St Johnstone 4 - 1 Rangers
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By Andy Campbell
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St Johnstone bolstered their chances of a top six finish by routing Scottish Premier League leaders Rangers.
On-loan Celtic forward Cillian Sheridan put the hosts ahead with a superb strike and Chris Millar's deflected shot doubled the lead.
Sasa Papac reduced the deficit but Liam Craig's header was diverted into the Rangers net by Lee McCulloch nine minutes before the break.
Murray Davidson grabbed Saints' fourth from close range on 79 minutes.
Victory takes St Johnstone to within two points of sixth-placed Hearts, while Rangers' lead over Celtic remains at 10 points with the Ibrox side still having one game in hand.
The match survived a precautionary afternoon pitch inspection following heavy rain in the Perth area.
Filipe Morais was off-target with two early attempts before Saints moved ahead on seven minutes.
Danny Grainger's long ball down the inside-left channel dropped over the shoulder of Sheridan and the striker's whipped shot across goal hit both posts before nestling in the net.
And it got better for the home side five minutes later as Millar's drive from distance was diverted past the helpless Allan McGregor by his captain David Weir.
The early two-goal deficit rocked Rangers into action and Steven Davis probed at the St Johnstone defence before slipping a pass through for Papac to beat Graeme Smith at his near post on 16 minutes.
Craig's inventive lob was collected by McGregor and McCulloch fired wide of the St Johnstone goal as both sides had pot shots at goal.
 Morais pressurise Rangers full-back Steven Whittaker
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Kenny Miller claimed unsuccessfully for a penalty after his shot cannoned off the arms of St Johnstone defender Steven Anderson before Sheridan fired into the side netting.
But Saints did register a third when Craig met Millar's cross and the ball nicked off the head of McCulloch on its way past McGregor.
The Perth side were playing with plenty of confidence and Craig had two more efforts from outside the box as the first period wound down.
Kevin Thomson and Kris Boyd did not reappear for the visitors after the break as manager Walter Smith sent on Maurice Edu and Kyle Lafferty for the second half.
But the changes did little to change the course of the match as Rangers' distribution and delivery into the box let them down.
And when they did exert some pressure on the St Johnstone defence, the offside flag and a sequence of last-ditch clearances frustrated the Glasgow side.
Lafferty headed down for Edu inside the box but the American smashed his shot wide.
Davidson replaced Morais and capped a memorable win for St Johnstone by completing the scoring late on.
A free-kick into the box was initially cleared and headed back into the box by Michael Duberry and Davidson slid in to nudge the ball beyond McGregor.
Smith saved a late drive by Steven Whittaker as Rangers suffered a second league defeat of the season.
Live text and stats
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Scottish Premier
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Johnstone | 4-1 | Rangers | FT |
| (HT 3-1) | |||
|
|
||
St Johnstone
- 25 Smith
- 03 Grainger
- 12 MacKay
- 24 Anderson yellow card
- 28 Duberry
- 04 Morris yellow card
- 07 Millar (Irvine 87)
- 10 Craig
- 22 Morais (Davidson 76)
- 17 Deuchar
- 26 Sheridan (Samuel 80)
Substitutes
- 01 Main,
- 02 Irvine,
- 11 Sheerin,
- 19 Swankie,
- 20 Davidson,
- 21 Samuel,
- 32 Reynolds
Rangers
- 01 McGregor
- 03 Weir
- 05 Papac
- 16 Whittaker
- 66 Wilson (Novo 74)
- 06 McCulloch
- 07 Davis
- 08 Thomson (Edu 46)
- 09 Boyd (Lafferty 46)
- 14 Naismith yellow card
- 18 Miller
Substitutes
- 25 Alexander,
- 26 Smith,
- 02 Edu,
- 10 Novo,
- 27 Lafferty,
- 29 Fleck,
- 48 Little
- Final Result
- Full Time
- 90:00+2:11 The referee signals the end of the game.
