2020–21 Scottish Premiership
115th season of top-tier football league in Scotland
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The 2020–21 Scottish Premiership was the eighth season of the Scottish Premiership, the 124th edition of the highest division of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 6 July 2020,[4] with the season beginning on 1 August, following Scottish Government approval due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.[5]
1st Premiership title
55th Scottish title
Hamilton Academical
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1 August 2020 – 16 May 2021 |
| Champions | Rangers 1st Premiership title 55th Scottish title |
| Relegated | Kilmarnock Hamilton Academical |
| Champions League | Rangers Celtic |
| Europa League | St Johnstone |
| Europa Conference League | Hibernian Aberdeen |
| Matches | 228 |
| Goals | 552 (2.42 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Odsonne Édouard (18 goals)[1][2] |
| Biggest home win | Rangers 8–0 Hamilton Academical[3] (8 November 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Ross County 0–5 Celtic[3] (12 September 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Hamilton Academical 3–5 St Johnstone[3] (17 October 2020) Rangers 8–0 Hamilton Academical[3] (8 November 2020) |
| Longest winning run | 15 matches:[3] Rangers |
| Longest unbeaten run | 38 matches:[3] Rangers |
| Longest winless run | 12 matches:[3] Motherwell Ross County |
| Longest losing run | 8 matches:[3] Kilmarnock |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
Twelve teams contested the league: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Hamilton Academical, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Livingston, Motherwell, Rangers, Ross County, St Johnstone and St Mirren. Celtic were the defending champions, seeking a record-breaking tenth successive title.
On 7 March, Rangers clinched their 55th title, their first since 2011 also their first since the club went into liquidation in 2012. The title was the earliest title clinching date after Celtic drew 0–0 away to Dundee United with 6 games remaining.[6][7][8] Rangers also completed an unbeaten league season on 15 May 2021 after a 4–0 win against Aberdeen on the final matchday.[9]
Teams
The following teams changed division after the 2019–20 season.
Promoted from the Championship
Relegated to the Championship
Stadia and locations
| Aberdeen | Celtic | Dundee United | Hamilton Academical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittodrie Stadium | Celtic Park | Tannadice Park | New Douglas Park |
| Capacity: 20,866[11] | Capacity: 60,411[12] | Capacity: 14,223[13] | Capacity: 6,018[14] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Hibernian |   Location of teams in the 2020–21 Scottish Premiership |
Kilmarnock | |
| Easter Road | Rugby Park | ||
| Capacity: 20,421[15] | Capacity: 17,889[16] | ||
 |
 | ||
| Livingston | Motherwell | ||
| Almondvale Stadium | Fir Park | ||
| Capacity: 9,512[17] | Capacity: 13,677[18] | ||
 |
 | ||
| Rangers | Ross County | St Johnstone | St Mirren |
| Ibrox Stadium | Victoria Park | McDiarmid Park | St Mirren Park |
| Capacity: 50,817[19] | Capacity: 6,541[20] | Capacity: 10,696[21] | Capacity: 7,937[22] |
 |
 |
 |
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Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen |  Stephen Glass |
 Joe Lewis |
Adidas | Saltire Energy |
| Celtic | John Kennedy (Interim) |
Scott Brown |
Adidas[23] | Dafabet |
| Dundee United | Micky Mellon |
Mark Reynolds |
Macron | Utilita |
| Hamilton Academical | Brian Rice |
Brian Easton |
Adidas | Cullen[24] |
| Hibernian | Jack Ross |
David Gray |
Macron | "Thank You NHS"[25] |
| Kilmarnock |  Tommy Wright |
 Gary Dicker |
Hummel[26] | Brownings The Bakers[27] |
| Livingston | David Martindale |
Marvin Bartley |
Nike | Phoenix Drilling Ltd |
| Motherwell | Graham Alexander |
Declan Gallagher |
Macron | Paycare[28] |
| Rangers | Steven Gerrard |
James Tavernier |
Castore[29] | 32Red |
| Ross County | John Hughes |
Iain Vigurs |
Macron | Ross-shire Engineering[30] |
| St Johnstone | Callum Davidson |
Jason Kerr |
Macron | Binn Group |
| St Mirren | Jim Goodwin |
Joe Shaughnessy |
Joma | Skyview Capital |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross County | Steven Ferguson (co-manager) |
Internal restructuring | 10 June 2020[31] | Pre-season | Stuart Kettlewell (manager) |
10 June 2020[31] |
| St Johnstone | Alec Cleland |
End of caretaker spell | 18 June 2020[32] | Callum Davidson |
18 June 2020[32] | |
| Dundee United | Robbie Neilson |
Signed by Heart of Midlothian | 21 June 2020[33] | Micky Mellon |
6 July 2020[34] | |
| Livingston | Gary Holt |
Resigned | 26 November 2020[35] | 10th | David Martindale |
