Hearts suffer defeat at Kilmarnock as Celtic close the gap with win over Motherwell

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schjonning-larsen-michael/SQkbP50Q/"]Michael Schjonning-Larsen[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/hearts-0rGrwwNc/kilmarnock-jX8ezy7G/?mid=WjTGmDjI"]scored the only goal[/a] as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hearts/0rGrwwNc/"]Hearts[/a] boss Derek McInnes lost on his return to Rugby Park, where he enjoyed three years as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kilmarnock/jX8ezy7G/"]Kilmarnock[/a] boss.[/p][p]No side outside of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/celtic/QFKRRD8M/"]Celtic[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rangers/8vAWQXNS/"]Rangers[/a] has won the Scottish title for 41 years.[/p][p]Hearts have led for virtually the entire campaign, but a series of injuries to key players caught up with the Jambos in a poor performance.[/p][embed guid="22aa32e3-01ee-41b8-85cc-466118d5fa90" url="https://x.com/KilmarnockFC/status/2032939227038855227?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Should Rangers win at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/st-mirren/tAVXZEyT/"]St. Mirren[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/rangers-8vAWQXNS/st-mirren-tAVXZEyT/?mid=2wjlV4zi"]on Sunday[/a], the top three would be separated by just three points with eight games remaining.[/p][p]Celtic boosted their title defence by coming from behind to beat fourth-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/motherwell/YuW7ZfMM/"]Motherwell[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/celtic-QFKRRD8M/motherwell-YuW7ZfMM/?mid=6qrigHMt"]3-1[/a].[/p][p]Motherwell has been on the fringes of the title race themselves prior to last weekend's defeat at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/dundee-fc/hjIyrgaj/"]Dundee[/a] and dominated Celtic when the sides last met in December.[/p][p]The visitors were on course for back-to-back wins over the Scottish champions when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/just-elijah/CxtyLmOd/"]Elijah[/a] Just fired in after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hatate-reo/GCXUzZVG/"]Reo Hatate[/a] had been robbed at the edge of his own box on 32 minutes.[/p][p]However, the roles were reversed just six minutes later when Celtic this time won possession inside the Motherwell box and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yang-hyun-jun/xGCPrFwO/"]Yang Hyun-jun[/a] slotted in an equaliser.[/p][embed guid="2de7fe40-8fd6-472b-905f-5901942f3f8e" url="https://x.com/CelticFC/status/2032867941692105016" social-type="twitter" /][p]The decisive moment came 19 minutes from time when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/emmanuel-mbule-longelo/xn6JpSwM/"]Emmanuel Longelo[/a] pulled down [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maeda-daizen/6kfQTp18/"]Daizen Maeda[/a] from a corner.[/p][p]A VAR intervention saw a penalty awarded and a red card shown to Longelo.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cvancara-tomas/zgMpZZSc/"]Tomas Cvancara[/a], who scored the winning penalty to beat Rangers in a bad-tempeted Old Firm showdown last weekend, coolly converted from the spot.[/p][p]Yang then raced through to fire home his second of the afternoon and seal a vital three points for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/o-neill-martin/82l54I96/"]Martin O'Neill[/a]'s men.[/p]