- 90:00+1:24 Kenny Miller takes a shot. Graeme Smith makes a comfortable save.
- 88:59 The ball is sent over by Steven Davis.
- 88:38 Steven Naismith produces a cross, Murray Davidson manages to make a clearance.
- 86:57 Centre by David Weir, Michael Duberry manages to make a clearance.
- 86:15 Substitution Chris Millar leaves the field to be replaced by Gary Irvine.
- 85:18 The ball is sent over by Kenny Deuchar, save by Allan McGregor.
- 84:01 Maurice Edu sends in a cross, Kyle Lafferty gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Steven Anderson. Direct free kick taken by Graeme Smith.
- 82:23 Steven Davis crosses the ball, clearance by Michael Duberry.
- 80:27 Michael Duberry fouled by Steven Naismith, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Daniel Grainger.
- 80:27 Booking Steven Naismith is shown a yellow card.
- 79:10 Substitution Cillian Sheridan leaves the field to be replaced by Collin Samuel.
- 78:17 The assist for the goal came from Michael Duberry.
- 78:17 GOAL - Murray Davidson:St Johnstone 4 - 1 Rangers Murray Davidson finds the back of the net with a goal from close in to the bottom left corner of the goal. St Johnstone 4-1 Rangers.
- 77:45 Foul by Maurice Edu on David MacKay, free kick awarded. Michael Duberry produces a cross,
- 76:49 The offside flag is raised against Kyle Lafferty. Graeme Smith takes the free kick.
- 75:41 Free kick awarded for a foul by Lee McCulloch on Kenny Deuchar. Michael Duberry restarts play with the free kick. Headed effort from deep inside the penalty area by Kenny Deuchar misses to the right of the target.
- 75:01 Substitution Murray Davidson joins the action as a substitute, replacing Filipe Morais.
- 74:25 Kenny Miller delivers the ball, clearance made by Michael Duberry.
- 73:04 Substitution Danny Wilson leaves the field to be replaced by Nacho Novo.
- 73:04 A cross is delivered by Steven Davis, Shot by Maurice Edu from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the goal.
- 72:27 Corner taken right-footed by Steven Davis from the right by-line, Michael Duberry makes a clearance.
- 72:16 Steven Whittaker sends in a cross, clearance by Jody Morris.
- 71:55 Chris Millar crosses the ball, David Weir makes a clearance.
- 70:10 Maurice Edu concedes a free kick for a foul on Michael Duberry. Free kick crossed left-footed by Liam Craig, save by Allan McGregor.
- 69:43 Kyle Lafferty sends in a cross.
- 68:12 The ball is sent over by Danny Wilson, save made by Graeme Smith.
- Correction - 67:23 The ball is delivered by Kenny Miller.
- 67:23 A cross is delivered by Kenny Miller.
- 66:26 The official flags Steven Naismith offside. Free kick taken by Graeme Smith.
- 65:58 Cillian Sheridan sends in a cross, save by Allan McGregor.
- 65:25 Centre by Sasa Papac, Graeme Smith makes a save.
- 63:49 Free kick awarded for a foul by Michael Duberry on Kyle Lafferty. Steven Davis crosses the ball in from the free kick, Steven Anderson makes a clearance.
- 63:30 Foul by Cillian Sheridan on Danny Wilson, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by Allan McGregor.
- 62:42 Booking Jody Morris is cautioned by the ref for dissent.
- 62:28 Kenny Miller challenges Daniel Grainger unfairly and gives away a free kick. Graeme Smith restarts play with the free kick.
- 62:01 The ball is sent over by Steven Whittaker, clearance made by Daniel Grainger.
- 61:28 Centre by Cillian Sheridan, clearance by Steven Whittaker.
- 60:58 Kenny Miller produces a right-footed shot from deep inside the penalty area which goes wide of the left-hand post.
- 59:43 A cross is delivered by David MacKay, save by Allan McGregor.
- 58:08 Steven Naismith sends in a cross, Daniel Grainger gets a block in. Corner taken by Steven Davis.
