Jim Goodwin lamented a dismal defensive display as his Dundee United side slipped back to the foot of the cinch Premiership with a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of relegation rivals Ross County.

The Tayside outfit started the afternoon in 10th place and ended it two points adrift at the foot of the table with three games to play after being leapfrogged by both the Staggies and Kilmarnock.

A hat-trick of close-range finishes from Jordan White did the damage, and United manager Goodwin was furious with the way the County striker was allowed so much space.

“It was poor defensively, far too easy at times,” he said. “It was the basics, dropping players and not marking on the right side, something we have been good at for weeks.

“It’s really difficult to take because I felt we were making progress, so to defend like that and go back to losing goals like those, it is really disappointing.

“I thought we’d eradicated it but it has raised its ugly head again.

“We have been given credit for the fight, aggression and determination we have showed lately, but I felt the difference between the two teams was in the boxes.

“County man-handled (United striker) Steven Fletcher and were aggressive with him, but in our box Jordan White got too much joy. He dictated to our defenders today and that disappoints me.

“The players have been told it wasn’t acceptable. It’s probably best if I don’t say what was said.

“You can hold your hands up if a team carves you open but those three goals were so avoidable.

“We have put ourselves in a difficult position now with results elsewhere and we’re bottom of the table again.”

County boss Malky Mackay was delighted with the way his side handled the occasion as they set about silencing a bumper crowd of more than 10,000 United fans before climbing off the bottom of the table.

“We knew we had to start fast, knowing there was going to be 10,000 fans and the intensity that could bring for Dundee United,” said Mackay, whose side took the lead after just 38 seconds and then scored two more in the second half after Jamie McGrath’s first-half penalty had levelled things up.

“Coming out it was like the old days at Tannadice, all that tangerine, so it was terrific to see. I told them we have to start well and get the first goal, so we were delighted we did.

“At half-time I asked them to raise the energy levels and give what they gave against Livingston. We got our goals and could have scored another couple.”

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell hailed Kevin van Veen’s commitment after the striker played through injury to net in his eighth consecutive game.

The Dutchman overcame a foot knock which he had suffered last weekend to score a re-taken penalty in confident style as Well beat St Johnstone 2-0 to confirm their cinch Premiership status for another year.

Van Veen saw his initial effort saved but Remi Matthews was penalised for coming off his line too early and the in-form striker then chipped his second penalty over the diving goalkeeper to give the visitors a 52nd-minute lead.

It was his 26th goal of the season, his 11th in eight games and a 22nd in the league, which leaves him two behind Premiership top goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi, one of three Celtic players the Motherwell man goes up against in Sunday’s PFA Scotland player of the year awards.

Van Veen is the first Motherwell player to score in eight consecutive top-flight games since the Second World War and the first in Scotland since Craig Dargo for Inverness in 2005-06.

Kettlewell said: “Undoubtedly he catches the headlines, we understand why, eight games in a row he has now scored, but he is very much committed to the cause, which everybody can see.

“He played through an injury and if you’re not committed to the cause then he’s chapping my door telling me he wants to sit at the side.

“It’s just a knock on his foot, it’s not a great issue, but he hasn’t trained an awful lot this week.

“I think everybody could see that wasn’t his best day but he still comes up with another goal.

“He gets the second bite at the penalty, shows unbelievable composure to do what he did with the second effort. That was tremendous.”

Kettlewell, whose side killed off the game in stoppage time, added: “I’m delighted for Mikael Mandron to get his first league goal for us and I thought his efforts deserved it as well.”

The result leaves St Johnstone just three points ahead of the danger zone and manager Steven MacLean bemoaned a lack of quality in the final third after his side failed to test Liam Kelly.

“I thought we just lacked that little bit of quality,” he said. “I thought first half we were the better side and got into good areas and (lacked the) final ball, that wee bit of killer instinct.

“Second half I don’t think we started well enough but they only looked dangerous in transitions and then we concede the penalty.

“Remi saves it and it gets called back by VAR. It is what it is. I think Remi was off his line, the fourth official said that.

“The second goal, we are having a go and trying to get back in the game, I will take that one. But there was nothing in the game – they get the penalty and that changes the game.”

