Hearts Slip At Motherwell As Stephen Kingsley Own Goal And Lawrence Shankland Equalise

Hearts slipped at Motherwell as the Scottish Premiership title race stayed on edge after a 1-1 draw at Fir Park, with Stephen Kingsley bundling the ball into his own net and Lawrence Shankland equalising just before the break.

Sky Sports said Rangers were seven points from the Scottish Premiership summit with three games left to play, while Celtic were three points behind leaders Hearts and both games were set to be live on Sky Sports on Saturday 9 May 2026 08:50, UK.

BBC

ESPN put Hearts at the top on 77 points after a draw at Motherwell on May 9, with Celtic four points behind and Rangers in third on 69 points.

The Guardian said Hearts were chasing their first title since 1960 and that they could still seal the championship at home to Falkirk on Wednesday with a game to spare depending on how Martin O’Neill’s side fared over their next two matches.

Celts Are Here said the SPFL table had Hearts on 77 points from 36 games, with Celtic sitting on 73 points from 35 games and Rangers remaining third on 69 points from 35 games.

The draw at Motherwell was overshadowed by a second-half penalty controversy after Alexandros Kyziridis went down in the box after appearing to be caught on the foot by Tawanda Maswanhise, with referee Steven McLean refusing to award a spot-kick.

The Times said McInnes was adamant it was a penalty, quoting: “I’m adamant it is [a penalty],” while also describing the referee being sent to the pitchside monitor by VAR Greg Aitken.

BBC

BBC reported that VAR Greg Aitken got McLean over to the screen, but McLean was unmoved, and quoted Derek McInnes saying: “It’s such a poor decision. I don’t understand why that’s not a penalty.”

The Independent said Hearts were furious to be denied a second-half penalty, and it quoted McInnes: “It should be a penalty kick, the referee had a poor game tonight,” as the title race twist unfolded.

The Guardian added that Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou felt the referee was right, saying: “You can see that there’s a little bit of contact, but not enough to drop yourself to the ground like that and make it look like it’s the worst tackle in the history of football,”.

Hearts also lost key players after the Motherwell match, with Craig Halkett and Marc Leonard forced off with achilles injuries and the Independent saying both would play no part in the final week of the season.

“Hearts have left the door open”

Celts Are Here

The Independent quoted McInnes confirming the severity, saying: “Unfortunately for us it's been a sore night for us with Leonard and Halkett's injuries, really bad injuries,” as Hearts prepared to respond with squad changes.

Sky Sports said Rangers could clinch their first top-flight title since 1960 if they avoided defeat to Falkirk on May 13, while also noting European football incentives depending on how results went.

ESPN said Rangers need a minor miracle to claim the title and that Rangers face Celtic in the Old Firm derby on May 10, with Celtic and Hearts meeting at Parkhead on the final weekend.

The Guardian said Hearts will go into their penultimate match with at least a one-point lead and that they could yet seal the championship at home to Falkirk on Wednesday, but they would do so without Craig Halkett and Marc Leonard after “Bad injuries, both achilles injuries”.