cutting inside from the right flank and forcing an acrobatic stop from Wickens.

St Mirren continued to put the pressure on their hosts and as the clock ticked down, Stephen Robinson threw on some fresh legs to give the visitors fresh impetus going forward.

It worked as Keanu Baccus’ header sent Olusanya goal-side of Loick Ayina to finish into the bottom corner in the last minute.

Ross County remain 11th, while St Mirren move to within a point of fourth-placed Kilmarnock.