The Dutchman broke the deadlock just before the break with a drive from close range following a Shunsuke Nakamura corner to take his tally to six for the season.

Scott McDonald's 18th goal of the season nine minutes into the second half sealed the victory and piled pressure on the Ibrox men, who play Hibernian at Easter Road tomorrow.

Vennegoor of Hesselink's return to scoring form as the title race enters its final stages will be welcomed by the champions as they look to take enough points from the five post-split fixtures to retain their title.

Andy Dorman's spectacular 30-yard volley helped consign Motherwell to a bottom-six finish as St Mirren gave their survival hopes as real boost with a 2-0 win at Fir Park.

Dorman netted his fourth goal in as many games after Steven Thomson had given Saints a 77th-minute lead.

Motherwell had enjoyed the majority of possession but they lacked the cutting edge to claim the victory they needed to leapfrog Hibs.

St Mirren continue to prove a thorn in Motherwell's side - the Steelmen have now won just two out of 13 games against the Paisley side, who knocked them out of the Homecoming Scottish Cup in February.

Rock-bottom Falkirk gained a valuable point in their bid to avoid relegation as they held third-placed Hearts to a goalless draw.

The visitors created all the clear-cut chances in a poor match but could not find a way past Bairns keeper Dani Mallo on an afternoon of frustration.

Andrew Driver was at the centre of almost all of Hearts' best moments but was guilty of passing up a magnificent first-half chance on the break when he shot wide with only Mallo to beat.

A last-gasp volley from Brian Kerr gave Inverness a hard-earned 1-1 draw in today's relegation clash with Hamilton.

The Accies had not scored in their previous six league matches but took the lead after 17 minutes with a well-worked free-kick.

Alex Neil feigned to shoot but instead found James Gibson, who drilled the ball past Ryan Esson from the edge of the box.

Billy Reid's side looked to have claimed their third league win over Caley this season but Brian Kerr popped up at the death to volley home and earn his side a vital point.

Dundee United and Kilmarnock served up a dire goalless draw in a match which was devoid of excitement as well as goals.

Even a late red card for Paul Dixon failed to inject any real drama into this clash at Tannadice, with chances few and far between for both sides.

Both teams still had plenty to play for, with United chasing a European spot for next season and Killie desperate to avoid being dragged any further into a relegation battle but between them they conspired to serve up a poor spectacle.