Celtic saw their title hopes receive a massive boost over the last four days without even kicking a ball.
Title challengers Rangers dropped five points from seven after a defeat up in Dingwall against Ross County and a scoreless draw in the rescheduled game at Dens Park.
There are no margins for error when a title race is this close and there is no doubt that Celtic firmly hold the advantage after they got their own job done against St Mirren on Saturday afternoon.
Goals from Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah extended the gap at the top of the table to four points, but Rangers had two games in hand at that stage and held their destiny in their own hands.
Stumbling against the Staggies was unexpected, but Don Cowie's men were deserving of the 3-2 win that handed Celtic a massive boost of confidence heading into the split.
Ross County's seventh league win of the season ensured that, even if Rangers won their game in hand against Dundee last night, Celtic would still be one point clear at the top of the Premiership with the final derby encounter scheduled for Celtic Park on 11th May.
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Laser-focussed approach
A slip-up in Dingwall, and the swinging of the title pendulum that followed, isn't an unfamiliar story, as in Ange Postecoglou's first season in Scotland it was a 3-3 draw for Rangers against Ross County followed by a late Celtic victory over Dundee United that gave the Hoops' support some real hope that they could go on to reclaim the league title in the Australian's debut campaign.
The mantra from Brendan Rodgers this season has been focussed on how Celtic cannot be distracted by what any other team is doing, they have to just concentrate on themselves. The message from Ange Postecoglou was the same during his time at Celtic, with a laser-focus on his own team not allowing him to be distracted by the noise from the outside.
Celtic had been plugging away at the start of the season, and whilst a lot of the performances may not have been vintage, they were getting the job done and concentrating on what had to improve.
The arrival of Philippe Clement and the upturn in form that Rangers enjoyed following his appointment coincided with a poor run of form in December for Celtic. This meant that the gap built up by the Hoops in the early stages of the season evaporated, but this was all of Celtic's own doing.
Mentality & Nerve
Celtic have bounced back from that poor spell in December, and are taking care of business again. Now the destiny of the league championship is well and truly in their hands again.
All Celtic have to do is safely navigate their way through five league fixtures following the split. It may sound easy but Celtic have had slip-ups this season too and Rodgers will be working with his group, particularly the new arrivals, in keeping them composed for the run-in.
Brendan Rodgers has reaffirmed that his side will not let complacency creep in, stating after the victory over St Mirren that this is the point in the season where, "Celtic comes alive".
This is a Celtic team with a core of experienced players with the mentality and nerve to win league championships. Brendan Rodgers will have the utmost confidence that his team of winners can decide the destiny of the Premiership crown.
James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie