Rangers respond to Celtic win

Motherwell 2 Celtic 4: Celtic bounced back from their defeat by Rangers to beat Motherwell 4-2 in a pulsating Clydesdale Bank…

Motherwell 2 Celtic 4:Celtic bounced back from their defeat by Rangers to beat Motherwell 4-2 in a pulsating Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League clash at Fir Park, but their Old Firm rivals sit top of the table after a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock.

A Kris Boyd double propelled Rangers clear but they were made to work hard for their win.

The meeting at Ibrox may have been an unlikely top-of-the-table clash but Jim Jefferies' men showed they more than deserved their lofty status ahead of the game by surging ahead through Frazer Wright early on.

Boyd then sparked Rangers into life by claiming two goals in quick succession in the second half to bank the points, hours after Old Firm rivals Celtic had closed the gap.

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The visitors raced into a four-goal half-time lead through a Georgios Samaras double and strikes from Shaun Maloney and Scott McDonald - and the Lanarkshire side looked down and out before rallying in some style after the interval.

Two goals in a two-minute spell after the break from John Sutton and David Clarkson gave some hope to the home side but in the end, Celtic's impressive first-half performance was enough to see them through.

Elsewhere, Republic of Ireland underage star James McCarthy came off the bench to inspire Hamilton to a 2-1 victory over Aberdeen - their first win at Pittodrie since 1931.

Accies fought back from going behind to secure their third SPL victory, which moved them into the top half of the table.

The much-admired McCarthy, still only 17, helped set up David Graham's stunning 34th-minute equaliser after Gary McDonald's first Aberdeen goal had failed to kick-start a dull first half.

McCarthy hooked home just before the hour mark in a lively second period and only a free-kick against the bar from Sone Aluko threatened to prevent Hamilton's deserved victory.

Hibernian striker Steven Fletcher opened his account for the season with a brace in a 2-1 victory over Dundee United.

St Mirren recorded their first league win of the season with a terrific second-half comeback to edge an engrossing encounter at Inverness 2-1.

The home side went into the break with a one-goal advantage, Adam Rooney scoring from the spot after Garry Wood had been hacked down by Franco Miranda.

But the Buddies got back on level terms after the break when Billy Mehmet poked the ball past Michael Fraser and a goal 10 minutes from time by Gary Brady was enough to give Gus MacPherson's side all three points.

Falkirk midfielder Scott Arfield struck a superb 89th-minute winner to secure the club a first SPL win of the season as they beat Hearts 2-1.

Neil McCann had given the home side a third-minute lead as they looked to end a run of four straight defeats at the start of this season.

Michael Stewart looked to have rescued a point for the visitors but Arfield had the final say.