Former England goalkeeper Carly Telford believes the injuries that have struck the Lionesses can inspire Sarina Wiegman’s side at this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

England will head to Australia and New Zealand as one of the favourites, but their hopes have been hit by serious injuries that have ruled out captain Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby, while Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, and Millie Bright also face a race against a time to be fit in time.

The loss of key players could derail many of Wiegman’s plans for the tournament but Telford believes it will bring together those who do make the trip.

“As much as they might be team-mates or enemies in the Super League, a lot of them are friends, and watching your friends get hurt, you know how short a football career is and how few tournaments you might get to go to,” Telford told the PA news agency.

“It is hurtful when you see team-mates go down but it can inspire them as they will want to play for the girls who are missing it, and they will use it as motivation.”

Telford believes the European champions, whose best World Cup finish was the third place achieved in 2015, will have a target on their back this summer after the successes enjoyed in the last few years.

“I think we will see an ultra-competitive side,” she said. “We’ve had a couple of knock backs with injuries but they’ve had that taste of winning now and once you’ve had that it’s very hard to lose sight of what you want to do which is to win a trophy on a global stage.

“The World Cup is a different animal, you’re playing against different nations, sides from South America and Africa you don’t often come up against, and you’re travelling to the other side of the world. It will be a difficult challenge but one Sarina will prepare them for…

“When is there not pressure on England to do well and win a tournament? Even when we haven’t been one of the top sides. But of course once we’ve won something the girls have a target on their heads.

“It’s been the Americans for a long time but England have some brilliant players and arguably the best manager in the world. It’s a huge opportunity to put England on the map again.”

The last World Cup ended in disappointment as England were beaten in the semi-finals by the United States, a match in which Telford played.

“Hurt,” she said when asked her memories of the tournament. “We got so far and fell at the final hurdle, but on reflection it was huge. We got so much support, we had a good tournament and took it as far as we could. We made strides on the pitch and I like to think it led to what came after.”

The World Cup trophy was on hand as Telford spoke at a grassroots football session staged by Bloomsbury Football and the Football Association on Saturday morning at the Ark Elvin Academy within sight of Wembley Stadium.

The session was part of a project led by Bloomsbury to offer more opportunities to play for children from underprivileged kids from across London.

“Having the World Cup trophy here means we’re about to get kids excited about something they can dream about, but also just have some fun,” Telford said.

“There needs to be so many more opportunities and pitches like this where kids can come all year round. There’s been funding from England, the FA and FIFA to make sure every kids has the opportunity to dream big because that’s what you want to do as a kid.”

Eberechi Eze’s brace spoiled Bournemouth’s ambitions of securing Premier League safety after the Cherries’ afternoon ended in a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Gary O’Neil’s men needed just one point to make certain of another season in the top flight and looked bright to start with, but fell behind when Eze fired his side ahead late in the first half.

It was not all good news for Roy Hodgson’s hosts, who saw Wilfried Zaha forced off after the break.

However, Eze added a second for the Eagles, who had already secured mathematical safety, while the visiting Cherries still need one more point to mathematically avoid the drop.

Neither side was able to create any clear-cut chances inside the first 10 minutes though Bournemouth frequently tested the fortitude of centre-back pairing Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen.

Michael Olise curled an effort wide of the far post from the edge of the area before his side were able to stave off a sustained wave of pressure from the opposition as the period ticked past the halfway point.

Joel Ward evaded two black shirts in the corner to set up Olise for a second attempt, coming closer with a cross to force Neto into a leaping grab.

Olise entered the afternoon with nine assists and nearly added another when he sent a cross to Wilfried Zaha at the far post, who misdirected his effort from three yards out.

VAR was called in for the first time following an altercation between Andersen and Jefferson Lerma inside the Cherries’ area for a potential red card on the Palace defender, but the hosts remained at full strength after the review.

Palace had failed to make anything of six corners to Bournemouth’s two, but the statistics were otherwise closely split as the contest approached the 40-minute mark as both sides searched for a breakthrough.

It was the hosts who finally achieved it, sparked by Zaha, who battled his way around his marker at the edge of the area before cutting back to Jordan Ayew.