- 57:35 Foul by Kyle Lafferty on Michael Duberry, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Michael Duberry.
- 56:55 The ball is delivered by Steven Davis, save made by Graeme Smith.
- 55:28 The ball is sent over by Steven Whittaker. The assistant referee signals for offside against Kyle Lafferty. Indirect free kick taken by Graeme Smith.
- 54:36 Unfair challenge on Kyle Lafferty by Michael Duberry results in a free kick. Steven Davis crosses the ball in from the free kick, clearance made by Daniel Grainger.
- 53:35 Chris Millar takes a shot. Blocked by Danny Wilson.
- 52:53 The referee blows for offside. Graeme Smith takes the free kick.
- 51:45 Steven Naismith fouled by Chris Millar, the ref awards a free kick. Steven Naismith takes the direct free kick.
- 51:03 The ball is sent over by Daniel Grainger, comfortable save by Allan McGregor.
- 48:34 Inswinging corner taken from the right by-line by Daniel Grainger, Kyle Lafferty makes a clearance. Corner taken left-footed by Daniel Grainger, clearance by Steven Whittaker. Effort from the edge of the box by Jody Morris goes wide of the left-hand post.
- 48:22 The ball is crossed by Filipe Morais, Danny Wilson gets a block in.
- Correction - 47:23 Sasa Papac produces a cross, clearance made by Michael Duberry.
- 47:23 Sasa Papac delivers the ball, clearance by Michael Duberry.
- 45:52 Foul by Kyle Lafferty on David MacKay, free kick awarded. Graeme Smith takes the free kick.
- 45:08 Michael Duberry produces a cross, save made by Allan McGregor.
- 45:01 The referee gets the second half underway.
- 45:01 Substitution Maurice Edu comes on in place of Kevin Thomson.
- 45:01 Substitution Kyle Lafferty joins the action as a substitute, replacing Kris Boyd.
- Half Time
- 45:00+0:05 It is the end of the first-half.
- 41:54 Steven Naismith challenges Chris Millar unfairly and gives away a free kick. Liam Craig delivers the ball from the free kick left-footed from right wing, Sasa Papac makes a clearance.
- 40:28 Liam Craig takes a shot. Save by Allan McGregor.
- 39:46 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Jody Morris by Kevin Thomson. Liam Craig delivers the ball from the free kick left-footed from left channel, clearance made by Sasa Papac.
- 39:35 The ball is sent over by David MacKay, David Weir manages to make a clearance.
- 38:41 Shot from a long way out by Liam Craig goes wide of the left-hand upright.
- 38:09 The ball is delivered by Filipe Morais, Kenny Deuchar takes a shot. Comfortable save by Allan McGregor.
- 37:55 The ball is delivered by Danny Wilson, Daniel Grainger makes a clearance.
- 37:20 Kenny Miller fouled by Michael Duberry, the ref awards a free kick. Kevin Thomson takes the free kick.
- 35:13 Assist by Chris Millar.
- 35:13 GOAL - Liam Craig:St Johnstone 3 - 1 Rangers Liam Craig scores a headed goal from inside the penalty area. St Johnstone 3-1 Rangers.
- 35:07 The ball is sent over by Chris Millar,
- 34:31 The ball is crossed by Filipe Morais, Sasa Papac makes a clearance.
- 34:08 A cross is delivered by Filipe Morais, David Weir manages to make a clearance.
- 33:17 Kenny Deuchar fouled by Steven Whittaker, the ref awards a free kick. The free kick is delivered left-footed by Daniel Grainger from left wing, clearance made by Lee McCulloch.
- 32:09 Cillian Sheridan produces a left-footed shot from deep inside the area which goes wide of the left-hand post.
- 30:45 A cross is delivered by Jody Morris, Danny Wilson makes a clearance.
- 29:52 The ball is crossed by Liam Craig. The referee blows for offside. Allan McGregor takes the free kick.
