Rangers slip up again as Celtic surge further clear at the top | Football

Rangers dropped another two Premiership points after the St Johnstone striker Stevie May scored a late equaliser in Perth. Celtic’s 3-1 win at home to Kilmarnock later extended their lead at the top to 12 points.

Callum Hendry had given Saints an early lead but – after coming from two down to beat Braga in midweek – Steven Gerrard’s side launched another comeback. The half-time substitute Florian Kamberi scored a tremendous equaliser before setting up Joe Aribo to put the visitors ahead, but May levelled after an 80th-minute corner to secure a 2-2 draw. May’s goal made it 10 points Rangers have dropped in eight matches since returning from the winter break.

The away side made a sloppy start. Niko Katic hit a half-chance wide and Hendry had a decent strike saved before the pair stayed on centre stage for the eighth-minute opener. The Rangers centre-back could not deal with an up-and-under down the left and Hendry brushed him off before taking a good touch that took him through on goal and the forward showed impressive composure to guide the ball through Allan McGregor’s legs.

Gerrard’s half-time switch saw Kamberi replace the left-back Andy Halliday. Aribo went to left-back in a new 4-4-2 formation.

The equaliser soon came in the 50th minute. Tavernier’s diagonal ball bounced invitingly for Kamberi on the edge of the box and the on-loan Hibernian forward showed brilliant technique to volley into the top corner. Kamberi then engineered Rangers’ second goal in the 71st minute with a dummy to turn Jason Kerr. He then sent in a low cross which was stabbed in by Aribo.

St Johnstone soon levelled, though, when May drilled home from eight yards after David Wotherspoon’s corner eventually landed at his feet.

At Parkhead, Celtic came from behind to take three points against Kilmarnock. The champions’ captain, Scott Brown, was unusually absent after picking up a calf injury in the 1-1 Europa League draw at FC Copenhagen on Thursday – Callum McGregor took the armband – and Lennon made four changes with Jozo Simunovic, Greg Taylor, Tom Rogic, and Leigh Griffiths all coming back.

The visitors’ striker Eamonn Brophy scored in the seventh minute with a penalty he won when he was fouled by the returning Celtic defender Simunovic.

But the hosts soon piled on the pressure and the defender Kristoffer Ajer levelled from close range in the 29th minute before Odsonne Édouard scrambled in four minutes later.

Neil Lennon’s side were facing 10 men from the 56th minute when the Killie midfielder Alan Power, already booked, was sent off by the referee Kevin Clancy for his challenge on the right-back Jeremie Frimpong, before the striker Griffiths added a third just after the hour mark. It was Celtic’s 10th domestic win out of 10 fixtures in 2020 as they race towards their ninth successive title for the second time in the club’s history.