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, with the season beginning on 1 August, following Scottish Government approval due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.
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, and their first since the club went into liquidation in 2012. The title was the earliest title clinching time after Celtic drew 0–0 away to Dundee United with six games remaining. Rangers also completed an unbeaten league season on 15 May 2021 after a 4–0 win against Aberdeen on the final matchday.
Teams The following teams changed division after the 2019–20 season.
Promoted from the Championship Dundee United
Relegated to the Championship Heart of Midlothian
Stadia and locations AberdeenCelticDundee UnitedHamilton AcademicalPittodrie StadiumCeltic ParkTannadice ParkNew Douglas ParkCapacity: 20,866Capacity: 60,411Capacity: 14,223Capacity: 6,018HibernianKilmarnockEaster RoadRugby ParkCapacity: 20,421Capacity: 17,889LivingstonMotherwellAlmondvale StadiumFir ParkCapacity: 9,512Capacity: 13,677RangersRoss CountySt JohnstoneSt MirrenIbrox StadiumVictoria ParkMcDiarmid ParkSt Mirren ParkCapacity: 50,817Capacity: 6,541Capacity: 10,696Capacity: 7,937
Personnel and kits
TeamManagerCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsorAberdeen AdidasSaltire EnergyCeltic (Interim) AdidasDafabetDundee United MacronUtilitaHamilton Academical AdidasCullenHibernian Macron"Thank You NHS"Kilmarnock HummelBrownings The BakersLivingston NikePhoenix Drilling LtdMotherwell MacronPaycareRangers Castore32RedRoss County MacronRoss-shire EngineeringSt Johnstone MacronBinn GroupSt Mirren JomaSkyview 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 Pre-season Stuart Kettlewell (manager) 10 June 2020 St Johnstone Alec Cleland End of caretaker spell 18 June 2020 Callum Davidson 18 June 2020 Dundee United Robbie Neilson Signed by Heart of Midlothian 21 June 2020 Micky Mellon 6 July 2020 Livingston Gary Holt Resigned 26 November 2020 10th David Martindale 21 December 2020 Ross County Stuart Kettlewell Sacked 19 December 2020 12th John Hughes 21 December 2020 Motherwell Stephen Robinson Resigned 31 December 2020 10th Graham Alexander 7 January 2021 Kilmarnock Alex Dyer Mutual consent 30 January 2021 9th Tommy Wright 8 February 2021 Celtic Neil Lennon Sacked 24 February 2021 2nd John Kennedy (Interim) 24 February 2021 Aberdeen Derek McInnes Mutual consent 8 March 2021 4th Stephen Glass 23 March 2021
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, 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.
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. 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.
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. Two of the group subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 and the eight players were put into self-isolation. 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. 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".
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 – at that time, a 14-day quarantine was required for anyone travelling to Scotland from that country. Celtic manager Neil Lennon said Bolingoli "went rogue" and the club were unaware of his actions before it came to light on 10 August. Kilmarnock manager Alex Dyer revealed that Celtic had apologised for the situation. Bolingoli (who tested negative for the virus) was subsequently fined £480 by the police for his breach of quarantine rules.
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.
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. 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.
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.
League table
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.
Results
Matches 1–22 Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
Matches 23–33 Teams 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
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Odsonne ÉdouardCeltic182 Kevin NisbetHibernian14 Kemar RoofeRangers4 Martin BoyleHibernian12 Alfredo MorelosRangers James TavernierRangers7 Devante ColeMotherwell118 Mohamed ElyounoussiCeltic10 Ryan KentRangers Jamie McGrathSt Mirren
Source:
Hat-tricks
PlayerForAgainstScore DateRef. Odsonne ÉdouardCelticHamilton Academical5–1 (H)2 August 2020 Kevin NisbetHibernianLivingston4–1 (A)8 August 2020 Mohamed ElyounoussiCelticMotherwell4–1 (A)8 November 2020 Kyle LaffertyKilmarnockDundee United3–0 (H)21 April 2021
Clean sheets
Rank Player Club Clean Sheets1 Joe LewisAberdeen17 Allan McGregorRangers3 Benjamin SiegristDundee United12 Ofir MarcianoHibernian5 Jak AlnwickSt Mirren10 Source:
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 MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the MonthRef.ManagerClubPlayerClubAugust Steven GerrardRangers Ryan KentRangersSeptember Neil LennonCeltic James TavernierOctober Steven GerrardRangers Connor GoldsonRangersNovember James TavernierDecember David MartindaleLivingston David TurnbullCelticJanuary Scott RobinsonLivingstonFebruary Steven GerrardRangers Odsonne ÉdouardCelticMarch Callum DavidsonSt Johnstone Alfredo MorelosRangersApril Graham AlexanderMotherwell Kyle LaffertyKilmarnock Annual awards Award Winner Club Scottish Premiership Player of the Year Allan McGregor Rangers PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year James Tavernier Rangers PFA Scotland SPFL Young Player of the Year David Turnbull Celtic PFA Scotland SPFL Manager of the Year Steven Gerrard Rangers SFWA Player of the Year Steven Davis Rangers PFA Scotland Team of the Year Goalkeeper Allan McGregor(Rangers) Defenders James Tavernier(Rangers) Kristoffer Ajer(Celtic) Connor Goldson(Rangers) Borna Barišić(Rangers) Midfielders Glen Kamara(Rangers) David Turnbull(Celtic) Steven Davis(Rangers) Forwards Odsonne Édouard(Celtic) Alfredo Morelos(Rangers) Ryan Kent(Rangers)
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 First leg
Second leg
Semi-final First leg
Second leg
Final First leg
Second leg
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. 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.
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.
Highlights