Will thrilling Scottish title race be decided on goal difference?

Rangers' incredible fightback from two goals down to thump Falkirk 6-3 has put the spotlight even more on the possibility of Scotland's thrilling three-team title race being decided on goal difference.

Former Rangers and Falkirk midfielder Scott Arfield was the latest, suggesting "it could be massive".

Indeed, prior to the match at Falkirk Stadium, the Daily Record devoted a whole column to explaining how the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is planning for a possible special, extra-game play-off to decide the winners should all else be equal.

It is a long way to go before any of that might come into play, with Hearts, Rangers and Celtic all having five games left, but who has the advantage at present should two or more finish level on points?

After all three sides won over the weekend, Hearts still lead Rangers by a point, with reigning champions Celtic two further back.

If two or all three of those finish level after the final round of fixtures on Saturday, 16 May, what is the hierarchy of title tie-breakers?

Goal difference - Rangers' win over Falkirk means they are currently five goals better off than Hearts and 11 clear of Celtic.

Goals for - Rangers currently also lead the way on goals scored, with 66 to Celtic's 59, with Hearts third with 58.

Head-to-head points - With Hearts having beaten Celtic twice and drawn once, the Edinburgh side would finish ahead even if they lose their final visit to Celtic Park.

Hearts have beaten Rangers twice and lost once, while Rangers have beaten Celtic once and drawn twice.

Head-to-head goal difference - Hearts currently lead Rangers 6-5 after their three meetings and their final meeting at Tynecastle will be decisive either way should it come to that.

Rangers, meanwhile, lead Celtic 5-3 on goal difference. Only if all else was equal would a play-off come into play, with Celtic having to match Rangers' previous 3-1 win on their last meeting.

However, even before his side laboured to a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened St Mirren, Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill was suggesting "it's too late now" for his side to think about starting to make up the ground on goal difference with their rivals.

Nevertheless, Celtic do have the advantage of playing three of their remaining five games at home, with both their rivals having two each.

Indeed, O'Neill's side host both their title rivals, including a final-day visit by Hearts.

Celtic have only scored more than two goals once in their last 10 outings, but a result or two like Rangers' against Falkirk and that goal difference deficit could quickly change.

Hearts found their scoring boots on Saturday, their own fightback from behind to beat Motherwell 3-1 breaking a trend of four nervy 1-0 home wins.

However, the weekend ended with Rangers head coach Danny Rohl pleased to have extended his side's goal difference advantage over the other two.

"In three games, we have 14 goals now and nine different scorers," he said. "That's also a statement."

It could have been very different had Rangers not lifted themselves out of their lethargy after finding themselves behind to goals from Ben Broggio and Finn Yeats after only 26 minutes.

Just before the break, Youssef Chermiti grabbed the first of his two goals and that sparked the revival that led to Rohl's side being 3-1 up within another 16 minutes.

"I'm proud of the players," the head coach said. "We brought ourselves some trouble in the first few minutes. You felt we needed a little bit of time to adjust to the pitch and how the ball was bouncing.

"But then we were 2-0 down and it's tough against an opponent that has quality."

Asked what he said at half-time to turn the game around, Rohl replied: "It wasn't necessary for me to give too many emotions at half-time because the players themselves were emotional.

"It's a consequence of the last few months and weeks. I try to give my team calmness and belief. I showed them solutions, but it's about my players - they delivered today."

Not surprisingly, he stressed that "we also have to speak about the conceded goals, because they were too easy. We have to improve our defence".

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton suggested "it's impossible to predict" who will win the title.

However, he added: "I don't think Celtic can win it. I think it's out of Hearts or Rangers."

Arfield, though, believes "this title race is going to go right down to the wire" and that none of the three teams will be thinking about where the points might come in the run-in.

"The next game is always the most important," the Livingston midfielder told Sky Sports. "There's absolutely zero room for error.

"Rangers had to win today - they had to find a way and, like Hearts and Celtic have done over the weekend, they have found a way. Goal difference could be massive."

Former Rangers and Falkirk winger Ian McCall predicted "mayhem" if Rangers return to Falkirk on the final day of the season with a chance to win the title and the hosts have reached the Scottish Cup final and decide to rest some players, even if within their rights to do so.

"I started in Scottish football in 1981 and I've not known a season as exciting as this," he told BBC Scotland.

For former Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson, Hearts "deserve some credit and a bit of respect" for the way they continue to lead the table, but he added: "There's no doubt there's going to be twists and turns to come."

There is a long way to go before a repeat of something like 2003, when Mikel Arteta's late penalty edged Rangers over the line by a single goal ahead of Celtic to avert a potential play-off for the title.