'No from club to club'published at 17:58 British Summer Time 10 May
17:58 BST 10 May
FT: Kilmarnock 3-2 Dundee
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes tells BBC Scotland that Hearts have not been in touch with the Ayrshire club.
"I hear all the speculation but there's been no from club to club as far as I'm aware," he explains.
"It's hard for me to say anything other than that. The fact there's been no from club to club.
"There's been a lot of speculation but we've had far too much to occupy ourselves with. I've been focused on making sure we're alright.
"I love this club, it's given me so many highlights and I'm really enjoying days like today. They make it worthwhile. If anything's to change with that it's not in my control."
On today's victory over Dundee, the Killie boss added: "It wasn't straightforward, the heat played a factor but I think the boys worked extremely hard.
"The games against Dundee are always dramatic, you're never quite there, but I thought we were worthy winners.
"Three goals should always be enough to win a home game, thankfully it was today, but it could have been so much more. Sometimes you're looking to just stick the knife in and get that comfortable victory and at 3-1 we thought we were there but credit to Dundee for fighting back.
"The season is maybe finishing at the wrong time for us because we actually look like we're getting stronger. Today was all about wining, it's a real highlight seeing the fans and how much it meant."
'It's about who's got the mentality'published at 17:52 British Summer Time 10 May
17:52 BST 10 May
FT: Celtic 3-1 Hibernian
Hibs head coach David Gray tells BBC Scotland: "The timing of the goals is against us, that was the killer today. Celtic will always have periods when they dominate and we knew that.
"Coming in 2-1 down [at half-time] was a big blow mentally for the players. The goals we lose we have to look at because they were quite soft from our point of view. The second half reaction was positive, but the third goal takes the stuffing out the game.
"Everyone knows what's at stake, it's the final push of the season, three games in a week. It's about who's got the mentality and I believe the group is good enough to do it."
Image source, SNS
Image caption,
Hibs took the lead at Celtic Park but were behind by half-time
'There's no hiding place' for County - Cowiepublished at 17:49 British Summer Time 10 May
17:49 BST 10 May
FT: St Johnstone 2-1 Ross County
Ross County manager Don Cowie tells BBC Scotland: "We've got to be concerned, we've got to face the reality in of how tight things are now.
"Credit to St Johnstone, they get the victory and make things tight. Somehow, despite the run of form we've been on, with two games to go, we've still got an opportunity to get out of the position we're in.
"Today has to be a day, for us as a group, to recognise the situation we're in.
"There's no hiding place, I'm not going to hide, I take full responsibility for the run of results. It's not good enough but over the next seven days I'll be doing everything I can for this football club and that's what the players need to do."
Image source, SNS
Image caption,
Ross County captain Connor Randall looks dejected at full time
VAR not the reason Motherwell lost - Wimmerpublished at 17:46 British Summer Time 10 May
17:46 BST 10 May
FT: Hearts 3-0 Motherwell
Motherwell manager Michael Wimmer tells BBC Scotland: "It was a bad result. The goals were too easy. There were four shots [on target] for Hearts and they scored three times.
I don't want to talk about VAR every weekend, it's always the same. I didn't see it [Callum Slattery's disallowed goal] on the television so I don't want to speak about it. What should I say?
"We discuss each weekend. Last weekend it was lucky for us and unlucky for Dundee, this weekend it was unlucky for us and lucky for Hearts.
"In my opinion if it is a clear decision then why does the VAR take five minutes and then the referee take five minutes? It wasn't clear so the VAR should say no and leave it to the referee.
"But it's not necessary to get angry, it's not the reason we lost the game. It was a bad result but I don't think it was a bad performance.
"In the last three games we got seven points and secured our league [status] so that's the positive, and the other positive is we have a game on Wednesday, our last home game and we want to win it."
'The fight continues' - Valakaripublished at 17:44 British Summer Time 10 May
17:44 BST 10 May
FT: St Johnstone 2-1 Ross County
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari tells BBC Scotland: "We needed to win, we did it, and of course you can see some nervy moments in our game.
"I thought we started very well but we let the opponent get back into the match. When we are in those moments it affects you but huge credit to the players for how they worked their way back in, got the second goal, and then how we defended in the end.
