• Scottish football round-up

Griffiths brace sends Hibs top

Leigh Griffiths scored both goals for Hibernian © PA Photos

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Hibernian leapfrogged Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premier League thanks to victory over St Mirren, while rivals Aberdeen and St Johnstone both slumped to defeats on Saturday.

Leigh Griffiths scored twice as Hibernian enjoyed a 2-1 victory over 10-man St Mirren at Easter Road.

Hibs did not have it all their own way as Ben Williams twice made sharp saves, either side of Griffiths hitting a post, before a sumptuous strike from Kenny McLean put Saints ahead after 32 minutes.

Griffiths netted the equaliser after 37 minutes, scored his second after 65 minutes and Jim Goodwin was sent off for two bookable offences two minutes later as a fourth home win this term took Hibs top for 24 hours at least, until Celtic play Dundee United.

Inverness moved up to third after they defeated Kilmarnock 2-1, in a game that saw Killie have goalkeeper Cameron Bell sent off in a breathless encounter at Rugby Park.

Bell saved a penalty from Graeme Shinnie just before half-time when the visitors were leading through Andrew Shinnie's 22nd-minute strike. Killie midfielder Liam Kelly levelled in the 56th minute with a wonderful drive from distance but when the impressive Bell saw red for a foul on last man Ross Draper, it allowed Billy McKay to slam the penalty past substitute keeper Kyle Letheren.

Jamie Murphy ended Motherwell's barren spell as Stuart McCall's team returned to winning ways with an emphatic 3-1 victory over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. Motherwell had gone four matches without a goal but it took less then 40 seconds for Murphy to find the net and he doubled the advantage with a solo effort before half-time.

Nicky Law added a third in the 73rd minute and the game was well and truly over by the time David Robertson netted for the hosts, who suffered their first league defeat since August.

Ross County registered their first SPL win over Aberdeen with a 2-1 victory at Victoria Park. A Mark Reynolds own goal from a Richard Brittain free-kick gave County the lead 10 minutes from the break and a superb strike from Steven Ross early in the second half doubled the home side's advantage.

The Dons got one back when Niall McGinn knocked in his sixth goal in consecutive league games to break a 20-year record for the club with 14 minutes remaining. But despite constant pressure from the visitors County held out for all three points.

Dundee finally ended their wait for a home win in the SPL with victory against Hearts. Matt Lockwood's 20th-minute free-kick was enough to separate the sides as Dundee got all three points on their own turf at the sixth time of asking.

Hearts remain in the bottom half of the table and have the ignominy of being the team responsible for six of the seven points gained by the Dens Park club so far this season.

Meawhile in the Scottish Cup, Rangers bounced back from their midweek League Cup exit to Inverness in style with an emphatic 7-0 thrashing of Alloa.

Dean Shiels, Lee McCulloch and Barrie McKay netted a double each and Robbie Crawford was also on the scoresheet against Paul Hartley's high-flying Irn-Bru Second Division side.

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