How Aberdeen shaped up against Rangers accusations - unsavoury songs, tackles celebrated, striker hiding in plain sight

How the 1-1 draw between Aberdeen and Rangers unfolded on an eventful afternoon at Pittodrie

James Tavernier scores Rangers equaliser from the penalty spot in added time at Pittodrie. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Aberdeen clearly knew what was coming. It was simply going to be more grist to the critics’ mill. They would just be proving this controversial claim that they raise their game against Rangers.

Maybe this determination not to see a certain pundit’s gloating face accounts for the senseless decision by Stefan Gartenmann to tug at Connor Goldson’s shirt just after the clock ran into time added on, with the hosts looking odds on to see out their 1-0 lead.

Referee Nick Walsh was advised by his VAR team to take another look at the incident. The Rangers fans reacted to this news like a goal had been scored, such was the inevitability of not only Walsh awarding the penalty, but James Tavernier converting it. Both men duly delivered.

Aberdeen's Bojan Miovski slots home the opener against Rangers. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

Aberdeen had been living dangerously, no doubt. Rangers hit the bar twice in the second half through Tom Lawrence and Leon Balogun, who should also have scored with a first-half header that was well saved by Kelle Roos.

The hosts might even have lost the match if that lanky Dutch enigma Sam Lammers had taken a headed chance post-penalty following a thrilling run down the left by fellow substitute Rabbi Matondo. That would have been very hard for Aberdeen to bear.

Not enough time has passed since Rangers scored twice here in injury time to plunder all three points last December, in one of Michael Beale’s first games in charge. That was another match where Aberdeen had faced pre-match accusations of raising their game against Rangers, having limply lost 1-0 to Celtic in their previous outing at Pittodrie.

The same charge was levelled at them before this match by former Rangers striker and Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd, who pointed to Aberdeen’s 6-0 defeat at Celtic Park before the international break as proof that they seemed to pick and choose who they play well against.

Rangers defender Connor Goldson goes down in the Aberdeen box after having his shirt pulled before being awarded a penalty following a VAR check. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

The opening half here had one thinking that maybe Boyd has a point after all. Would the real Aberdeen please stand up? “Aberdeen always raise their game against my old club,” Boyd claimed. “Fact”.

Well, who knows what was inspiring them? Maybe it was the date, 26 November, which made it 28 years to the day since they lifted their last-but-one major trophy under Roy Aitken against Dundee.

Possibly it was the feel-good vibes generated by Friday’s night’s ‘Champions of Europe’ dinner, when the heroes of their Cup-Winners’ Cup and Super Cup winning teams reunited the mark the 40th anniversary of the latter triumph. Or it might just have been the stovies pie that was pie of the day on the menu at the kiosks inside Pittodrie.

These were all possible ingredients, certainly. But many will still just put it down to plain old hatred of Rangers – and maybe there’s something in that. Would Richard Jensen celebrate a tackle – yes, a tackle, after cementing Todd Cantwell on the stroke of half-time – against anyone else?

Perhaps. But there was a pitch to the atmosphere rarely attained here. Songs about Ian Durrant were not even the most unsavoury ones heard on an afternoon when new Rangers manager Philippe Clement got his first taste of this unique rivalry.

The Durrant reference might have passed him by. But he will have sensed something different in the air and Rangers initially wilted. Clement later complained about a poor opening 15 minutes. It felt like a lot longer until they got going, if in fact they ever really did.

At first it seemed about the only thing that Rangers had got right was turning up on time for the midday kick off. Lost amidst the ‘Aberdeen only do it against Rangers’ debate is one salient detail: Rangers often fall apart against Aberdeen for some curious reason. It happened as recently as October and it looked set to happen again here on a freezing afternoon in November.

There might have been stovies pies on the menu, but as far as locals were concerned nothing was as warming as the sight of Bojan Miovski bursting through to score the opener after just 11 minutes. Ester Sokler flicked a brilliant header into the striker's path from Roos’ long goalkick. It was long-ball football in excelsis. Miovski applied the kind of finish we have come to expect from him.

This was not even the first occasion in the game that the Rangers defence had been breached. Goldson and Balogun, combined age 65, did not look the answer, particularly when up against a front two with the verve and movement of Miovski and Sokler, making his first league start for Aberdeen.

Where has Sokler been? Hiding in plain sight it seems. He has made 16 appearances off the bench, scoring once versus Ross County in the Viaplay Cup. His 70 minute-outing here was a persuasive way of making a play for a cup final place next month against the same opponents. He knew he had some making up to do after spurning an opportunity to put Aberdeen ahead after five minutes.

The Slovenian scampered on to Leighton Clarkson’s through ball and had only Jack Butland to beat but the Rangers ‘keeper pulled off a miraculous stop with his foot.

This was not even the first chance scorned by Aberdeen. Slobodan Rubezic sent a header rather tamely into the grateful Butland’s hands inside two minutes. The 'keeper had to be more lively to prevent Rangers going two down when scooping away Jamie McGrath's shot.

The second half saw Aberdeen pushed further and further back. Cantwell was taken off with Lammers sent on. Cries of “Who are ya? Who are ya?” filled the stadium. It wasn’t clear who this question was being aimed at. Both proved equally ineffective.

Lammers in particular had to do better with a chance near the end which he blazed high and wide and then right at the death, with Rangers looking to take advantage of a shell-shocked Aberdeen, when he headed into Roos’ hands from Matondo’s cross.

A more precise finish either side of the 'keeper would have been the ultimate sickener for the home fans. The Pittodrie cleaners were spared the task of mopping up regurgitated stovies pie.