Celtic and Rangers drop points in Scottish Premiership title race but Martin O'Neill and Danny Röhl remain defiant
Celtic and Rangers dropped points in the Scottish Premiership title race; Martin O'Neill's side were beaten by Hibernian; Danny Röhl's Gers came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at bottom-of-the-table Livingston; both bosses defiant on their title chances, as Kris Boyd offered his thoughts
Sunday 22 February 2026 20:18, UK
Martin O’Neill and Dany Röhl remained defiant in their pursuit of the Scottish Premiership title, despite both Celtic and Rangers both dropping points on Sunday.
The Hoops were beaten 2-1 by Hibernian, with Kai Andrews' late winner handing the visitors their first win at Celtic Park in 16 years.
Meanwhile, Rangers battled back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with bottom club Livingston. The game turned in their favour when Cristian Montano was sent off on the hour mark, with goals from Emmanuel Fernandez and Mikey Moore securing a point.
It came after Hearts beat Falkirk on Saturday, and they now have a four-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
- Reports: Rangers 2-2 Livingston | Celtic 1-2 Hibernian
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Discussing Celtic's prospects in the title race, O'Neill told Sky Sports News: "We're not out of it at all. I knew there would be twists and turns this year. It's disappointing to drop points today but we're still in there fighting.
"Any time that you lose a match it's always a missed opportunity but there's plenty to play for. We're still fighting for it and the fans were fantastic."
Röhl also predicted the race would go down to the final day, telling Sky Sports: "We have personality and character, but we conceded two goals and it makes it very hard. In the end, it was exactly the game I expected and in those two or three moments, you have to be there.
"We have to carry on. There are still 10 games to go. I said this to the group, we are not happy, but hopefully we can close the gap from four to one next week.
"We will hunt until the end. The final decision will be the last match day. We are ready for this, my group is ready for this.
"They have a big belief, for a short moment they are disappointed, but it's important to lead by example and I believe we can do it."
Should Rangers have been given a penalty?
A huge talking point from Rangers' draw was a late foul from Cammy Kerr on Moore on the edge of the area. The Livingston man caught the Rangers forward, but nothing was given by the referee on field.
The decision went to VAR, who had to decide if the foul came inside or outside the area, and if it was denying a goalscoring opportunity [DOGSO].
Eventually, it was deemed to be outside the area and not a DOGSO, therefore they could not intervene and the game continued from the restart - much to the annoyance of Rangers.
Röhl said it was the kind of decision that could decide a title, telling Sky Sports: "The big question mark from my view was the foul. If it's outside, then again it's a red card or it's inside and it's a pen. This is what I can't take today.
"It's a key moment. These are moments where you can decide the race with the final actions, but we also had 90 minutes to score for 3-2."
Discussing the incident, Kris Boyd told Sky Sports: "There will be Rangers fans out there that will be extremely disappointed, but the reality is it's not a penalty.
"The point of contact is clearly out of the box. Had it have been pulling and it continued into the box, then it would've been given as a penalty, or if it was on the line.
"VAR can't get involved one they've come to the decision it's not a DOGSO.
"The referees are relying on VAR to bail them out a lot of the time... it's clear as day it's a foul. We can't criticise and say we don't want the game re-refereed and then have it re-refereed when incidents like that happen.
"The laws of the game tell you that unless it's inside, then you can't get involved in it. VAR has done its job. The referee called it wrong on the pitch."
James McFadden also agreed it was a concern that the referee did not call for a foul on field, adding: "I think that's an easy decision for the ref to give.
"It's a foul initially because Kerr is coming from the wrong side and tackling with his wrong foot as well. I think there's a block on there... I don't know if he has a clear shot. The issue I have is the referee doesn't give a foul for that."
Former Livingston and Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday said it should've been a red card, saying: "It's without a doubt a foul. We sometimes criticise VAR up here but, on this occasion, the criticism has got to come for the referee.
"We've seen red cards over the last couple of weeks with players getting brought down at the halfway line. If Moore isn't fouled there, he's volleying the ball towards goal... for me, I think that is a red card and a foul.
"It's not a penalty, but Moore is about to strike and he's impeded."
'Celtic in disarray, Rangers have to win those games if they want titles'
Boyd was critical of both sides after their respective results. He believes if Celtic lose to Rangers in next Sunday's Old Firm, live on Sky Sports, they are out of the title race.
"If Rangers are to beat Celtic, I think they are done," he said. "They are in disarray, there's no way getting away from it.
"You can paper over the cracks with last-minute goals, and Celtic fans will love it. All you hear is, 'that's what champions do', but the reality is you can't keep limping over the line.
"Martin touched on it after the [Kilmarnock] game, he knew back then, this can't continue."
As for Rangers, Boyd says a lack of recognised No 9 continues to plague them, and they must be winning at places like Livingston if they want trophies.
He added: "Maybe if Rangers had got the first goal a little bit earlier, they would've had a better chance of getting back into it. They had loads of the ball but they didn't create many clear chances.
"The lack of a natural goalscorer in the No 9 position may come back to haunt Rangers.
"It's now three away games in a row for Rangers they've failed to win. There were a lot of opportunities, but Rangers have spent a lot of money since the summer. There's been a huge improvement, but if you're going to win titles, these are the grounds you have to come to and win three points.
"If Hearts beat Aberdeen on Saturday, they can sit back with their feet up, watch the game [Old Firm] on Sunday.
"But if Celtic go to Ibrox and win, they have a game in hand on Wednesday and, all of a sudden, that changes it as well. This weekend, there's only one winner and it's Hearts."
