Giakoumakis hat-trick sends Celtic six points clear

Glasgow (AFP) – Giorgos Giakoumakis scored his second hat-trick in five games as Celtic moved six points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 4-0 thrashing of 10-man Ross County on Saturday.

The Hoops had the points wrapped up within 26 minutes as Giakoumakis headed home Jota’s cross at the far post, thrashed home his second from close range and then nodded down for Daizen Maeda to make it 3-0.

An uphill task for County was made impossible when Kayne Ramsay was shown a straight red card from a lunge on Tom Rogic on 28 minutes.

At that stage Celtic would have expected to add many more goals to their significant goal difference advantage over Rangers, which could prove vital with two Old Firm clashes to come in the final seven league games of the season.

However, there was just one more in the second half as Giakoumakis completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to take his tally for the season to 12.

Europa League quarter-finalists Rangers can cut the gap at the top back to three points when they travel to bottom-of-the-table Dundee on Sunday.

Dundee will also be desperate for the points after Callum Hendry’s double in a 2-1 win for St Johnstone over Motherwell opened up a four-point gap at the foot of the table.

In the battle to make it into the top six for the end-of-season split, Dundee United were the big winners as a 96th minute strike from Mark McNulty beat St Mirren 2-1 to move Tam Court’s side up to fourth.

Aberdeen also remain in the hunt for a top-six finish after coming from behind to beat Hibernian 3-1 thanks to two Lewis Ferguson penalties.

Hearts now have a 14-point advantage in third place after they beat Livingston 2-0 at Tynecastle.