One penalty, three points
Rangers travelled to Pittodrie this morning with one point from two Scottish Premiership matches and a European campaign already in ruins. They left with a 1-0 win and a manager who can breathe again.
Lawrence Shankland settled it in the 69th minute. Djeidi Gassama had been hauled down inside the area by Daniel Happe a minute earlier, a decision nobody in red argued with, and the Rangers captain drove the spot kick into the top corner. It was the only goal of an afternoon neither side controlled for long.
The visitors had already come closest before that. On 38 minutes Gassama carried the ball the length of the pitch and squared for Kim, whose dink over Muller lost just enough pace for Afeez Aremu to sprint back and hook it off the line.
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Nisbet’s header, and the review
Aberdeen thought they had rescued it with seven minutes left. Kevin Nisbet headed home after two saves from Pandur, a goal that would have taken him to 10 for the season. The referee went to the monitor. Nisbet had both hands on Dujon Sterling as he climbed for the ball, and the goal was struck off.
Stephen Robinson kept his response short afterwards, telling Sky Sports he can control how his team defends rather than what VAR sees. He had a point about the first half too. Happe headed over from close range inside two minutes, and Aberdeen created enough early on to have led at the break.
McInnes buys himself some quiet
The context matters here. Rangers went out of Europe in midweek, beaten on penalties by Jablonec, a result that turned the temperature up sharply on Derek McInnes. Two league games had brought one point. A third without a win at Pittodrie, of all places, would have been difficult to talk his way out of.
Instead this becomes his first league victory in charge of Rangers, secured against his former club. “It was a huge effort from everyone and we get the reward with three points,” he said. “For the first time in a long time, a lot of Rangers supporters probably enjoyed the performance.”
Kris Boyd was less convinced by the bigger picture. He used the Sky Sports studio to argue that a squad of more than 30 players is not sustainable and that five or six need to leave before the window shuts, with the forward line not the only area needing work. Three points at Pittodrie does not settle that argument. It does buy McInnes a week without the noise.
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