Aberdeen-Rangers reaction: 'I can't explain it' - raw emotions after one of most dramatic nights at Pittodrie

Jim Goodwin was adamant he had never seen anything like the Rangers comeback which condemned his Aberdeen team to defeat despite holding a lead in the fourth minute of additional time.

Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin was left dejected by the 3-2 defeat by Rangers.

A late, late brace from Rangers substitute Scott Arfield saw the hosts lose a game that Goodwin admitted he would have been desperately disappointed even to draw. A fine free-kick from Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes had drawn the hosts level at Pittodrie after Fashion Sakala’s early opener. Leighton Clarkson fired Aberdeen in front with an equally impressive finish from the edge of the box.

But two opportunistic goals from Arfield – the first coming after goalkeeper Kelle Roos had spilled Ryan Kent’s shot – gave Rangers what had seemed a very unlikely victory. Aberdeen were getting ready to celebrate a first home league win over Rangers since 2016.

“It is very hard to put into words because there is too much emotion there," said Goodwin. "I have never experienced anything quite like that in my career up to now. It is hard to process.

“Scott Arfield has done what he’s done well throughout his career, which is to anticipate,” he added. “We didn’t anticipate as well as he did and that’s what you’ve got to do in those key moments in the game. You’ve got to expect the goalkeeper to not hold on to it, and we didn’t. Scott Arfield got there first and made it 2-2.

“Even in that moment in time there were only a couple of minutes left. Even though we would have been gutted to draw the game, the fact that I’m sitting here having lost it I can’t quite explain it to be honest.”

Goodwin had not had the chance to assess whether the seven minutes of additional time added on by referee Willie Collum was an accurate representation of the stoppages in the second half. This calculation clearly had an impact on the game although there were eight second-half substitutions.

“I haven’t had a chance to add up what the time should have been, I know there were a lot of substitutes and one or two injuries,” said Goodwin. “I’m not going to argue about the time added on, I think regardless of what the number is that goes up on the board we need to manage the game better and show a bit more discipline and anticipation at those key moments.

“We will analyse it tomorrow. I don’t have the words right now to explain why that situation happened the way that it did. We will watch it back tomorrow and talk with the group and we will have to go again on Saturday (v St Mirren).”