He took a quick backwards touch to direct the ball to Eze, who gave Neto no chance as he fired home from centre after 39 minutes.

Will Hughes quickly tested Neto to start the second half but the Selhurst faithful soon witnessed a worrying scene when Zaha, only recently recovered from a hamstring injury, pulled up and was replaced by Odsonne Edouard.

The Eagles talisman, out of contract at the end of this campaign, was treated to a rousing chant by the home support, possibly wondering if this would be the last time they would watch him walk off the pitch in a Palace shirt.

Eze bagged his second in the 58th minute, a solo effort that saw him collect the ball from Olise on the left before a mazy run through centre put him in position to fire his 10th of the season into the top right.

Palace’s corner tally ticked over into double-digits but the scoreline stood as the hosts survived a late free-kick from a dangerous position.

Palace survived before substitute Jairo Riedewald tried to make up for his involvement in the set-piece by attempting to tee up Edouard for a late third – but two was ultimately all it took.

Kelle Roos was Aberdeen’s hero as his second-half penalty save earned his side a point from a goalless draw against Hibernian to move a step closer to securing third place in the cinch Premiership.

Hibs had been the better side throughout, but a goal never looked like coming until a penalty call from VAR referee Andrew Dallas saw Roos save Kevin Nisbet’s resultant spot-kick.

The Dons had prepared a number of festivities to honour their European double-winning team of 1983 and a sell-out crowd packed Pittodrie in response.

However, Hibs silenced the bumper home support, as the visitors provided the better of the play, albeit with no reward.

The pattern was set as early as the first minute when Aberdeen’s Liam Scales was booked for a foul on Joe Newell as the Hibs man threatened to create an early chance.

Elie Youan would be a constant threat on the Hibernian left and he had the first real chance, forcing Roos into a low save after Nisbet’s through-ball.

Youan would turn provider for Josh Campbell after 25 minutes, but the midfielder – who scored a hat-trick in the reverse tie between the teams – saw his effort strike the base of the post and go behind.

Roos seemed to be beaten all-ends up when a quick throw saw Nisbet race clear of a sluggish home defence, but his effort with the outside of his right foot drifted the ball wide of the post.

Aberdeen had been almost non-existent as a threat, Leighton Clarkson’s blocked effort the only chance they had through the first half, but a clever training-ground corner routine saw Hayden Coulson flash an effort narrowly over the crossbar on the stroke of half-time.

The home side came close with another effort immediately after the break as Bojan Miovski set Ryan Duncan away, but the Dons youth graduate saw his shot blocked.

But Hibs were back in the supremacy before long, and Youan saw an effort come off the post after lax defending from Coulson.

There was a VAR check a minute later following a nasty clash between Josh Campbell and Scales, but a yellow was deemed enough punishment for the Hibs’ man’s high foot.

The sides traded blows until the 75th minute when a Hibs corner saw Youan head off the crossbar and substitute Harry McKirdy’s strike seemingly come off the post.

However, VAR subsequently showed a Coulson handball and a spot-kick was awarded.

Nisbet stepped up confidently but his drive straight down the middle was saved by the legs of Roos, who survived a subsequent VAR check as to whether he had come off his line and the Dons support were suddenly alive again.

However, Aberdeen, who saw Duk forced off with a hamstring injury, had several others play on through injury in an attritional performance which could prove costly further down the line.

Kilmarnock boosted their cinch Premiership survival hopes as they climbed out of the bottom two with a 2-0 victory over Livingston.

Kyle Vassell’s first league goal for the club and a Danny Armstrong penalty saw the Rugby Park side maintain their impressive home form as they bid to avoid the drop.

Livingston, who had won all three previous meetings between the sides this season, slip to eighth place after a fifth defeat in their last six games.

The visitors were the first to threaten when Stephen Kelly pounced on a defensive mix-up involving Lewis Mayo and Joe Wright but pulled his shot narrowly wide of Sam Walker’s right-hand post in the sixth minute.

Kilmarnock responded and should have opened the scoring 10 minutes later.

Vassell latched onto a flick-on from strike partner Christian Doidge to find himself with only Shamal George to beat but his shot was too close to the Livingston keeper who saved well.

