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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Lochlin Highet

Kilmarnock 3, Ross County 1 as Ayrshire side secure Premiership safety

Kilmarnock ensured it was a survival Sunday with a relatively comfortable win at home to Ross County.

The Ayrshire side needed just a point to secure Scottish Premiership safety, but it was a resounding 3-1 victory that did the job.

A Brad Lyons opener sent the Rugby Park side into the break with a 1-0 lead, then Dan Armstrong and Kyle Vassell ensured that Yan Dhanda’s penalty would be no danger to Killie.

Derek McInnes rolled out an unchanged side from their 3-0 win at Dundee United and it did the job once again.

Chances were limited in a cagey opening half hour until Christian Doidge powered a header towards goal, but Ross Laidlaw got a hand to it and tipped the effort over for a corner.

Killie fired themselves in front in the 36th minute as Lyons got on the end of a corner to give his side a much-needed lead.

The visitors had their first real chance in the 40th minute as Nohan Kenneh fired an effort from the edge of the area, but a grateful Sam Walker watched it blaze past the post.

The second half started perfectly for Killie as VAR John Beaton deemed a foul on Armstrong to be in the box.

And the winger grabbed the ball himself to calmly slot it home from the penalty spot.

But just after the hour mark VAR then went against the hosts as Beaton spotted a penalty for County after a foul from Ash Taylor.

Dhanda fired home perfectly into his top right corner leaving Walker no chance of stopping it.

All nerves were eased in the home end in the 79th minute when Vassell headed home off the crossbar after his third shot at goal in a penalty area scramble to send the home fans into euphoria.

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