Celtic and Hibs kicked off the return of the top-flight after the rescheduled winter break on Monday night. It was the prelude to a hectic evening of football with key results up and down the division.
Rangers were unable to reclaim a six point lead over their city rivals after dropping two points at Aberdeen with Lewis Ferguson netting a second-half penalty to earn the Dons a draw. It means the gap is four points and there are two league fixtures before the two teams meet at Parkhead at the start of next month.
Down at the bottom, St Johnstone lost more ground to teams in eighth, ninth and tenth with Livingston, St Mirren and Ross County all securing key victories. Saints, having lost to Hearts at Tynecastle Park are seven points from safety but just two points from the play-off spot which is currently occupied by Dundee who were hapless in their loss at Livi.
The win for Hearts sees the Gorgie side extend their cushion in third place to eight points with Motherwell, Hibs, Aberdeen and Dundee United all dropping points.
The Scottish Cup fourth round kicks off on Thursday but focus now switches briefly to the comings and goings in the transfer market with the January window open until the end of the month.
Scroll down and click through for all the latest transfer news and speculation from around the SPFL and Scottish football.
5. Wolf to Celtic?
The biggest hint yet that Celtic target Hannes Wolf is on the verge of leaving Borussia Monchengladbach was delivered by the German club’s sporting director. The Austrian international has fallen out of favour and has been linked with a move away with Rapid Wien and Trabzonspor also interested in the winger. Max Eberl said: “It could be that something happens with him in the next few days.” (Kicker) Photo: Franz Kirchmayr
6. McGrath absence explained
Jamie McGrath did not feature for St Mirren in their win over Dundee United because he did not feel his head was in the “right place”, revealed Buddies boss Jim Goodwin. The midfielder has been at the forefront of transfer speculation with Aberdeen pulling their pre-contract offer as the player considers options in England. Goodwin said: "There's a lot of speculation and it's been messing with his head. We will need to get it resolved as soon as possible." (Various) Photo: Sammy Turner - SNS Group
7. Souutar backed to deal with boos
Robbie Neilson has backed John Souttar to handle the fierce reaction from a section of Hearts fans. The centre-back was booed throughout the club’s 2-0 win over St Johnstone at Tynecastle Park with the player having signed a pre-contract with Rangers. Neilson said: “You know he’s very strong mentally, he can blank out the background noise and get on with the game.” Photo: Rob Casey - SNS Group
8. Lennon recalls Brown-Kent history
Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon admitted he wasn’t surprised to see Scott Brown noise up Rangers’ Ryan Kent after the winger had been sent off in the draw with Aberdeen. He said: “"He'll be enjoying this and smelling a bit of blood. There's obviously a bit of history there, not just with Ryan Kent, but with a lot of players.” (Sky Sports) Photo: Craig Williamson- SNS Group