- 29:19 A cross is delivered by Steven Davis, Kenny Miller takes a shot. Steven Anderson gets a block in.
- 26:18 Centre by Steven Davis, Steven Naismith takes a shot. Save made by Graeme Smith. The assistant referee signals for offside against Kris Boyd. Indirect free kick taken by Daniel Grainger.
- 25:23 Steven Davis takes the outswinging corner, clearance by Michael Duberry.
- 24:39 Shot by Lee McCulloch from outside the box goes over the net.
- 23:48 Free kick awarded for a foul by Steven Anderson on Kris Boyd. Kevin Thomson takes the direct free kick. Steven Whittaker produces a cross, clearance by David MacKay.
- 23:16 Drilled left-footed shot by Liam Craig. Allan McGregor makes a comfortable save.
- 22:03 The ball is sent over by Steven Davis, clearance made by Jody Morris.
- 19:03 Effort from 25 yards by Filipe Morais. Steven Whittaker gets a block in.
- 18:36 The referee blows for offside against Kenny Miller. Michael Duberry takes the indirect free kick.
- 17:51 The ball is swung over by David MacKay.
- 16:59 Unfair challenge on Kenny Deuchar by Kenny Miller results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Graeme Smith.
- 15:22 Assist by Steven Davis.
- 15:22 GOAL - Sasa Papac:St Johnstone 2 - 1 Rangers Goal scored by Sasa Papac from inside the box to the bottom left corner of the goal. St Johnstone 2-1 Rangers.
- 15:04 Sasa Papac has a drilled shot. Chris Millar gets a block in.
- 14:13 Steven Davis delivers the ball, clearance by Michael Duberry.
- 13:18 Steven Whittaker has a drilled shot. Save by Graeme Smith.
- 12:32 Corner taken by Steven Davis from the right by-line, clearance by Kenny Deuchar. Corner taken by Steven Davis from the right by-line played to the near post, Liam Craig manages to make a clearance.
- 11:33 GOAL - Chris Millar:St Johnstone 2 - 0 Rangers Chris Millar finds the back of the net with a goal from outside the penalty area to the bottom right corner of the goal. St Johnstone 2-0 Rangers.
- 10:14 Centre by Kenny Deuchar, blocked by Steven Naismith.
- 9:29 The referee penalises Lee McCulloch for handball. David MacKay restarts play with the free kick.
- 8:50 Liam Craig concedes a free kick for a foul on Kevin Thomson. David Weir delivers the ball from the free kick right-footed from right channel, clearance made by David MacKay.
- 7:59 The free kick is delivered left-footed by Kevin Thomson from right wing, Michael Duberry manages to make a clearance.
- 7:59 Booking Steven Anderson goes into the book.
- 7:44 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Steven Whittaker by Steven Anderson.
- 6:46 GOAL - Cillian Sheridan:St Johnstone 1 - 0 Rangers Cillian Sheridan finds the net with a goal from the edge of the penalty box to the bottom right corner of the goal. St Johnstone 1-0 Rangers.
- 5:58 Filipe Morais has an effort at goal from outside the penalty area which goes wide right of the goal.
- 5:07 Foul by Steven Anderson on Kenny Miller, free kick awarded. David Weir takes the free kick.
- Correction - 4:26 Kris Boyd is caught offside. Indirect free kick taken by Graeme Smith.
- 4:26 The assistant referee signals for offside against Kris Boyd. Free kick taken by Graeme Smith,
- 4:03 The ball is delivered by Steven Davis, Michael Duberry makes a clearance.
- 3:35 The ball is crossed by Steven Naismith, Steven Anderson makes a clearance.
- 3:13 Steven Whittaker crosses the ball, Michael Duberry manages to make a clearance.
- 2:52 Effort from just outside the box by Filipe Morais goes over the bar.
- 1:12 The ball is delivered by Cillian Sheridan.
- 0:22 The referee blows for offside. Free kick taken by Graeme Smith.
- 0:00 The match has kicked off.
Live text and data provided by The Press Association.
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