Rangers, under Steven Gerrard’s tutelage, have re-established their reputation and are chasing famous rivals Celtic for the Premiership title. They, meanwhile, had a massive fixture tonight at Ibrox against Aberdeen, the runners-up of last season who knocked out the Bears from the League Cup semis only a few weeks back.
Steven Gerrard, the Gers gaffer, was eyeing revenge in Glasgow but his men let him down yet again as they fail to beat the ten-man visitors who defended an early lead to secure a 1-0 win on the road.
Below are the Rangers players rated in their disappointing defeat against Aberdeen.
Allan McGregor: 6
The veteran custodian could have done little to deny Scott McKenna’s strike that earned the Dons a surprise lead early in the game. Lost his cool towards the end which resulted in a booking.
James Tavernier: 7
Kept on making overlapping runs and whipped in an array of decent crosses from the right-hand flank. Created chances one after another and spent the majority of his time high up the pitch since the visitors went down to ten men following Sam Cosgrove’s sending off.
Connor Goldson: 5.5
Looked unsettled at the back during Aberdeen’s opener. Did not face any difficulty in dealing with anything after that.
Gareth McAuley: 6
The veteran centre-back looked decent aerially as well as physically but needs to work more on defensive set-ups while defending set-pieces.
Jon Flanagan: 6
Started as the left-back, combined well with Middleton at times during the first half but was eventually replaced by Kyle Lafferty at the break.
Ryan Jack: 6.5
A routine display in central midfield as he kept on winning back possession and distributed the ball upfront to build up goal-scoring movements. Found himself denied by Joe Lewis early in the second half as the Dons custodian kept on making saves to defend the lead.
Lassana Coulibaly: 5.5
The midfield prodigy, on loan from Angers, should have done more offensively when the visitors were defending deep to protect their goal. Was not clinical enough in front of goal as he wasted a few half-chances in the early minutes. Was replaced by Eros Grezda early in the second half.
Ovie Ejaria: 6
The youngster, on loan from Liverpool, kept the game ticking with his runs, dribbles and movements. Created chances but failed to offer similar attacking threat as that of Scott Arfield who missed the tie due to suspension.
Daniel Candeias: 5.5
The Portuguese wide attacker was influential down the wings and worked hard to break down the Dons’ defensive resilience. However, he failed to do so due to a lack of end product.
Glenn Middleton: 6.5
The youngster often troubled the visitors with his runs, pace and attacking flair. However, he too failed to make an impact and got denied by Lewis in Aberdeen goal.
Alfredo Morelos: 5
Came close to scoring but failed to hit the target which eventually saw him losing his cool and receiving his marching order just after the hour mark.
Substitutes
Kyle Lafferty: 6
Made a positive impact high up the pitch with his physical and aerial dominance as he forced Lewis to make a strong save. But the striker failed to keep the pressure on right until the very end.
Eros Grezda: 6
The Albanian, too, made an immediate impact. He kept the custodian busy but could not influence enough to alter the scoreline.
