Glasgow Rangers suffered their third Premiership defeat of the season on Wednesday evening to slip further behind in the race for the title.
Philippe Clement knew that only a win against a wonderful Aberdeen side would get the Ibrox faithful back onside after a difficult start to the season, yet they were subjected to another abject display.
The first half was littered with drama. Aberdeen missed a penalty before the Light Blues had a goal ruled offside as the Dons went into the interval leading 1-0.
Nedim Bajrami equalised, but with 15 minutes remaining, Shayden Morris reacted first to a ball that bounced off the post to lash the ball home for the winner.
Clement will now be left to pick up the pieces after yet another disappointing result, with his players having put in a truly mixed display at Pittodrie.
The best and worst performers for Rangers vs Aberdeen
Bajrami was arguably the Gers’ finest performer on the night. Not only did he score their only goal, but he looked the most likely to make things happen. The Albanian succeeded with all four of his dribbles, made two key passes and created a big chance.
Tom Lawrence, on the other hand, failed to shine, losing possession 13 times while completing just nine passes throughout his 76 minutes on the pitch.
Despite scoring what turned out to be an offside goal, Ross McCausland also could have done better and he was hooked after 45 minutes.
Nobody in the starting XI was as bad as Cyriel Dessers, however, as the Nigerian delivered another dismal performance for the club.
Cyriel Dessers’ stats vs Aberdeen
Considering the 29-year-old hadn’t scored in the Premiership since the end of August, a clash against an in-form Aberdeen side hardly looked like a game in which this barren run was going to come to an end.
Like so often this season, Dessers offered absolutely nothing, failing to link up well with the likes of Bajrami and Lawrence, while it was he who was ruled offside – albeit somewhat controversially – for the disallowed goal.
Dessers took only 20 touches during the game, which was fewer than Jack Butland (29), and the striker somehow managed to complete just six passes, often going missing for large spells of the match.
Goals
0
Touches
20
Passes
6/6
Possession lost
8
Big chances missed
1
Total duels (won)
7 (0)
He also missed a big chance, won zero of the seven duels contested and lost possession eight times. It looked like Clement’s men were playing with ten men in stretches, as Dessers often disappeared.
Clement must now drop the striker, despite not having many options to call upon, as his performances are continually letting the team down in big matches.
Danilo is still out injured, and it remains to be seen when he will return to the starting XI, while Hamza Igamane is inexperienced at this level.
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The 2-1 loss to the Dons looks certain to have ended any faint title ambitions Rangers had, and they will be lucky to even finish second at this rate.
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1 ByDan EmeryOct 29, 2024
