Celtic reduced the gap to Hearts after securing a 2-1 victory at Dundee, while the Scottish Premiership leaders were held to a 2-2 draw by struggling Livingston on Sunday.

Kelechi Iheanacho ended his six-month goal drought with a decisive strike at Dens Park, helping third-placed Celtic move to within three points of Hearts.

The forward showed determination to outmuscle Dundee defender Ryan Astley, controlling a cross from fellow substitute Marcelo Saracchi before finishing from close range in the 82nd minute.

Celtic had previously lost all three visits to Dundee this season and appeared at risk of another setback when Simon Murray levelled the match in the 57th minute from a VAR-awarded penalty.

Steven McLean eventually awarded a penalty after determining that Ryan Astley had handled a bouncing ball with an outstretched arm following a VAR review.

Dundee had posed little threat up to that point and had fallen behind early on, with Yang Hyun-jun applying the finishing touch to an eighth-minute move.

Celtic squandered several opportunities before Dundee’s equaliser, but Iheanacho’s long-awaited goal soon restored their lead. The momentum then shifted further in Celtic’s favour when Astley was sent off, allowing Martin O’Neill’s side to reignite their title challenge.

Earlier in the day, Hearts manager Derek McInnes was left frustrated by his side’s lacklustre performance against bottom-placed Livingston.

The Jambos now sit just one point ahead of second-placed Rangers, who claimed a 4-2 victory over Dundee United on Saturday to briefly move to the top of the table for the first time in over two years.

Backed by a crowd of 7,000 at Almondvale, Hearts were caught off guard early as Stevie May put Livingston in front.

The visitors responded well, with Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga both finding the net to turn the game around.

However, a misplaced pass from Craig Halkett to Islam Chesnokov was intercepted, allowing Lewis Smith to level the score in the 58th minute.

Hearts’ frustration grew deeper in stoppage time when Marc Leonard was shown a red card for denying Robbie Muirhead a clear goal-scoring chance.

“We’ve definitely dropped two points,” McInnes said. “We conceded two very poor goals. We came here full of motivation, and the fans showed up in great numbers. I thought we looked prepared.

“We should have managed the game better and kept control, but we allowed that authority to slip.

“Even with half an hour left, conceding changes things mentally because you have to restart your momentum. For Livingston, being at the bottom of the table, it gave them something to hold onto.”