Rangers vs Aberdeen: Scottish Premiership report, reaction & stats

Rangers manager Philippe Clement stated that his team showed "dominance with and without the ball" in the match, which narrowed the gap with Celtic to 13 points in the Scottish Premiership and extended Aberdeen's poor run to 12 games without a win. Hamza Igamane was once again a key figure for the team, calmly scoring the opening goal, his 13th for Rangers, after the home side had made a fast start.

Igamane had an earlier one-on-one opportunity, but his chip went narrowly wide. However, he made no mistake after Siebe Heltne Nilsen unnecessarily lost possession in the box. Substitute Leon Balogun headed in the second goal at the far post late in the game, connecting with a deep cross from Clinton Nsiala. Then, another substitute, Cyriel Dessers, added a third goal even later, sealing the victory.

Clement said: “We played very well, everyone worked hard for the team. You see more and more people starting to understand the tactics, and we are getting better as a whole. As I have asked, we keep pushing, looking for more goals to destroy the belief of the opponent.”

In the 55th minute of the match, some discontent was again evident at Ibrox, with a small number of fans displaying banners with the main theme being "Time for Change". However, there was no walkout protest like the one seen in the win over St Johnstone on Sunday. Despite this, there were some missed chances in the game. Aberdeen goalkeeper Ross Doohan made several excellent saves to deny Danilo and Igamane, while Nedim Bajrami, Rabbi Matondo and Vaclav Cerny also missed opportunities. A struggling Aberdeen side struggled to control the game.

Despite this, Leighton Clarkson almost scored from the halfway line against Liam Kelly, and Kevin Nisbet failed to connect with a precise cross from Graeme Shinnie. Earlier in the season, Aberdeen had been nine points ahead of the Ibrox club, but they now trail Philippe Clement’s side by 12 points. It is a remarkable turnaround. Narrowing the gap with Celtic was crucial after they dropped points on Tuesday, or it would have been unacceptable for the Rangers fans. Their team started quickly and got their reward, but the vital second and third goals did not come until late in the game.

Rangers' home form continues to be impressive. Igamane's performances have been equally so, with his goal return over the past few months a huge positive. Home form is not the issue, although they must maintain this focus and take maximum points at Ibrox. Then address their obvious failings or inconsistencies in away games. In the stands, there were again some small-scale protests expressing their dissatisfaction with the team's current situation and the overall running of the club, with some still convinced that changes are needed. Fans are also awaiting news on signings, but as outlined by chief executive Patrick Stewart, signings will be limited to one or two players. The return of James Tavernier and Balogun will help, with potential further injury concerns given that Matondo and Danilo had to be replaced.

Jim Goodwin worked hard enough in this match and is not in danger of losing his job due to the team's losing streak. It is an unusual situation given that they have now gone 12 games without a win, equalling a club record. And incredibly, the points gap between the two sides has been reversed by 21 points after Aberdeen's strong start to the season. The first goal conceded was completely avoidable. The nature of the goal suggested a lack of confidence, but the away side were sometimes too open, risking falling further behind. They did have some chances but lacked enough to cause serious doubt in a Rangers side that was under pressure. New additions might help them turn things around. But they are still in something of a predicament, with teams behind them closing in. Saturday’s Scottish Cup game against Elgin City must be won as they look to regroup and recapture the form they showed at the start of the season.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement said: "[Hamza Igamane] is doing very well, and we need to keep this going. He needs to do this all season, it is difficult to get to the top, but more difficult to stay there. I’m happy that Cyriel [Dessers] came on with a lot of energy and scored a very good goal. That is a positive, as are the players coming back from injury.”

Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin said: “We have a lot of things to work on. We have to be calmer and find better rhythms. We have too many turnovers. The expectations of the fans are higher. We are in a challenging period at the moment, with a mix of things going on, we are on a losing streak, and there are some injuries and new players. We have a cup game and then the next league game in a week. We need to find a rhythm and stabilise things.”