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Fernandez heads in fifth of season & Raskin nods in second
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Ibrox side move above Celtic & within three of leaders Hearts
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Aberdeen stay in eighth
Rangers strolled to victory over dismal and managerless Aberdeen to move above Celtic and just three points behind leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.
It was critical for Danny Rohl’s men to back up Old Firm victory to continue their momentum in this intriguing title race and they took the points with ease at Ibrox.
They got the start they wanted when Emmanuel Fernandez rose highest to power home from a corner 11 minutes in, and Nicolas Raskin did the same before the break from another Connor Barron corner.
It was efficient stuff from Rangers, but in truth they were given an easy ride by a meek Aberdeen, playing for the first time since the dismissal of Jimmy Thelin.
Dimitar Mitov’s calamitous attempt at gathering the corner for the opener left the goal open for Fernandez, then Nicky Devlin allowed Raskin to trot across the front post and nod home the second.
Aberdeen fashioned two golden chances on the break but failed to have a strike from either as Kenan Bilalovic’s touch let him down twice.
After the interval, Rangers continued to dominate and, although they could not add another goal, they nonetheless leap above Celtic in the Premiership table.
Aberdeen, who did improve offensively after the break, stay in eighth.
No side has taken more points in the Premiership than Rangers since Rohl took charge at Ibrox. The German has been flexible and slowly made improvements to the team and individuals.
Old Firm hero Youssef Chermiti is an obvious one, but Barron is growing into an authoritative presence in midfield.
His work rate and aggression sets the tone, and his movement to pick up spaces behind Aberdeen’s midfield caused them issues all game.
Add to that his delivery from corners, which led to both goals, and he has become a key pick for Rohl having been a reserve under Russell Martin.
The addition of set-piece coach Scott Fry alongside Rohl also apears to be paying off for Rangers, who are now into double figures for goals from corners this season.
It is one of a number of improvements which have Rangers right in the mix to win the Premiership despite their bleak start when Martin toiled.
The fact Aberdeen did create a few gilt-edged chances from nothing is a reminder they still have improvement to make, especially at the back, and this month remains important to give Rohl better tools to make a tilt at a first league crown since 2021.
Aberdeen, meanwhile, look in desperate need of leadership after Thelin’s departure.
Interim manager Peter Leven stepped into the dugout, accompanied unusually by sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel, who is leading the search for a new boss.
But the pair were largely helpless as familiar issues plagued Aberdeen.
Mitov has gone from Scottish Cup hero to regular liability in goal as he cost his team the opener with more uncertain goalkeeping.
Set-pieces have been problem all season – often the symptom of a side lacking direction – and Rangers could easily have scored four or five from corners alone.
Despite plenty of numbers in midfield, they were again mostly run ragged, and when they did muster the chances, they had zero conviction.
Most notably when Bilalovic only had Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland to beat but took a clumsy touch off his knee, and then when Nisbet tried to tee up the Swedish forward instead of taking a strike himself.
A new manager is needed quickly to give this ailing side some structure and confidence, or Aberdeen’s season will drift into mediocrity.
Rangers head coach Danny Rohl: “Fantastic, three points, clean sheet. All in all, very proud of the group at the moment.
“We close the gap to just three points from 13 when I arrived. It’s a statement but still not what we want. We’re on a journey, it’s about the next game on Sunday.
Aberdeen interim manager Peter Leven: “I saw a team that were fighting, front-footed, creating chances. But we still come away with nothing.
“We had the clearer chances. We had four or five in the second half. We’ll have to sit down and see how we can get better. The boys will get confidence from that.”
These two meet again at Pittodrie on Sunday (16:30 GMT) when Aberdeen will hope for a much-improved performance as Rangers aim for five straight wins.
