Rangers win ugly at Aberdeen to relieve pressure as new signing shines and Dons bruised by VAR drama

Blessed relief for Rangers manager Derek McInnes as his team responded to midweek European shame by defeating Aberdeen 1-0 at Pittodrie.

This victory was important to Rangers for a number of reasons: it eases the growing scrutiny on McInnes, the team does not fall further behind champions Celtic in the Premiership and it was a statement from the players that they can dig in for a positive result.

A lunchtime trip to Aberdeen is never easy for Rangers at the best of times and up against the fired-up hosts, the visitors competed well and stood up to the physical test. This was a game low on prettiness and quality but at this moment, McInnes and Rangers simply needed to win.

The Rangers players celebrate in front of the travelling support after a 1-0 win over Aberdeen. | SNS Group

After drawing with Dundee United and losing to Hibs, going into September without a league win would have heaped further pressure on McInnes at his old stomping ground - especially after crashing out of the Conference League to Czech side Jablonec on penalties earlier in the week.

There was therefore a hint of irony that their route to victory at Pittodrie came via the spot. Captain Lawrence Shankland nervelessly converted from 12 yards out on 69 minutes to give Rangers, on balance, a deserved three points - although Aberdeen will feel aggrieved that an 83rd-minute goal by Kevin Nisbet was disallowed following a VAR review for a push by the striker on Dujon Sterling in the build-up.

McInnes had been left "mortified" by Rangers' display at Jablonec on Thursday night and didn't miss his players with his post-match comments. It was no surprise to see the manager make four changes to his starting XI, turning to two of his trusted lieutenants from last season at Hearts in Shankland and Cammy Devlin. Findlay Curtis also came in and there was a debut for Kim Min-su, who was signed from Girona for £8.5 million.

Rangers' performance was better than in Czech Republic - but that is a low, low bar. There were elevated somewhat by Kim, the 20-year-old South Korean who was deployed in a No 10 role in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kim was good on the ball, found pockets of space and was clearly the most creative player on the pitch.

Not that he was up against much. For all the blood-and-thunder that is so often associated with this fixture, there was a real shortage of quality in the final third from both teams. Aberdeen, in particular, were reliant on set-plays and crosses into the box. Stephen Robinson's men battled well in a match that saw referee Matthew MacDermid show nine yellow cards, but there wasn't enough invention from his players.

A fast-paced first half was spoiled by such shortcomings. The Dons had a reasonable chance in within 60 seconds when Connor Ronan's free-kick to the back post found Dan Happe completely unmarked, but the towering centre-half sclaffed his effort wide of target.

Two minutes later, Toyosi Olusanya bullied Rangers defenders Emmanuel Fernandez and James Penrice to win possession and he slipped in Mitchy Ntelo, only for the Belgian's effort to trundle into the arms of goalkeeper Ivor Pandur.

That really the best of it for Aberdeen, whose lack of guile was glaring. Rangers had the best of it thereafter but were let down by their own composure issues.

Kim shines on his Rangers debut

Most of their best work was going through Kim, whose firm effort on eight minutes was down the throat of Aberdeen goalie Marius Muller. Findlay Curtis curled over from a good position and Happe made an excellent block to send a goalbound Djeidi Gassama strike wide after more good work from Kim.

The best opportunity for a first-half goal came on 38 minutes. Rangers broke at pace on the counter and Gassama played in Kim, who cut inside and took aim from nine yards out. Lewis Mayo did enough with his challenge to take the sting out of his shot, which bobbled towards the goal where Shankland was waiting to tap home. Aberdeen's defensive midfielder Afeez Aremu therefore deserves enormous credit for his lunging clearance to slash the ball away from a corner. From the subsequent delivery, Shankland's glancing header was beaten away by Muller.

Rangers remained in the ascendancy upon the resumption of play, with Aberdeen really struggling to string together patterns of note. Happe once again displayed defensive nous on 52 minutes when positioned himself well to block Shankland's shot from ten yards out.

A set-piece felt the most likely route to an opening goal and Kim so nearly provided it on 56 minutes with a viciously-struck free-kick from 25 yards that would have fizzed into the top corner had Muller not leapt high to palm it over the bar.

Rangers got their moment on 69 minutes. Mayo's weak clearance from a low cross went straight to Gassama and as he jinked towards goal, Happe lunged in and brought him down. It was an aberration from a player who aside from that had defended well. Shankland stepped up and belted the ball high into the net with a really good conversion.

Aberdeen had their own penalty claim waved away by MacDermid on 81 minutes when Dujon Sterling tangled with Nisbet at the back post. The Dons captain was incensed at what he saw to be a tug of his shirt but play raged on.

He was even more livid two minutes later when what he and Aberdeen thought was the equaliser was ruled out by a VAR check. While Pandur saved the striker's original header and then Ayoub Mouloua's follow-up, Nisbet nodded home into an empty net. It was not to be third time lucky, though, as back at Clydesdale House, Andrew Dallas had identified Nisbet had pushed Sterling with two hands for the original error and MacDermid, crucially, agreed in his review.

Aberdeen had no more to give. Rangers celebrated in front of their fans at the end. This one was all about winning, either ugly or with beauty. It was very much the former - but McInnes will not care one jot.