Rangers 2-1 Aberdeen: Philippe Clement’s side go level with Celtic as Neil Warnock’s side defeated

Rangers moved level on points with Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic as they survived a scare to prevail in Neil Warnock’s first game as interim Aberdeen boss.

As they pushed forward in search of the three-goal victory that would have move them top of the table, Rangers were left stunned as a long ball was finished off brilliantly by Bojan Miovski.

The home crowd grew restless as chances came and went, but another rebound from a Roos save – this time from Todd Cantwell – was enough to claw back a gap to Celtic that looked overwhelming before Philippe Clement’s arrival.

A late red card for Dujon Sterling – upheld by referee Don Robertson after a VAR review – gave Aberdeen late hope, but Warnock suffered a rare defeat in a first game in charge of a new club.

The electricity of an Ibrox crowd desperate for their side to move the top of the table seeped onto the pitch as Rangers’ intensity overwhelmed Aberdeen early on.

The opening goal seemed just a matter of time, and came when Matondo punished Roos’ careless error.

James Tavernier then failed to finish off a slick move, before Matondo burst through the backline, waiting and waiting to pull the trigger in a moment of indecision that felt longer than Warnock’s 44-year managerial career.

Despite the domination, Aberdeen know they have a striker capable of conjuring something from nothing. And so it proved. Miovski fended off Goldson and dinked his 20th goal of the season past Jack Butland.

Roos went some way to atoning for his early error as he stood tall to twice deny Cyriel Dessers, with the second stop an excellent reaction save with his right boot.

But the Dutchman would again be left to rue a parried save as Tom Lawrence’s arrowed strike was only diverted towards Cantwell, who soaked up the adulation of the home crowd for the second time in four days.

In his 1627th game in the dugout, Warnock’s first career encounter with VAR proved eventful as referee Robertson chose to stick with his decision to send off Sterling after the substitute slid in on Jack MacKenzie.

The visitors could have nicked it after a late melee in the box required a sprawling save from Butland, while Fabio Silva was inches away for sealing the game with a dragged shot across goal.

Some of the home crowd will have filtered out of Ibrox with a tinge of disappointment at not hitting the front in the title race, but given how far they were behind when Clement took over, pulling level was enough to spark celebrations.

Player of the match – Todd Cantwell (Rangers)

Rangers make statement as Warnock gets glimpse – analysis

Despite the fine margin of the victory, this was a showing of Rangers’ title credentials.

Their blistering start blew Aberdeen away. At times, Clement’s side have laboured to victories in front of their home crowd, requiring patience and persistence.

That caution was flung out the window as they charged out onto the turf with the kind of intensity that showed they were out to make a statement.

The boundless energy of John Lundstram piled the pressure on, while the forward players showed more incision on a night when anything other than three points would have punctured the momentum that has built under Clement.

Having lost just once since the Belgian’s arrival, they are now neck and neck with a Celtic side that once threatened to pull away into the distance.

But it wasn’t smooth sailing. Aberdeen recovered from the early storm and began to show the resilience and fight Warnock will demand of his new charges.

The new boss has worked with some fine frontmen in his long career, but in Miovski he has a wonderful striker. His holding off of Goldson was almost as beautiful as the deft finish to equalise.

A gutsy display in imposing conditions, Warnock has a foundation to build on as he looks to restore the club’s European ambitions.

What they said

Rangers manager Philippe Clement: “We are not thinking about that [the title race], we are taking it game-by-game. It is not only on team spirit that we won the game, it was the football. I think we were the better team.

“I am really satisfied about the synergy in the stadium. That was one of the things that tempted me to take this job, to bring that back. It is a big difference compared to three four months ago, fans and players are enjoying it together.”

Interim Aberdeen manager Neil Warnock: “I thought the application was excellent. To go a goal down early on, a lot of teams might have crumbled but I thought we hung in there.

“I thought we grew into the game, to get the goal like we did was a real plus. I felt we were rushing a bit, playing the occasion and not calming down but I thought we did that as the game moved on.”

What’s next?

Rangers host former Celtic captain Scott Brown’s Ayr United in the Scottish Cup on Saturday (17:30 GMT), while Aberdeen welcome League 2 Bonnyrigg Rose earlier in the day (15:00).