The much-travelled former Blackpool, Peterborough and Rotherham striker tested George again with a curling shot which was comfortably held, then at the other end Joel Nouble sent an effort just off target.

Kilmarnock were finding clear-cut opportunities difficult to come by but young midfielder David Watson, who signed a new contract last week, called George into action once more when his close-range header was saved.

Livingston claimed their opponents should have been reduced to 10 men before the break.

Wright, already booked for a foul on Nouble, pulled down the striker again as he tried to burst clear but referee David Munro ignored the angry protests of the visiting players as he decided a free-kick was sufficient punishment.

Kilmarnock made a vibrant start to the second half and were rewarded with the breakthrough in the 48th minute.

The combination of Doidge and Vassell caused problems for the Livingston defence once more as the latter raced onto the former’s clever flick and drove home a low shot which George got a hand to but could not keep out.

Nouble came close to an equaliser in the 58th minute when he outmuscled Wright inside the box and saw his shot from a tight angle superbly saved by Sam Walker.

However, Kilmarnock took control of the contest when they doubled their lead from the spot six minutes later.

After a VAR check, Jason Holt was penalised for blocking a Doidge shot with an outstretched arm and Armstrong stepped up to send George the wrong way with a coolly converted penalty.

Serge Gnarby bagged a double as Bayern Munich kept their grasp on the Bundesliga title race with a 6-0 rout against relegation-threatened Schalke at Allianz Arena.

Thomas Tuchel's side claimed a comfortable win to go four points clear at the top on Saturday, although Borussia Dortmund could slice that gap when they host Borussia Monchengladbach later on.

Thomas Reis' visitors offered little as Thomas Muller's pinpoint finish and a Joshua Kimmich penalty placed Bayern in full control before the half-time whistle in Bavaria.

Gnabry's brace after the break prefaced late strikes for Mathys Tel and Noussair Mazraoui, further compounding Schalke's misery, as the hosts continued their charge towards an 11th straight title.

Having handed Schalke an 8-0 thrashing on their last visit to Munich in 2020, Bayern looked like they might repeat that feat after Muller, Gnabry and Kingsley Coman all missed early chances.

The visitors saw their resistance broken 21 minutes in however when the former curled Leroy Sane's deft ball into the bottom-left corner, before matters worsened.

A VAR check awarded Bayern a penalty eight minutes later for a stray Cedric Brunner elbow on Jamal Musiala, with Kimmich sending Alexander Schwolow the wrong way from the spot.

Gnabry inflicted further damage after the interval, seizing Joao Cancelo's cut-back pass to drill past the goalkeeper, a quarter-hour before he rounded him for a second.

Tel added a late fifth from Musiala's pass to further pad the scoreline, before Mazraoui capitalised on torrid defending for a final strike in injury-time.

Ange Postecoglou admits Celtic accepting their fate was the biggest disappointment in their 3-0 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox in the final Old Firm game of the season.

The Hoops went into the game as cinch Premiership champions following their 2-0 win at Hearts last week and had been unbeaten in five Glasgow derbies this season.

However, goals from Todd Cantwell, John Souttar and Fashion Sakala gave the Light Blues their first win in seven meetings between the Glasgow giants.

Celtic remain on course for a domestic treble, with the Scottish Cup final against Championship side Inverness at Hampden Park to come on June 3, but Postecoglou spoke about the back-to-back away fixtures post-split in the league as he analysed only their the second league defeat of the season.

He said: “In the second half I felt we almost accepted our fate – you can lose a game of football, that will happen – rather than us going out there and trying to change the course of the game.

“Yeah (it was the biggest disappointment).

“They are human beings and they have had an outstanding season and the euphoria of last week and winning (the league), it is kind of weird winning it and with the fixtures, you have to play away again.

“You don’t really get a chance to appreciate the moment but welcome to Celtic. That’s the expectation, that is not going to change.

“It wasn’t a great performance, disappointing performance, disappointing outcome.

“There was a couple of moments when we really should have scored and at least taken some momentum out of the game but we never got a foothold.

“In the second half we never really made an impact, there was a bit of desperation about us trying to get into the game rather than playing our football.”

