Ibrox View: 2/10 man stinks out Pittodrie, MOTM 8/10 - Rangers ratings v Aberdeen

Rangers succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen at Pittodrie in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday 30 October.

The Light Blues started the game on the back foot, with James Tavernier making a brilliant block to deny the Dons an early goal. Nicky Devlin, though, eventually put the hosts in front in the 31st minute after Jack MacKenzie’s cross was flicked onto him by Topi Keskinen.

Things could have gotten worse for Rangers when Aberdeen were handed a penalty for a handball, but Jamie McGrath’s tame shot was easy for Jack Butland.

Philippe Clement’s side then made a positive start to the second half, eventually grabbing an equaliser through a brilliant goal from Nedim Bajrami. However, Shayden Morris netted the winner for the hosts in the 74th minute after partial errors from Tavernier and Butland.

Here, Ibrox News rates the Rangers players out of 10 for their performances at Pittodrie.

Jack Butland – 6

McGrath’s tame effort made it easy for Butland to save the penalty, but credit to him for jumping the right way. The goalkeeper produced another decent save to deny Jack MacKenzie in the first half. However, he let Devlin’s squeezed shot go between his legs before the ball fell to Morris, who then put the hosts in front.

James Tavernier – 7

Tavernier made a goal-saving block to deny McGrath in the 9th minute. Overall, the captain was heavily involved at both ends of the pitch, creating five chances and registering 12 defensive actions (FotMob). He, though, was at fault for Morris’ winner, failing to clear the danger when had the chance to.

John Souttar – 4

Souttar was caught on his heels for Devlin’s opener, but was unlucky to have conceded the penalty, with the handball decision described as “harsh” by James McFadden live on Sky Sports.

Leon Balogun – 5

Balogun was saved by Tavernier’s goal-saving block early on after Ester Sokler got the better of him. He made up for it with an outstanding tackle to deny Sokler a 1v1 in the 26th minute. The 36-year-old then had his name taken for a poor foul in the second half.

Neraysho Kasanwirjo – 5

Starting at left-back, Kasanwirjo could not contribute much going forward, but did fairly well at the back, although he should have perhaps done better to identify the looming threat of Devlin before his opener. He made 11 defensive actions.

Connor Barron – 6

Barron was one of Rangers’ better players on the evening, winning eight of his eleven duels and registering 11 defensive actions. He also completed 47 of his 53 passes, including five into the final third, with 89 per cent accuracy.

Nicolas Raskin – 4

Jack MacKenzie easily got the better of Raskin on the wing in the lead-up to the opener. He was also booked for a foul late on in the game.

Tom Lawrence (Off for Hagi 76′) – 4

Lawrence got the assist for Bajrami’s goal, but it was the Swiss who did most of the work anyway. He had an off day overall.

Ross McCausland (Off for Sterling 46′) – 3

McCausland was booked for a foul after trying to make up for cheaply giving the ball away in the 23rd minute. He lost all but one of his five duels, did nothing of note and was rightfully hooked at half-time.

Nedim Bajrami shines for Rangers, but Cyriel Dessers flops

Nedim Bajrami (Off for Jefte 76′) – 8

Bajrami left Nicky Devlin unmarked for Aberdeen’s opener, allowing the goalscorer all the time to find the back of the net. However, he made up for it by grabbing the equaliser for Rangers with what McFadden described as a “moment of magic”. The 25-year-old produced a lovely bit of footwork before rattling the net with an equally exceptional finish.

Cyriel Dessers (Off for Igamane 83′) – 2

Dessers was awful with his poor positioning standing out like a sore thumb. He often placed himself beyond the last defender and, therefore, failed to get on the end of good crosses.

Substitutions

Dujon Sterling (On for McCausland 46′) – 6

Sterling was heavily involved after coming on at half-time, missing two big chances and creating one of his own.

Jefte (On for Bajrami 76′) – 5

Ianis Hagi (On for Lawrence 76′) – 5

Hamza Igamane (On for Dessers 83′) – N/A

In other Rangers news, the Light Blues have been tipped to miss out on re-signing Ryan Kent, with this club backed to snap him up.

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