NafisaAberdeen were left fuming at the officials after Rangers finally ended their miserable start to the Scottish Premiership season with a hard-fought victory at Pittodrie.
Lawrence Shankland’s second-half penalty proved to be the difference as Derek McInnes secured his first league win since taking charge of Rangers, making an emotional return to his former club even sweeter for the Ibrox boss.
But while the Rangers camp could finally breathe a little easier, Aberdeen were left wondering how they had walked away from the contest with nothing.
The defeat came just days after Rangers suffered another European nightmare, crashing out to Jablonec on penalties in the Czech Republic after failing to defend their first-leg advantage.
That result piled even more pressure on McInnes, who had already seen his side eliminated from the Europa League and then the Conference League during a disastrous European campaign.
Rangers will now spend an entire season without European football for the first time since 2017.
Their league form had hardly offered much encouragement either. After taking just one point from their opening two Premiership matches, Sunday’s trip to Pittodrie had the feel of a must-win encounter.
And Shankland’s penalty ultimately delivered exactly what McInnes needed.
Aberdeen left unhappy with officials
The result, however, did not come without controversy.
Aberdeen were particularly frustrated by referee Matthew McDermid’s performance, with the hosts feeling several decisions went against them throughout the afternoon.
The decisive moment arrived when Dan Happe conceded the penalty that allowed Shankland to put Rangers ahead.
That was already painful enough for the Dons, but matters became even more frustrating late on when Kevin Nisbet appeared to have rescued a point.
Aberdeen celebrated what looked like a crucial equaliser, only for VAR to intervene and the goal to be chalked off following a review of an incident involving Dujon Sterling in the build-up.
The decision left the home side furious and ensured Rangers escaped with all three points.
For Aberdeen, it was a particularly frustrating outcome given that this was their first home defeat of the season.
They had gone into the match with confidence after beating Dundee in their previous outing and manager Jimmy Thelin kept faith with the same starting XI.
Fit-again Mats Knoester was among the substitutes as Aberdeen looked to maintain their unbeaten home record.
Rangers, meanwhile, made four changes following their European embarrassment.
Cammy Devlin, Findlay Curtis and Shankland were brought into the starting XI, while new signing Minsu Kim was handed his Rangers debut.
Tochi Chukwuani, Ryan Naderi, Daisuke Yokota and Vanja Dragojevic all dropped to the bench.
It was a clear sign that McInnes was looking for a reaction from his players after the humiliation in Czechia.
The performance itself may not have completely convinced everyone, but the result was exactly what Rangers needed.
For McInnes, the three points could prove significant.
His Rangers side now have something positive to build on after an awful week that saw them lose their European status altogether.
But Aberdeen will feel they deserved more from the game, particularly after Nisbet’s late effort was ruled out.
The officials may therefore remain the main talking point around Pittodrie, while Rangers can finally turn their attention back to trying to repair what has been a deeply disappointing start to the season.
Nafisa