Moments after the immense Cantwell fired the ball through the legs of Celtic keeper Joe Hart, Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu, chosen in place of Kyogo Furuhashi, was set up by Liel Abada.

However, with only Gers keeper Robby McCrorie to beat, he chipped the ball off the post with the home defence recovering.

Postecoglou said: “It is a big moment, absolutely.

“They were up for it, the crowd were up for it and they got the goal and if we can hit back straight away it takes a bit of the momentum out of them.

“It is a goal the big man probably should have put away, he hit the post so he wasn’t far off. It is a bit of learning for him as well.

“When he looks at somebody like Kyogo Furuhashi, he misses goals too but he doesn’t let it affect him, he is still running his socks off for the team.”

There were no Celtic fans in the stadium due to “safety and security” issues, as was the case for Rangers when they visited the east end of Glasgow in April, but Postecoglou did not use that as an excuse.

He said: “I don’t think the fans could have done anything about our performance. It is not the first time we have played here without fans.”

Michael Beale believes Rangers’ convincing 3-0 home win over Celtic in the final Old Firm clash of the season will give everyone at Ibrox “oxygen” going into next season.

Goals from Todd Cantwell, John Souttar and Fashion Sakala gave Beale his first victory over the treble-chasing Hoops in five attempts since taking over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst as Gers manager last November.

Beale, who was assistant coach to Steven Gerrard during his spell as Gers boss, will revamp his squad in the summer but believes the victory over the cinch Premiership champions can have a knock-on effect.

He said: “Listen, I was here for a long time in a different period where (we) played a lot of these games.

“It’s my 16th, 17th game against Celtic so I’m not new to the fixture.

“I was two minutes away from it in January (a 2-2 draw) and you think the next one will come quick.

“I think it gives us some oxygen going into the summer and the exciting period we have now of recruiting some players in.

“I still think this current group are capable of big performances. They put a decent one in today.

“When we analyse the games back we have had games against Celtic this season where we have had more possession. We’ve had chances and not taken them.

“Today we had slightly less possession because were in a two-goal lead quite early and it was their game to chase. I felt Rabbi (Matondo) and Fashion were getting in behind.

“Games at this level are fine margins between two teams like us and Celtic. It comes down to the boxes and we have made some mistakes.

“Today, for our third goal, they have made a big mistake and we have punished them.

“That’s it. I don’t want to talk about the work we’ve got to do or how far it is, it’s just three points.

“Let’s take it and I think it gives the fans some oxygen and breathing space too, looking forward to the summer.”

With three fixtures remaining Rangers are 10 points behind the Hoops, who will clinch the treble if they beat Championship side Inverness in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park on June 3.

Beale rebuffed the notion, however, that the result was any sort of warning to their city rivals.

The former QPR boss said: “No, I don’t think they need that. I think they’ll try and improve and we will too.

“We are the team with the most to improve aren’t we?

“It’s nothing more than three points today, I think over the course of the season we deserved today.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says his confrontation with a Leeds fan in the 2-2 draw at Elland Road should act as a wake-up call for those responsible for the safety of players and staff.

An angry home supporter climbed out of the stands and entered the technical area to confront Howe before being quickly whisked away.

Howe says he is fine after the incident, which came in injury-time of a pulsating game, but that the safety of those involved should not be “violated”.

“I actually can’t remember whether he pushed me or not, I’ve got no idea, it’s such a strange thing because you’re concentrating on the game and you don’t expect it to happen,” Howe said.

“He confronted me, said something that I can’t repeat and was then led away.

“I’m OK, moments like that do make you think about the safety of staff and players is paramount for me at any matches in the Premier League and Football League. We need to be mindful, security is so important.

“I don’t know if I had time to be fearful because it was over in a flash but it certainly makes you think ‘what if’ and I think it is moments like this that should make people look and analyse how we can improve safety for staff and players.

“No one should have to face that, playing a sport we love and trying to entertain the country, no one should feel like their own personal safety is violated. It is something for us to reflect on.”

Howe was more disappointed that his side could not win at Elland Road as they looked to strengthen their grip on Champions League qualification.