21 December 2020[36] |
| Ross County | Stuart Kettlewell |
Sacked | 19 December 2020[37] | 12th | John Hughes |
21 December 2020[38] |
| Motherwell | Stephen Robinson |
Resigned | 31 December 2020[39] | 10th | Graham Alexander |
7 January 2021[40] |
| Kilmarnock | Alex Dyer |
Mutual consent | 30 January 2021[41] | 9th | Tommy Wright |
8 February 2021[42] |
| Celtic | Neil Lennon |
Sacked | 24 February 2021[43] | 2nd | John Kennedy (Interim) |
24 February 2021[43] |
| Aberdeen | Derek McInnes |
Mutual consent | 8 March 2021[44] | 4th | Stephen Glass |
23 March 2021[45] |
Format
In the initial phase of the season, the 12 teams play a round-robin tournament whereby each team plays each one of the other teams three times. After 33 games, the league splits into two sections of six teams, with each team playing each other in that section. The league attempts to balance the fixture list so that teams in the same section play each other twice at home and twice away, but sometimes this is impossible. A total of 228 matches were played, with 38 matches played by each team.
League summary
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
After the 12 Premiership clubs were given permission to restart full-contact training by the Scottish Government from 29 June 2020,[46] it was announced that an Aberdeen player had tested positive for COVID-19 two days later. The identity of the player was not disclosed but the club said that he was asymptomatic and self-isolating.[47]
Nine days prior to the start of the season on 1 August, it was reported on 23 July that seven members of St Mirren's coaching staff had tested positive. As a result, a pre-season friendly between St Mirren and St Johnstone on 25 July was cancelled and Hamilton Academical, who had played St Mirren in a friendly on 18 July, confirmed that all of their players and coaching staff had subsequently tested negative.[48] The following day, St Mirren announced that after the seven positive tests were retested, only one came back as positive with the other six negative.[49]
On the opening day of the season Rangers defeated Aberdeen 1–0 at Pittodrie Stadium and after the game, eight members of the Aberdeen squad went out to a pub in the city. Later in the week, the pub was linked to an outbreak of COVID-19 in Aberdeen which led to a lockdown of the city.[50][51] Two of the group subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 and the eight players were put into self-isolation.[50] Initially, the Scottish Government said Aberdeen's match against St Johnstone, scheduled for 8 August, wouldn't be affected by the lockdown of the city but the match was postponed after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "pretty furious" about the situation.[50][52] Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes was critical of the group of players - namely Bruce Anderson, Craig Bryson, Sam Cosgrove, Michael Devlin, Jonny Hayes, Matty Kennedy, Dylan McGeouch and Scott McKenna - who apologised for a "huge error of judgement".[53]
The following weekend, defending champions Celtic drew 1–1 with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on 9 August. Defender Boli Bolingoli was in the Celtic match squad and came off the bench during the match, but was found to have travelled back from Spain a few days earlier[54][55] – at that time, a 14-day quarantine was required for anyone travelling to Scotland from that country.[56] Celtic manager Neil Lennon said Bolingoli "went rogue" and the club were unaware of his actions before it came to light on 10 August.[54] Kilmarnock manager Alex Dyer revealed that Celtic had apologised for the situation.[57] Bolingoli (who tested negative for the virus) was subsequently fined £480 by the police for his breach of quarantine rules.[55]
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned Scottish football clubs, players and authorities that the breaches of COVID-19 protocols set up to allow football to resume in Scotland had resulted in her giving the game a "yellow card" and that further breaches could lead to a pause in the football season. Aberdeen and Celtic's matches against Hamilton Academical and St Mirren respectively on 12 August were postponed as a result of the two incidents, as well as the Celtic vs. Aberdeen match on 15 August.[58][59]
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) and Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) introduced new rules following the breaches of COVID-19 rules which meant Bolingoli and the "Aberdeen eight" were charged by both governing bodies.[60] An SFA hearing was held on 28 August which resulted in a three-match ban with a further two-match ban suspended for Bolingoli. The "Aberdeen eight" were each given a three-match suspended ban. The suspended bans would be triggered if a player was again charged with "bringing the game into disrepute" before 28 February 2021.[61]
Three fixtures (Kilmarnock v Motherwell, St Mirren v Motherwell and St Mirren v Hamilton) during the autumn were postponed after Kilmarnock and St Mirren told the SPFL that they could not fulfil them as scheduled due to COVID-19 outbreaks. The SPFL initially awarded 3–0 victories to their opponents; but that decision was overturned after an appeal to the Scottish Football Association.[62][63]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers (C) | 38 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 92 | 13 | +79 | 102 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 2 | Celtic | 38 | 22 | 11 | 5 | 78 | 29 | +49 | 77 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Hibernian | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 63 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 36 | 38 | −2 | 56 | |
| 5 | St Johnstone | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 36 | 46 | −10 | 45 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round[b] |
| 6 | Livingston | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 45 | |
| 7 | St Mirren | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 45 | |
| 8 | Motherwell | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 39 | 55 | −16 | 45 | |
| 9 | Dundee United | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 32 | 50 | −18 | 44 | |
| 10 | Ross County | 38 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 35 | 66 | −31 | 39 | |
| 11 | Kilmarnock (R) | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 43 | 54 | −11 | 36 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off final |
| 12 | Hamilton Academical (R) | 38 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 34 | 67 | −33 | 30 | Relegation to Championship |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-Head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only if deciding champion, UEFA competitions qualification, second stage group allocation or relegation).[65]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Teams play each other three times (33 matches), before the league is split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).
- St Johnstone qualified as the 2020–21 Scottish Cup winners.
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. To preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 13, but then postponed and played between rounds 16 and 17, it is added to the standings for round 16.
| Leader and Champions League third qualifying round | |
| Champions league second qualifying round | |
| Europa Conference League second qualifying round | |
| Qualification for the Premiership play-off final | |
| Relegated to the Championship |
Results
Matches 1–22Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away. |
Matches 23–33Teams play each other once, either home or away.
|
Matches 34–38
After 33 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams i.e. the top six and the bottom six, with the teams playing every other team in their section once (either at home or away). The exact matches are determined by the position of the teams in the league table at the time of the split.
Top six |
Bottom six
|
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
- As of 16 May 2021
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Odsonne Édouard |
Celtic | 18 |
| 2 | Kevin Nisbet |
Hibernian | 14 |
 Kemar Roofe |
Rangers | ||
| 4 |  Martin Boyle |
Hibernian | 12 |
 Alfredo Morelos |
Rangers | ||
| James Tavernier |
Rangers | ||
| 7 | Devante Cole |
Motherwell | 11 |
| 8 |  Mohamed Elyounoussi |
Celtic | 10 |
| Ryan Kent |
Rangers | ||
| Jamie McGrath |
St Mirren |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Score | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odsonne Édouard |
Celtic | Hamilton Academical | 5–1 (H) | 2 August 2020 | [67] |
| Kevin Nisbet |
Hibernian | Livingston | 4–1 (A) | 8 August 2020 | [68] |
| Mohamed Elyounoussi |
Celtic | Motherwell | 4–1 (A) | 8 November 2020 | [69] |
| Kyle Lafferty |
Kilmarnock | Dundee United | 3–0 (H) | 21 April 2021 | [70] |
Clean sheets
- As of 16 May 2021
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Lewis |
Aberdeen | 17 |
| Allan McGregor |
Rangers | ||
| 3 |  Benjamin Siegrist |
Dundee United | 12 |
 Ofir Marciano |
Hibernian | ||
| 5 | Jak Alnwick |
St Mirren | 10 |
Source:[71]
Attendances
Games are mostly being played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited attendance is allowed at some grounds with strict conditions under the Scottish Government Tier system, dependent on the club's geographical location.
Awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
| August | Steven Gerrard |
Rangers | Ryan Kent |
Rangers | |
| September | Neil Lennon |
Celtic | James Tavernier |
||
| October | Steven Gerrard |
Rangers | Connor Goldson |
Rangers | |
| November | James Tavernier |
||||
| December | David Martindale |
Livingston | David Turnbull |
Celtic | |
| January | Scott Robinson |
Livingston | |||
| February | Steven Gerrard |
Rangers | Odsonne Édouard |
Celtic | |
| March | Callum Davidson |
St Johnstone | Alfredo Morelos |
Rangers | |
| April | Graham Alexander |
Motherwell | Kyle Lafferty |
Kilmarnock | |
Premiership play-offs
The quarter-finals were contested between the third and fourth placed teams in the Scottish Championship. The winners advanced to the semi-finals to face the second placed team in the Championship, and the winners of that tie advanced to the final to play-off against the 11th placed team in the Premiership, with the winners securing a place in the 2021–22 Scottish Premiership.
| Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kilmarnock | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Dundee | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | Dundee | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Raith Rovers | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | Raith Rovers | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Dunfermline Athletic | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
Quarter-final
First leg
| 4 May 2021 | Dunfermline Athletic | 0–0 | Raith Rovers | Dunfermline |
| 19:00 | [72] | Stadium: East End Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Steven Kirkland |
Second leg
| 8 May 2021 | Raith Rovers | 2–0 (2–0 agg.) | Dunfermline Athletic | Kirkcaldy |
| 15:00 | [73] | Stadium: Stark's Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Greg Aitken |
Semi-final
First leg
| 12 May 2021 | Raith Rovers | 0–3 | Dundee | Kirkcaldy |
| 19:45 | [74] | Stadium: Stark's Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Nick Walsh |
Second leg
| 15 May 2021 | Dundee | 0–1 (3–1 agg.) | Raith Rovers | Dundee |
| 19:45 | [75] | Vaughan  21' |
Stadium: Dens Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Don Robertson |
Final
First leg
| 20 May 2021 | Dundee | 2–1 | Kilmarnock | Dundee |
| 20:15 | [76] | Haunstrup 77' |
Stadium: Dens Park Attendance: 500 Referee: John Beaton |
Second leg
| 24 May 2021 | Kilmarnock | 1–2 (2–4 agg.) | Dundee | Kilmarnock |
| 19:45 | Lafferty 69' (pen.) |
[77] | Stadium: Rugby Park Attendance: 500 Referee: Bobby Madden |
Broadcasting
Live matches
UK and Ireland
Sky Sports has exclusive rights to the Scottish Premiership regular league season and can show up to 48 matches, whilst also broadcasting the play-off final with BBC Scotland showing the quarter-final & semi-final.[78][79] Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, clubs can stream matches (not broadcast on Sky) to fans on a pay-per-view or "virtual season ticket" basis, whilst capacities in stadia are limited due to social distancing restrictions.[80]
United States
Select Premiership matches, along with the matches in the promotion/relegation playoffs, are shown in the United States on ESPN+, as part of a deal that allows ESPN+ to broadcast matches from Scottish leagues.[81]
Highlights
From the start of this season, highlights are shown on both Saturdays and Sundays on BBC Scotland's flagship Sportscene programme. Sky Sports also show highlights.
Gaelic-language channel BBC Alba has rights to broadcast repeats in full of 38 Saturday 3 pm matches "as live" at 5.30 pm.
The SPFL also uploads the goals from every Premiership match onto its YouTube channel - available from 6 pm on a Sunday for UK and Ireland viewers and 10 pm on a Saturday for those worldwide.