Ferguson hat-trick puts Rangers five clear

Rangers captain Barry Ferguson claimed a hat-trick to sink Dundee United at Ibrox and send his side five points clear at the …

Rangers captain Barry Ferguson claimed a hat-trick to sink Dundee United at Ibrox and send his side five points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League today.

The Scotland midfielder put the home side ahead on 13 minutes, added a second ten minutes after the break and rounded off his afternoon's work with a penalty four minutes from time to wrap up a 3-0 victory.

Celtic will attempt to cut Rangers' lead back to two points when they travel to Kilmarnock tomorrow.

Hearts moved up to third place with a last-ditch 1-0 win over Partick Thistle, thanks to Alan Maybury's stoppage-time goal.