Luke Ayling put Leeds ahead early on but a pair of Callum Wilson penalties gave Newcastle the lead only for Rasmus Kristensen’s deflected effort to deny them three points.

Howe added: “It was a strange game, lots happened, a lot of different feelings from it. At 1-0 down and a penalty down you are fearing the worst but we managed to get ourselves in front and are ultimately disappointed not to win.”

Leeds stay in the bottom three, but it was a positive afternoon for new boss Sam Allardyce on his first match in charge at Elland Road, though he needed to calm down after the enthralling nature of the match, where Patrick Bamford missed a first-half penalty and Junior Firpo was sent off at the death.

“I needed two valium when we came off to calm me down,” he joked. “I enjoyed it actually, I did. I was nervous before the game because we were playing at home and I wanted to give the fans something.

“But what the lads did for me and the rest of the staff, the fans and themselves gave me some hope going forward because they tried their very best and I can’t ask for any more than that.

“Two-two in the end is satisfying. I hope it goes to the wire, when we play Tottenham I hope there is somehting in it for us.

“We have to keep our fingers crossed that the others don’t win. It’s not in our hands so all we can to do is what we did today and do it better.”

Rasmus Kristensen’s late equaliser rescued Leeds a point in a 2-2 home draw against Newcastle but it was not enough to lift them out of the bottom three.

Kristensen’s deflected strike from outside the penalty area spared Leeds from a seventh defeat in nine matches, but their Premier League status was left hanging in the balance with two games to play.

Skipper Luke Ayling had given Leeds an early lead and after Patrick Bamford’s first-half penalty was saved, Callum Wilson converted twice from the spot to edge Newcastle in front.

Leeds made a blistering start in search of the opening goal Sam Allardyce had spoken about earlier in the week and his side delivered in the seventh minute.

After Jack Harrison’s trickery set Bamford free down the left, the latter’s cross was met by Rodrigo’s header and although Nick Pope got down well to save, Ayling converted the rebound.

Allardyce started with defender Robin Koch and Sam Greenwood in a new-look midfield and there was an energy and balance about Leeds that had been missing for several weeks.

But having missed a golden chance to double their lead in the 27th minute they were made to pay.

Bamford’s penalty was saved by Pope after Joelinton had hauled down Junior Firpo and four minutes later Newcastle equalised with a penalty of their own.

Referee Simon Hooper pointed straight to the spot after Max Wober’s reckless challenge on Alexander Isak and Wilson duly converted his 16th league goal of the season.

The plug had been pulled on the positive electricity generated by the home fans up to Bamford’s squandered penalty and all of a sudden Leeds looked ragged.

Koch blocked Miguel Almiron’s cross at the near post, goalkeeper Joel Robles raced off his line to thwart Wilson after Joelinton’s through-ball and Almiron then curled a left-footed shot inches wide just before half-time.

Wilson threatened again soon after the restart when his volley was deflected for a corner and Fabian Schar’s header was cleared off the goal-line by Rodrigo.

Leeds also had their moments as the game opened up. Weston McKennie lashed a shot over the crossbar, but they were dealt a bitter blow in the 69th minute when Wilson converted his second penalty.

VAR referred referee Hooper to the pitch-side monitor after Firpo’s handball from Willock’s deep cross and after pointing to the spot for the third time in the match, Wilson drove his penalty high down the middle.

But with their top-flight status on the line, Leeds refused to surrender.

Newcastle only half-cleared substitute Willy Gnonto’s corner and Kristensen crashed home a 25-yard shot via a deflection off Kieran Trippier to haul the home side level.

With nerves fraying on and off the pitch in the closing stages, Firpo was sent off after his challenge on substitute Anthony Gordon earned him a second yellow card.

And before the subsequent free-kick was taken a Leeds fan leapt from the crowd to confront Newcastle boss Eddie Howe before being dragged clear by match stewards.

Rangers trounced Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox as Michael Beale enjoyed his first win over the Hoops as Gers manager.

Midfielder Todd Cantwell fired the home side into the lead after five breathless minutes before returning defender John Souttar headed in his first Light Blues goal from a corner on 34 minutes.