"The boys gave everything, one moment with VAR it went for us. It's been a long season, sometimes these things go against you. But today was a solid performance, we needed to win and now the fight continues."
'Celtic build on past success' - Rodgerspublished at 17:41 British Summer Time 10 May
17:41 BST 10 May
FT: Celtic 3-1 Hibernian
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers tells BBC Scotland: "The performance level overall was excellent. We went one behind, but we were doing so many good things in the game.
"We stayed calm. My big message was about building on our recent success because that's what the club is all about. We want to go into [the Scottish Cup final] in a really good way. For that we need to work.
"That's why we have success here, because we build on past success and don't settle and accept it."
Fox gives credit to playerspublished at 17:32 British Summer Time 10 May
17:32 BST 10 May
FT: Hearts 3-0 Motherwell
Hearts interim head coach Liam Fox: "We had some good moments in the game and scored three good goals. But also the commitment from the players to working hard in this heat and sticking to the plan was there for all to see.
"There's good players in that changing room and I've just tried to simplify it and make it nice and clear and easy for them in and out of possession. The players have been fantastic and all the credit has to go to them.
"At this moment in time I'll be back in on Monday and looking forward to St Johnstone at home, will be another tough game."
Image source, SNS
Image caption,
Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland scored twice at Tynecastle
United 'beaten by the better team' - Goodwinpublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 10 May
17:30 BST 10 May
FT: Dundee United 0-2 St Mirren
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin tells BBC Scotland: "We have no complaints about the end result, I thought St Mirren were the better team on the day.
"In these games over the season the first goal has always been vitally important and unfortunately St Mirren got that. We kept going but the longer the game went on I just felt we looked as if we were running out of legs in the middle of the pitch. We caused a lot of our own problems and St Mirren thoroughly deserved their victory.
"We knew what was at stake for ourselves today but I think this group of players, having done what we've done off the back of just being promoted, I can't criticise the players too much.
"The last three performances haven't been what we want them to be and I sense the frustration from the ers and rightly so. But sometimes you have to put your hands up and say you were beaten by the better team."
Buddies 'don't know when they're beaten' - Robinsonpublished at 17:26 British Summer Time 10 May
17:26 BST 10 May
FT: Dundee United 0-2 St Mirren
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson tells BBC Scotland: "We made harder work of it than we probably needed to.
"Some of the football and the chances that we missed, if we'd had the final product, it could have been four or five.
"We stood up to it when we came under pressure. I'm delighted with the scoreline and delighted with the three points.
"We've got a squad that don't know when they're beaten, they get through hard times together. I believe it's the highest points tally [for St Mirren] in modern history in the Premiership and the players deserve all the credit for that."
Sean McArdle only got a few minutes at the end but it looks like the 17-year-old enjoyed his Celtic debut.
It's so hard for young players to break through at the champions but he can take inspiration from Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Anthony Ralston, who have all made that journey.
Relegation drama as St Johnstone fight onpublished at 17:13 British Summer Time 10 May
17:13 BST 10 May
FT: St Johnstone 2-1 Ross County
Martin Dowden BBC Sport Scotland at McDiarmid Park
As the dust settles on a day of incredible drama, St Johnstone will have belief they can avoid automatic relegation.
They seemed doomed but got the result they needed to stay alive, now three points behind Ross County with two games remaining.
For County, it's now a real concern. Seven straight defeats is terrible form at a time like this. With the Perth side now within touching distance, they are in deep trouble unless they find a win.
FULL-TIME Kilmarnock 3-2 Dundeepublished at 17:08 British Summer Time 10 May
17:08 BST 10 May
Kilmarnock hold off Dundee's late fightback to secure victory and their Scottish Premiership status for next season.
Danny Armstrong's penalty gave Kilmarnock the lead before the break, but Lyall Cameron's first goal levelled the score.
Two headers, scored by Bruce Anderson and Robbie Deas, looked to have finished the game but Cameron struck again - this time a stunner from the edge of the box - to set up a tense finale.
Having achieved safety, Rugby Park boss Derek McInnes is expected to address the speculation linking him to the vacant post at Hearts.
Danny Armstrong's penalty gave Kilmarnock the lead before the break, but Lyall Cameron's first goal of the afternoon levelled.
