Rangers' crucial 2-1 win over Celtic hogged the headlines following the seventh round of games in the Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League but there were just as significant wins for both St Mirren and St Johnstone while Motherwell, Hibs and Dundee United stayed within touching distance of second place.

At the other end of the table, it's a worrying time for the two pre-season relegation favourites Hamilton and Falkirk.

Rangers' dogged victory over their great rivals tells us very little we did not already know.

Walter Smith's side continue to be difficult to beat and will grind out results - but there will be very little in the way of entertainment. There were 10,000 empty seats for the clash with Sevilla last week and despite the result on Sunday, the meeting with Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni is likely to result in the lowest attendance for a Champions League tie at Ibrox for some time.

Despite being 2-0 up in 16 minutes and with the home side toiling desperately at the back, Smith reverted to a 4-5-1 formation following Kenny Miller's second goal.

It wasn't pretty as Celtic dominated possession but dogged defending and a lack of punch and creativity in the visitors' attack sealed the win despite Aiden McGeady's penalty.

Many Parkhead season-ticket holders will have been looking on in horror as defensive errors cost them dear once again.

There was a school of thought that Tony Mowbray, a bruising defender in his day, would make signing a centre-half one of his first priorities after taking over in the summer.

But instead, he chose to stick with Stephen McManus, Gary Caldwell and Glenn Loovens while sending Darren O'Dea out on loan to Reading and is paying the price.

However, it's not just at the back where Celtic have problems. The centre of midfield continues not to function properly while up front, Mowbray has yet to decide who his main striker(s) will be.

It looks like Marc-Antoine Fortune and one other, in home games anyway.

It does not look like Mowbray rates Scott McDonald but Georgios Samaras has hardly covered himself in glory either and was left on the bench at Ibrox so it will be interesting who plays as the main striker against Hamburg in their next Europa League tie.

But still, there is little between the Old Firm at the moment, as the one-point gap in favour of Celtic would suggest.

Rangers' squad is paper-thin and they need more from key men such as the out-of-form Pedro Mendes.

Dundee United midfielder Mark Fotheringham claims his side can challenge the Old Firm this season. That may be a pretty outlandish claim but Craig Levein's side have lost only once so far and battled back for a 1-1 draw at Hibs on Saturday.

John Hughes' Hibs dominated for long spells with Derek Riordan somehow missing an open goal from just a few yards out that would have given his side a surely unassailable 2-0 lead.

Both sides look capable of causing the Old Firm plenty of problems and if Hibs continue to produce the sort of football as they did on Saturday, especially in the first half, the punters will be flocking back to Easter Road.

Andy Webster grabbed United's equaliser and it will be worth keeping an eye on his form at Tannadice.

The on-loan Rangers defender had played only 11 games in three seasons prior to this term - he has now played the full 90 minutes in eight of United's nine games so far.

With David Weir approaching retirement and Madjid Bougherra continually linked with a move away, Rangers will be keeping a close eye on Webster. And with hardly a plethora of options availabe to him in central defence, so will Scotland boss George Burley.

Motherwell continue to keep up with Hibs and United, although they were far from impressive in the 1-0 win over Falkirk.

The Bairns should really have taken at least a point from the game but again the lack of a killer instinct up front cost them dear.

Eddie May's men look short on confidence at the moment but I reckon one win will set them on their way.

It must be hugely encouraging for Jim Gannon to see his young Well side pick up points when not playing particularly well but he has such high standards so we can expect to see a big improvement next time out at Celtic.

How they perform at Parkhead will give us a better idea about their real potential this season.

Although Falkirk sit bottom of the table with just three points from their seven games, it's Hamilton I worry most about.

Watching them perform so negatively at home against a side that had shipped 17 goals in their opening six games must have been depressing for the dwindling band of Accies fans.

Going down 2-0 to Derek McInnes' men means they have now taken just one point from two home games against Falkirk and St Johnstone and a trip to Kilmarnock.

And it doesn't get any easier for Billy Reid with a trip to Dundee United and a home clash with Celtic in their next two.

It may have been misery for Accies but what a win for St Johnstone.

It was arguably one of their poorest performances of the season but they won't care having bossed a number of games but failed to take maximum points.

Now they finally have that first win since promotion, the pressure has eased a bit heading into the clash with Rangers next time out.

I like the look of the Saints and reckon they will survive fairly comfortably in the end, much like the Accies did last term.

St Mirren also removed an unwanted monkey from their back by picking up their first win at St Mirren Park in the SPL since moving there back in January.

Craig Dargo's stunning strike downed Hearts and could be the boost that spurs them on to better things.

But they must improve in front of goal if they are to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle. I like the look of their midfield and while Billy Mehmet, Michael Higdon and Dargo are all decent players, they must produce more in front of goal on a regular basis.

As for Hearts, Csaba Laszlo will be tearing his hair out after taking the lead but slumping to defeat for the third time this season.

How his side did not bury their opponents in the first half is a mystery while I still can't believe Suso Santana somehow managed to miss an open goal.

Laszlo must be a worried man because his side offered very little after going 2-1 down. They are not clinical enough in front of goal and look shaky at the back unlike last season.

They now face Aberdeen and Motherwell away in two of their next three followed by the Edinburgh derby against Hibs - if the Jambos don't buck up their ideas, Laszlo could find himself in big bother with Valdimir Romanov.

Aberdeen's run of clean sheets came to an end at Kilmarnock but they managed to fight back to claim a barely-deserved point in a 1-1 draw.

Killie should have put the Dons to bed before Mark Brown's fumble allowed Gary McDonald to equalise.

The home side have created plenty of chances this season but are over-reliant on Kevin Kyle. Connor Sammon could have had a hat-trick on Saturday - he is a handful for defences but needs to start finishing more of those gilt-edged chances.

Killie really should be pushing for a top-six place with the squad they have but already they are four points behind Saturday's oppenents who sit sixth. They'll be too good for the drop so it could be another season of mid-table mediocrity for Jim Jefferies.

The Dons are also over-reliant on one man - set-piece specialist Charlie Mulgrew.

He has two goals to his name in the SPL this season and if you include his free-kick being fumbled into the path of McDonald on Saturday as an assist, he has either scored or set up five of the Dons' six league goals.

Mark McGhee needs time to make his mark at Pittodrie and it looks like they are in for a season of consolidation.

They are short of quality all over the pitch and I can't see them being in the chase for third spot - finishing in the top six would surely represent success this season.

Overall, it looks like we are in for an exciting season.

Can Rangers' paper-thin squad last the season and survive the January transfer window to hold on and make it two in a row?

Will Hibs and Motherwell stay in the hunt for third place? Will Dundee United manage to contest for a European spot for the whole season and not peter away? And what of Hearts?

The bottom of the table is no less interesting, with Hamilton and Falkirk looking in big trouble. Do St Mirren have enough goals to stay clear of the battle for the drop and can St Johnstone build on their first win of the season?

One thing we can be sure of is there will be many more twists and turns along the way. The SPL may not be the best quality league around but it is certainly one of the most competitive and exciting.

Send us your opinions on the SPL season so far. Send your feedback to gareth.friel@bskyb.com