Ouch!published at 15:36 Greenwich Mean Time 2 January 2023

15:36 GMT 2 January 2023

Aberdeen 0-0 Ross County

Aberdeen's Bojan Miovski attempts an overhead kick from a Ross McCrorie cross, but instead he catches Jordan Tillson who takes a sore one right in the face.

Ross County players are furious the referee is not taking action against the North Macedonian international.

The VAR confusion reaches the capital.

Toby Sibbick has the ball in the back of the net but it's ruled offside.

Now Kevin Clancy is off to the monitor to check an earlier handball. Penalty incoming?

First real sight of goal for Hibs.

Elie Youan sends a bobbling ball across goal and the onrushing Kevin Nisbet fails to find the right connection with Hearts bodies swarming, as the ball trundles behind for a corner which is quickly cleared.

Hearts fans are still claiming that Chris Cadden should have been shown a second yellow after he caught Andy Halliday late.

Almost a Kilmarnock goal. Lewis Mayo's pass inside is nicely dummied by Scott Robinson and Blair Alston rifles it at goal - but Trevor Carson stretches an arm and makes a good save.

Closest we've come to breaking the deadlock.

Alex Iacovitti clears off the line for Ross County as Aberdeen continue to pour forward at Pittidrie.

Matthew Kennedy looks set to burst the net from close range, but the Ross County man sticks out a leg to deny him.

From the corner kick Liam Scales heads over the bar. The Dons are continuing to knock the door.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland at McDiarmid Park

No goals at McDiarmid Park in the opening 25 minutes but it's the visitors in Tangerine who've played the better stuff and dominated the play.

Their midfield of Sibbald, Levitt and Harkes is looking particularly comfortable on the ball. Saints need to up their game, and quickly.

It's now time for Motherwell to have a bit of goalmouth action...

Kevin van Veen tees up a vicious strike inside the area from a wide angle, but Shamal George has it covered with a stinging save.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland

The fans sitting around me here have absolutely no idea what's happened regarding the two penalties here. "I'm confused," laughed one.

I fancy he's not the only one!

There has been a change for St Mirren, to try and counter the red card. Eamonn Brophy, making his first start of the season, is the sacrificial lamb. Alex Gogic is on in his place.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland at McDiarmid Park

There is a good-sized crowd inside McDiarmid Park for this Tayside derby, with plenty having come down the road from Dundee.

I'm sure they've travelled with much hope, and not just because Saints have shipped seven goals in their last two games.

Dundee United haven't lost at McDiarmid Park since September 2015 ,with three wins and two draws in their last five visits, with one of those a penalty shootout win in the League Cup in 2020.

It's all kicking off in Livingston... what was I saying about a quiet start?

Liam Kelly remarkably saves Nicky Devlin's retaken penalty, ensuring this one was way clear of any attempt at a rebound.

It does remain goalless in West Lothian.

Hibs are at panic stations.

Rocky Bushiri has just passed the ball directly into the Hearts midfield under pressure, and it's a chance that the hosts should really do better with but the pass to Josh Ginnelly is overcooked.

Aberdeen have two penalty shouts within two minutes as they continue to dominate at Pittodrie.

The first comes as Christian Ramirez holds off the defender then hits the deck as he claims his foot was taken away from him.

The second comes from a Matthew Kennedy shot with Dons players claiming for handball against Jordan Tillson.

Neither incident has required an on-field VAR check and we play on.

Drama in West Lothian, there is going to be a retake of this penalty.

David Munro was listening to Colin Stephen the VAR for today's game game and they concluded with a retake of the penalty.

Kilmarnock have been on top since that St Mirren red card. Liam Polworth is the first to test Trevor Carson, driving from distance.

He scored from that range against Motherwell, but this effort was straight at the keeper.

Very little to report after 10 minutes at McDiarmid Park.

Dundee United have had all the ball, but are yet to have a clear sight of Remi Matthews' goal.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou tells Sky Sports: “It was a great game of football before we get to anything else, it was a cracking game. All eyes, not just in Scotland, but around the world were on it, and both teams at it - a proper derby.

“We started really well and then we lost control of it. Mainly self-inflicted because of our passing, making mistakes and errors we don’t usually do.

“They got some momentum, particularly with the crowd behind them. Then at the beginning of the second half they took a foothold for 15/20 minutes.

“It’s very easy on a day like this to sort of resign yourself to a fate, but we haven’t done that this year or last year and we found a way.

“It’s a difficult place to come to, they threw everything at us and they knew how important this game was in the context of the league.

"I thought for the most part we handled it okay."

On the aforementioned mistakes he adds: “They’re human beings, they’re not robots. It’s a big occasion, a big game, and we just tightened up in some areas where our football is a lot more free-flowing and we didn’t do that today.”

Image source, SNS

A very lacklustre start to the affair in West Lothian, nothing to write home about.

Shamal George has looked a little shaky in the Livi goal on his return. A few messy kicks in the opening minutes.