Match report as Rangers beat 10-man Aberdeen to move 22 points clear of Celtic; Ryan Hedges sent off for trip on Alfredo Morelos in penalty area; James Tavernier missed penalty; Morelos' double gave Rangers lead; Matthew Kennedy pulled goal back
Sunday 10 January 2021 23:55, UK
Rangers moved 22 points clear of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a 2-1 victory over 10-man Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
The hosts were down to 10 men midway through the first half when Ryan Hedges, adjudged to have made no attempt to win the ball by referee John Beaten, was shown a straight red card (26) for tripping Alfredo Morelos in the penalty area. James Tavernier missed the resultant penalty, but Rangers were ahead minutes later thanks to Morelos' strike (32).
Rangers extended their advantage after the break as Morelos grabbed his second of the game (50) to reach 50 Scottish Premiership goals, but they were not home and dry as substitute Matthew Kennedy pulled a goal back (67).
It provided a nervy final 20 minutes or so for Steven Gerrard's side, but they held on to strengthen their bid for a first title in 10 years.
Defeat leaves Aberdeen in third, four points behind Celtic in second.
It was a sloppy start to the game from both sides. Ash Taylor was first to switch off as he let a Tavernier ball sail over his head inside the first 30 seconds, with the Aberdeen defender grateful to see Morelos' scuffed shot saved by Joe Lewis.
Rangers' defenders were just as sluggish as Hedges' punt forward bounced through for Curtis Main, who flicked the ball on for strike partner Sam Cosgrove. He raced onto the ball, Connor Goldson went to ground, but the striker made a mess of his finish despite having only Allan McGregor to beat.
Aberdeen then had left-back Jonny Hayes to thank as he booted a Ryan Kent effort off the line before Lewis parried away Tavernier's follow up.
The hosts should have then been behind when Tavernier failed to make it 10-in-a-row from the penalty spot. Morelos worked a clever one-two with Joe Aribo before bursting into the box. The Colombian prepared to pull the trigger but instead went to ground after Hedges clipped his heels from behind.
The referee brandished a straight red card, but Tavernier could not boost Rangers further with the opener as his penalty flashed wide of the post.
Rangers did grab the lead five minutes later, though. Kent played the ball into the path of Morelos, and the striker turned and drilled a low finish past Lewis.
Things almost got worse for the Dons just before the break as Main launched himself into a nasty studs-up challenge on Borna Barisic. Beaton only gave a yellow but Derek McInnes decided against keeping the striker on, replacing him with Shay Logan.
Rangers did net a second inside five minutes of the restart. Again, the threat came from the right as Aribo played the ball into the box. Another deft flick from Kent found Morelos and the 24-year-old drilled home his 10th goal of the season.
It looked to be plain sailing for Gerrard's men, but Aberdeen were allowed to grab a lifeline after 67 minutes. Cosgrove sent the ball down the right for Hayes, who cut back for unmarked substitute Kennedy to slot home.
It set up a grandstand finish, but Rangers carefully managed their way to a 15th straight win.
Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes: "Up until the penalty incident, I thought we were very good - there was nothing in the game. My assessment [of the penalty and red card] at the time, and now since I've seen it, is that Ryan Hedges has done everything not to bring him [Alfredo Morelos] down. You would think that would have some bearing on the decision. But John Beaton explained to me at half-time he had nowhere to go with the decision.
"I said to my staff 'we'll find out a lot about my team in the second half' because the last team you want to go a man down to is Rangers. I thought the players were excellent. We're just disappointed not to have got anything from the game. A lot of teams would have folded at the second goal."
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard: "I thought we were excellent up until 2-0. At 2-0, we changed our mentality and mindset. We were making passes and decisions we didn't need to make. There's a lot of things we need to look at, but to take nine from nine from Aberdeen is a big effort from the boys.
"Aberdeen have had too many good chances when we were 2-0 up. It was very similar to Benfica away. I'm looking for more leadership on the pitch. Having said that, it's another fantastic win at a real tough place."
Sky Sports' Kris Boyd: "His performances have not been up to standards he sets himself but there were signs he was back to his best. It wasn't his top form, but he was getting back to what he was last season."
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard: "Something seems to have changed in the past couple of weeks. He's training well, he looks happy. Maybe that's because he's playing more."
Rangers midfielder Steven Davis: "I thought Morelos was excellent. He looked back to his best, picking up some really good spaces in between the lines. Obviously, a couple of good finishes so I'm delighted for him. Hopefully that's a sign of things to come from him as well."
Rangers host Motherwell next Sunday (January 17) at Ibrox, live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event; kick-off 12pm.
Before that, Aberdeen travel to Livingston on Wednesday (kick-off 7.45pm) before a trip to Ross County on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