Two headers, scored by Bruce Anderson and Robbie Deas, looked to have finished the game but Cameron netted again - this time a stunner from the edge of the box - to set up a tense finale.
However, the hosts held on and, having achieved safety, the club will now have to deal with Hearts' attempts to lure their manager to Tynecastle.
McInnes told BBC Scotland after the match: "I hear all the speculation but there's been no from club to club as far as I'm aware.
"It's hard for me to say anything other than that. The fact there's been no from club to club.
"There's been a lot of speculation but we've had far too much to occupy ourselves with. I've been focused on making sure we're alright.
"I love this club, it's given me so many highlights and I'm really enjoying days like today. They make it worthwhile. If anything's to change with that, it's not in my control."
On the pitch, his side produced another professional performance to exorcise any relegation fears.
The win over Dundee was their fourth in five games and they have been the form team of the bottom-six split.
Armstrong's 31st-minute penalty - his second in two games and awarded for Seb Palmer-Houlden's foul on Liam Donnelly - put Killie in the driving seat but they should have been ahead before that as Bruce Anderson rolled a big chance wide.
Dundee enjoyed more possession but were struggling to do much with it until the 76th minute when Lyall Cameron got on to Oluwaseun Adewumi's and squeezed the ball past Kieran O'Hara.
Parity lasted mere seconds though, as Kilmarnock went up the left-hand side where Donnelly crossed to Anderson, flying through the air to power his header into the net.
A lot of Killie's chances came from set-plays and the goal that proved to be the winner came from a corner as Deas headed in Armstrong's curled delivery.
There was still time for Cameron to twist and turn on the edge of the box, firing a lasered shot into the bottom corner, but it would not be enough.
Kilmarnock remain ninth, safe with two games to play, while Dundee sit 10th, two points above Ross County - who they play on Wednesday night.
McInnes speculation no distraction for Kilmarnock
Calm, resilient, professional and disciplined. All words that McInnes used pre-game to describe his team in the past few weeks.
For much of this game, they showed that again. Quite happy to allow Dundee to have the ball, they soaked up pressure and then hit on the back - almost to devastating effect.
They could have been more clinical in front of goal - looking at you, Anderson - but they made up for that with their threat from set-pieces.
However, matches between these two are never simple and Kilmarnock had to show a lot of fight to hold off the wave of Dundee momentum at the end.
How will these players cope if McInnes is to go? This is his team, built in his image. Big, strong Kilmarnock have finally started to stand tall at the right time.
Play-off panic threatens to seep in at Dundee
Any belief Dundee had of leaving Ayrshire with points was fleeting.
The hope attained from Cameron's first goal lasted all of a minute. The game only lasted six more minutes after his second.
But that feeling of missing the opportunity for a point will linger.
For all the possession, they struggled to test the keeper for large parts. The introduction of Adewumi was hugely influential. He set up one, almost scored another, and looked a much better partner for Simon Murray.
Now so much rests on Wednesday night and the game against County.
What they said
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: "It wasn't straightforward, the heat played a factor but the boys worked extremely hard.
"The games against Dundee are always dramatic, you're never quite there but I thought we were worthy winners.
Dundee boss Tony Docherty: "There's confusion throughout, for the second week. I don't want to be the manager who comes out every week and complains about referees and VAR, but there's huge confusion about the decision not to give the penalty kick [for the foul on Simon Murray].
"I've been in to see Don [Robertson], who I think is a very good referee. He's a bit embarrassed. The sequence of events was he was called across by VAR, they reviewed the offside, saw it wasn't offside, but decided it was outside the box."
Kilmarnock have only lost one of their last 13 Scottish Premiership games against Dundee (W4 D8), a 2-3 defeat in November this season.
Dundee are winless in their last five Scottish Premiership visits to Kilmarnock (D3 L2) since a 1-0 victory in May 2017.
Kilmarnock have won both of their last two league games (both 2-0), while they last won three in a row within a single season in the Scottish Premiership in October 2020, and last did so while also keeping a clean sheet each time in April 2018.
Dundee have alternated between winning (3) and losing (3) their last six league games, losing 1-2 at home to Motherwell last time out.
Dundee have dropped more points from winning positions (26) than any other side in this season’s Scottish Premiership, while no club has recovered more from losing positions in the division this term than Kilmarnock (13, level with Hibernian and Rangers).