Nacho Novo grabbed a double to help Rangers beat Dundee United 3-1 and move within a point of leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premier League.

Rangers now have 82 points from 35 matches while leaders Celtic are on 83 from 36 with just two games left in their bid to retain the title and face Hibernian at home on Sunday.

Spanish striker Novo scored the opener after six minutes at Ibrox following a free kick by Kevin Thomson and 11 minutes later lashed home his second goal from the edge of the area.

Rangers survived a couple of second-half scares when Noel Hunt was denied a penalty 10 minutes after the break after he was brought down by central defender David Weir.

Weir then turned the ball into his own net from a Danny Swanson shot only for the 'goal' to be ruled offside.

United managed to set up a nervous finish when Dutch striker Mark De Vries headed home in the 76th minute.

But Rangers got a third in stoppage time when Jean-Claude Darcheville rammed in a low cross from Barry Ferguson.

Elsewhere, Chris Porter's 17th goal of the season put Motherwell on the verge of a UEFA Cup berth after a 2-1 victory over Aberdeen at Fir Park.

Carl Finnigan's emphatic second-half goal helped Falkirk to a 2-1 win over Inverness as they leapfrogged Hearts into seventh place. In the Bairns' final home match of the campaign, they were the dominant force to secure back-to-back wins against an ineffectual Inverness outfit.

Gretna bounced back from their six-goal mauling at Inverness by holding their own in a 0-0 stalemate with St Mirren at Love Street. Brendan McGill hit the home side's crossbar in the third minute of the contest and that strike was as close as either side went with legitimate attempts.

Grant Murray sent Hearts crashing towards successive defeats in the bottom six as Kilmarnock collected a 2-0 win away to the Jambos. The former Hearts player rose highest in a congested box to bullet David Fernandez's corner beyond Steve Banks before substitute Paul Di Giacomo added a second with a volley from close range.

Team Talk / Reuters