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Defending the title of Scottish champions, Glasgow Rangers suffered another setback on Wednesday in the 25th round of the country's Premier League matches and dropped to fourth place, while the league leader Celtic, based in the same city, secured a victory and increased their lead over second-placed Edinburgh Hearts to 10 points.
After Tuesday's draw, Celtic had the opportunity to restore the two-digit points advantage they had two weeks ago, and took advantage of this by beating Falkirk by one goal at their home ground. The hosts scored the first goal, and defender Roy Keane opened his account in the club, while Stephen McManus scored the second goal before halftime. With seven minutes remaining, Kenny Milne reduced the visitors' deficit, but Glasgow Rangers still celebrated the victory.
Meanwhile, Rangers extended their unsuccessful season with a defeat away at Aberdeen. Jamie Smith put the hosts ahead in the 34th minute, Steve Lovell doubled the lead in the 43rd minute, and in the second half Aberdeen managed to hold on - Rangers missed several chances to score and suffered their sixth loss in the league this season.
Following Rangers' failure, Hibernian club from Edinburgh pushed them to fourth place by defeating the outsiders Livingston 7-0 at home. The winners were marked by Derek Riordan and Steven Fletcher twice each, while Garry O'Connor and Christopher Killen each scored one goal, and David Mackay conceded an own goal.
Kilmarnock held onto the fifth position, winning 2-0 at home against Motherwell thanks to two precise strikes from Gary Wales, while Inverness in sixth place snatched a point away from home against Dunfermline.
Wednesday's results:
Aberdeen 2 - 0 Rangers 34' [1 - 0] Jamie Smith 43' [2 - 0] Steve Lovell
Celtic 2 - 2 Falkirk 9' [1 - 0] Noel Hunt 11' [2 - 0] Mark Burchill 81' [2 - 1] Craig Dargo (pen.) 88' [2 - 2] Dennis Wyness
Hibernian 7 - 0 Livingston 19' [1 - 0] Christopher Killen 33' [2 - 0] Derek Riordan 48' [3 - 0] Garry O'Connor 64' [4 - 0] Derek Riordan 70' [5 - 0] David Mackay (own goal) 89' [6 - 0] Steven Fletcher 90' [7 - 0] Steven Fletcher
Kilmarnock 2 - 0 Motherwell 34' [1 - 0] Gary Wales 51' [2 - 0] Gary Wales
Dunfermline 2 - 1 Inverness 34' [1 - 0] Roy Keane 44' [2 - 0] Stephen McManus 83' [2 - 1] Kenny Milne
League table:
