Motherwell continued to do their best to keep the pressure on league leaders Celtic with a 5-1 thrashing of Partick Thistle in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon.

Struggling Partick took a surprise lead in the eighth minute through Steven Lawless, as he was played in by James Craigen before lashing the ball home.

However, the visitors responded in empathic fashion as Keith Lasley equalised, which led the way for James McFadden, Lionel Ainsworth and John Sutton to complete the win.

Rivals Aberdeen also kept themselves within touching distance of Motherwell, as they edged out Ross County with a 1-0 victory at the Pittodrie Stadium, courtesy of an early first-half free kick from Nicky Low.

Elsewhere, both sides vying for sixth place in the league registered comfortable 3-0 victories over their opponents. While Hibernian beat Kilmarknock 3-0, St Johnstone overcame Dundee United thanks to a Stevie May hat-trick.

The only game in the league to end in a draw came at St Mirren Park where Hearts battled back through Jamie Hamill, who netted just after the break, in order to earn the visitors a point against St Mirren.

Earlier in the day, Celtic continued their march towards winning the title with a hard-fought 1-0 away win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

An early strike from Kris Commons ensured that Neil Lennon's men will now enter 2014 unbeaten in the league.

Results in full: Inverness 0-1 Celtic, St Johnstone 3-0 Dundee Utd, Aberdeen 1-0 Ross County, Hibernian 3-0 Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle 1-5 Motherwell, St Mirren 1-1 Hearts