Aberdeen 0 Rangers 1: How the players rated

Ronald Hernandez Venezuelan stuck to Kent when the Rangers man went into his area but possibly failed to alert Ash Taylor when the same player drifted into a central position for his goal. Spent most of his time involved in defensive duties. 6

Ash Taylor A strange afternoon. Got caught drifting towards the ball allowing Kent to run in behind him for the goal. Almost caught out again when going to ground too easily soon after but Scott McKenna got back to mop up Hagi's failed backheel attempt. But he made another two goal-saving efforts to prevent a second: a good block to deflect a Morelos effort and a superb sliding challenge to clear Aribo's shot off the line in stoppage time. 6

Scott McKenna Reacted slowly to Hagi's dummy as the ball went from front to back and as such was flat footed when Morelos picked up Tavernier's forward pass. The Colombian took advantage of the space in behind by feeding Kent for his goal. Almost bundled the ball over the line for an equaliser in the second half following a goalmouth scramble. 6

Andrew Considine Solid if unspectacular up until the moment that defined his afternoon when he was sent off for studs-up challenge on Arfield. Prior to that there was some good link up with Kennedy to force a rare corner for Aberdeen from which the hosts almost scored. 5

Funso Ojo Wasted opportunity to release Hayes on a rare counter as Aberdeen sat in during opening exchanges. Inconsistent with his distribution. Booked for standing on Hagi's ankle. A mixed bag and was eventually replaced. 6

Lewis Ferguson Hooked shot over the bar in the first half just before Rangers scored. Kept going thereafter and won back possession well. Made a brilliant recovering tackle to halt Aribo just as the Rangers midfielder appeared set to make it 2-0 following a marauding run late on. Lucky to escape booking for thudding challenge on Goldson. 7

Craig Bryson Tried to get forward to support Anderson but suffered from Aberdeen's inability to move up the pitch as a unit. Got closer to Rangers deep-lying midfielders in an attempt to stop the ball at source and force an error but failed to make a real impression. 6

Jonny Hayes Demonstrated his versatility by lining up in unfamilar right-sided role. Not much further joy when he switched to the left midway through the first-half. Made intermittent appearances on each flank as Aberdeen tried to mix up their approach a bit but he overhit one cross and did not have much of a say on the game when he got the ball. 6

Matthew Kennedy Struggled to get going – closed out on his first forward run on the left. Switched to the right and overhit his first chance to cross from that flank. Had marginally more influence after the interval before he was eventually taken off. 6

Bruce Anderson Struggled to lay a glove on Rangers centre-back pairing through no real fault of his own. He had six touches in the first half and not many more after the break and could really have done with a bit more help from midfield. Taken off after 65 minutes. 5

Subsitutes:

Ryan Edmondson (for Anderson 65) Immediately brought more presence to Aberdeen along the line and got in behind on a few occasions to give the Rangers back four something to think about. 6

Niall McGinn (for Kennedy 71) Had shot blocked by Balogun and gave Aberdeen more attacking intent. 6

Dean Campbell (for Bryson 71) Brought some composure to Aberdeen's midfield. 6

Ryan Hedges (for Ojo 78) Made some forward progress. 5

Rangers

Allan McGregor Quiet first half except for one save from Ojo which he dealt with easily. Saved the ball on the line to prevent an equaliser following a goalmouth stramash in the second half, taking a kick in the process. 6

James Tavernier The full-back has scored nine goals in 16 games against Aberdeen and fancied his chances with a curling free-kick from the left that cleared the bar. Played his part in the goal with a vertical ball into Hagi which the Romanian dummied. Did what was asked of him, thereafter. 7

Connor Goldson Seemed to benefit from the presence of Balogun alongside him. Won his headers and performed the no-nonsense stuff to good effect. Conceded free kick for a mistimed challenge on McGinn but Aberdeen failed to take advantage. 7

Leon Balogun “Excellent for Wigan. Hopefully he will help us today,” Steven Gerrard told Sky before kick off. The debutant was solid, physical and used the ball well, albeit there will be tougher tests ahead. Made a good covering run to halt Anderson on one rare occasion when the Aberdeen striker appeared to be through on goal. Hit head off the post in an attempt to keep out McKenna's efforts to bundle the ball over the line. 8

Borna Barisic Provided an outlet when Rangers went forward and did what was asked of him defensively. Otherwise it was a fairly uneventful afternoon for the left-back. 6

Glen Kamara Lost out on edge of area in first half, presenting Aberdeen with an opportunity when Ojo tested McGregor from range. Joined the dots in midfield. Lacked composure late on when firing over from the edge of the area. 6

Ryan Jack Sloppy in possession at times during the first half but he wasn't the only one. More like himself in the second half as he provided an effective screen in front of the back line. 7

Joe Aribo Looked bright, kept the ball well and drove forward when the opportunity presented itself. Might have pulled the trigger sooner when on the rampage through midfield late on. Hesitated and allowed Ferguson to slide in and nick the ball away. Found more space as Aberdeen sought an equaliser and almost made it 2-0 when he found himself all alone outside the six-yard box and beat Lewis with a left-footed finish but not Taylor who slid in to clear. 7

Ianis Hagi Hit side netting with cross-shot for Rangers' first real effort on goal. Nice dummy in midfield for the goal and tested Lewis with drive from the edge of the area. Was always available to receive passes in difficult areas. Squandered good chance to break when failing to pick out Morelos on the counter but almost added a second himself following a fine move involving the Colombian and Ryan Kent. Tired as game went on but still turned in a fine display. 8

Ryan Kent Good chance early on but failed to take a touch and Lewis snuffed out danger. Was much more clinical with his next opportunity, expertly slotting the ball around the Aberdeen goalkeeper to open the scoring. Was a constant menace in the second half when Rangers went forward. 8

Alfredo Morelos Conventional wisdom would say he came too deep looking for ball too often in first half; nevertheless when he found himself in a wide area at the half-way line he picked out Kent with a perfect through ball for Kent to score. Linked well with Kent and Hagi throughout. Had one real sniff at goal but Taylor read his intentions and diverted the ball to safety. Temper bubbled at times, notably when he needlessly became involved in a jostling match in the corner. Kicked out at Hayes and was fortunate to escape censure from referee Bobby Madden. 7

Substitutes:

Scott Arfield (for Hagi 77) On the receiving end of Considine's challenge. Quiet otherwise. 5