GLASGOW, Aug 12: A spectacular strike from Michael Stewart in first-half stoppage time gave Hearts a 1-1 draw at Aberdeen in Sunday's Scottish Premier League encounter.

Barry Nicholson put Aberdeen in front in the 19th minute. He had two attempts before stabbing a six-metre shot into the middle of the net following a powerful run down the right by Jamie Smith.

Hearts made little impact in the first half until Stewart smashed a rising shot into the top right-hand corner beyond despairing keeper Derek Soutar from the edge of the box.

The two teams failed to create any more chances following the interval.

Rangers top the table with six points from two games after beating St Mirren 2-0 on Saturday while champions Celtic ran out comfortable 4-1 winners at Falkirk, who had Kenny Milne sent off.

Results:

Played on Sunday:

Aberdeen 1 Hearts 1

Played on Saturday:

Falkirk 1 Celtic 4

Hibernian 4 Gretna 2

Motherwell 2 IC Thistle 1

Rangers 2 St Mirren 0

—Reuters