Attacker Fashion Sakala made it 3-0 in the 70th minute to clinch a convincing victory over the below-par cinch Premiership champions.

It was Beale’s first success in five attempts against the Parkhead side since taking over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst last November and it ended Celtic’s 34-game unbeaten domestic run – although Ange Postecoglou’s side remain on course for a domestic treble, with the Scottish Cup final against Championship side Inverness at Hampden Park to come on June 3.

If nothing else, it was a much-needed marker for Beale and Rangers with a view to next season although they will realise the title and the ViaPlay Cup were already safely in the Celtic Park  trophy room.

Pre-match speculation about team line-ups ended when it was announced that Souttar was taking over from the injured Ben Davies, Ryan Jack returning to midfield and Rabbi Matondo and Sakala leading the line, with Robby McCrorie again preferred to veteran Allan McGregor in goal.

Postecoglou replaced Greg Taylor with Alexandro Bernabei and brought in South Korean striker Oh Hyeon-gyu for Kyogo Furuhashi and winger Liel Abada for Daizen Maeda.

There were no away fans in the stadium due to “safety and security” issues, as was the case when Rangers visited the east end of Glasgow in April, and it was a blistering start from the home side which produced the opener.

As the Hoops defence gasped for air, midfielder John Lundstram’s shot from 25 yards was parried by Joe Hart and Cantwell reacted quickly to drive the ball through the legs of the Hoops keeper from eight yards.

Celtic’s first real attack moments later almost brought an equaliser.

Abada raced clear down the right and when he picked out Oh, the Parkhead attacker’s chip beat McCrorie but clipped the post and Rangers recovered.

Matondo broke clear as Celtic pressed but his long-range effort was comfortably saved by Hart.

The home support urged their team forward but the visitors were controlling the game, only to fall further behind when, from a James Tavernier corner, Souttar fended off Celtic defender Yuki Kobayashi to head past Hart for his first goal since joining the Ibrox club from Hearts in the summer.

As Celtic pushed to get back in the game, there was a penalty appeal when Light Blues defender Connor Goldson fell hand-first on to the ball but referee Steven McLean played on.

The Parkhead side might have reduced the deficit in the 50th minute when Jack was robbed by Matt O’Riley but after going past Souttar, the midfielder’s chip was brilliantly touched over the bar by McCrorie and the Govan side survived the corner.

At the other end, moments later following a Gers counter, Hart tipped a Cantwell drive round the post, and minutes later saved an angled drive from the former Norwich player – although McLean surprisingly awarded a goal kick.

Celtic contributed to their own downfall when Sakala took advantage of hesitation between Carl Starfelt and skipper Callum McGregor to race clear, round Hart and tap into an empty net for a victory which, while in reality doing little to halt Celtic’s progression under Postecoglou, allows Beale breathing space to make radical changes to his squad for next season.

Said Benrahma heads back to Brentford on Sunday with some rare praise from David Moyes ringing in his ears.

West Ham boss Moyes has never been entirely convinced by Benrahma since signing the Algerian winger for £20million from the Bees two years ago.

The Scot regularly downplays Benrahma’s displays, insisting he needs to improve on his decision making in the final third and track back more defensively.

But Benrahma took his goal tally for the season to 11 with a penalty against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night, while he has also contributed five assists.

And tellingly, he was also joint top in the rankings for making interceptions against the Dutch side in a performance which suggested the penny may have finally dropped.

“He played really well on Thursday night. He missed a big chance for us, but he played really well,” said Moyes, again being careful to keep the 27-year-old’s feet on the ground.

“What he is doing is good. He has had periods of ups and downs, but in the main he has started to show a bit more consistency.

“He is more conscientious about his job and how he has to do the job for the team.

“There are a lot of things he has done really well, but we want him to add more goals and assists to his game more than anything.”

Benrahma is likely to start against his old club at the Gtech Community Stadium, but Moyes will make changes with West Ham virtually safe from relegation and facing a semi-final second leg with AZ in the Netherlands on Thursday.

Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio are set to have an afternoon off with Flynn Downes, Maxwel Cornet and Danny Ings coming in.

Marc Skinner insists Manchester United’s “rebels” are closing the gap on Chelsea going into the Women’s FA Cup final on Sunday.

Wembley is expecting a 90,000 sell-out crowd – a record for a women’s domestic club match – for the showdown between the top two teams in the Women’s Super League.

United hold a one-point lead over Chelsea but Emma Hayes’ side have a game in hand and, with three WSL matches to play, are favourites to win a fourth consecutive title.

Chelsea also have a firm hold on United with six successive victories against the Red Devils, including a potentially decisive 1-0 home win in March – the only time Skinner’s side have failed to score in 28 games this season.

Skinner said: “We are getting closer. We remember the Chelsea game last time and I’m absolutely convinced – and we have got VAR this time – we should have had two penalties and you might be talking about the title race differently.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that if you want to pick a favourite then Chelsea should be put on that mantle because they’ve done this before.

“But the reality is we have a team of rebels and that might not be the fact on Sunday.

“Single game, single focus, and we will try to accept all the psychological challenges and manage and adapt the best we can. We are there to try and win it.”

Chelsea have been in fine form since bowing out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage to Barcelona.

They have beaten Liverpool, Everton and Leicester to narrow the gap on United and scored 15 goals in the process.

“I’m sure the coaches of Leicester and Everton will be disappointed with the mistakes in those games that made it a little bit easier for Chelsea to score those (13) goals,” said Skinner, who has labelled Blues top scorer Sam Kerr a “machine”.

“But they did score them and they are deadly. We’ve got to make sure we keep that to a minimum.

“Chelsea create chances in every game they play, so we’ve got to hurt them at the other end.

“If we do that, and play to that mentality, then it’s going to be a really exciting game.

“We know we can beat Chelsea and that’s not saying we’re going to beat Chelsea because we know how difficult that is. We’ve got to trust our process of play.”

The United team were only formed in May 2018 and this is their first final.

But England Euro 2022 heroes Alessia Russo, Ella Toone and Mary Earps, as well as Norwegian midfielder Vilde Boe Risa, have won every single final they have played in.

Toone also scored against Brazil in the 2023 Women’s Finalissima last month, which England won on penalties with Earps proving a shoot-out heroine.

Asked if United had practised penalties ahead of Sunday, Skinner said: “Absolutely. It would be remiss not to do that. We’ve been doing it over the last few weeks.

“Mary’s experience will be massive, but we can’t win this on individuals’ experience. We have to do it as a collective, because we’re going to have to suffer.”

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has praised the “fantastic” job David Moyes has done at West Ham as the two teams prepare to meet in the Premier League on Sunday.

The 15th-placed Hammers have endured a season of struggle domestically but are one game away from a European final.

Moyes’ men lead AZ Alkmaar 2-1 after the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final, 12 months after reaching the last four of the Europa League.

“I think it is fantastic what David Moyes and his staff have done in the last year at West Ham,” Frank said.

“They came in, turned things around and they were sixth or seventh and last year (reached the) semi-final in the Europa League and now they’re (in the) semi-final in the Conference League and hopefully going to the final.

“I know they have struggled a little bit, but they are in the semi-final of the Conference League and maybe they are going to lift their first trophy in many years, which will be a fantastic achievement.”

The pressure on Moyes increased in the wake of last month’s 5-1 home defeat to Newcastle as calls from supporters for him to go grew, but West Ham have since moved clear of the relegation fight, helped by last weekend’s 1-0 win over Manchester United.

Frank said: “I think they (fans who want Moyes sacked) are wrong.

“I think it’s incredibly difficult to be consistent in the Premier League and then you finish top 10, top six and then you want more, but I think it is about having consistency and adding layers every single season.

“What they have built is a strong squad that can compete in the Premier League and in Europe and that is fantastic.

“A European semi-final two years in a row is an unbelievable achievement no matter what, and maybe they don’t finish in the top 10 this season, but that can happen.”

Brentford are on course for a top-half finish and Frank wants his side to end the season strongly.

“I’m a big believer that if we continue momentum into the end of the season then you can carry it into next season,” he said.

“I think for us, every point is very important that we just try to carry on and develop the team by doing different tweaks, but the main focus is to win the next game

“I think this group of players are remarkable in terms of their effort and focus.”