Rangers 4 - 1 Aberdeen

It was an unchanged side for Jim Goodwin as Aberdeen travelled to Ibrox off the back of the 2-1 win at Motherwell last weekend. Hayden Coulson returned to the matchday squad on the bench.

Rangers lost 3-0 to Napoli in midweek and made two changes, Fashion Sakala and Antonio Colak replacing Scott Wright and Alfredo Morelos who dropped to the bench.

The hosts had the first real attack on three minutes, Yilmaz then Tillman both driving into Dons territory, but weight of numbers ultimately nullified Rangers. It was a brisk start from the Glasgow side, Kent getting to the by-line two minutes later and pulling the ball back, Sakala blasting his volley over from eight yards.

The Dons won their first corner on six minutes, Yilmaz injuring himself in blocking Jayden Richardson's cross. He was replaced by Barisic. Rangers then had a ninth minute free-kick from 30 yards out, Tavernier obligingly driving it straight at Kelle Roos.

After the early Rangers flurry, the Dons were settling into the game and they won a third corner on the quarter hour. Leighton Clarkson's ball in flashed through the six yard box but nobody could get a finishing touch. Rangers were on the counter-attack from there, Kent receiving the ball in space before smashing a shot into the side netting.

Colak chanced his arm with a daisy-cutter from 25 yards out on 20 minutes but it was another comfortable save for Roos down to his left.

The Dons were in front on 21 minutes through Connor Barron, after Duk had collected a ball at inside-left and barrelled his way into the box. Cutting inside, it then looked as though he'd taken too long on the ball to get a shot away, then it looked as though Tavernier had hauled him down, perhaps for a penalty. The Rangers skipper immediately stopped playing in order to protest his innocence to the referee and while he wasn't looking, Connor Barron was quick to react to the loose ball and lashed it into the net for his first goal for the club.

Rangers reacted and on 25 minutes, it was Ross McCrorie in the centre of things, hacking the ball off the line after Sakala had powered into the box and fed Colak, whose poke at goal from six yards was too weak to beat McCrorie.

Colak didn't make the same mistake two minutes later though. Tillman got in behind too easily and it was straightforward for him to centre to Colak who swept the ball past Roos from around the penalty spot. Especially frustrating for the Dons because the home fans were already beginning to turn on their team.

A Clarkson corner created havoc in the Rangers area on 29 minutes but somehow, they eventually cleared their lines and got away on the counter-attack and won a corner of their own, Sakala heading wide from Barisic's delivery.

Rangers were on the attack again on 35 minutes, the move coming to nothing, Ramadani taking a whack in the face off the ball from Colak ? that might have been worth a look on VAR. Ramadani was then booked a minute later for a foul on halfway.

Sakala was in on goal on 40 minutes, but a poor touch gave Roos that fraction of a second to get out to him and make a crucial block. A minute later, Sakala was driving a shot at goal from 14 yards after a good cross from Kent, Anthony Stewart getting in the way to deflect it wide.

Rangers were building a head of steam going into the break, but the Dons were holding firm. In the midst of it all, Roos had to come out to punch, catching Liam Scales in the face with his knee as he did so. Fortunately he was able to continue after treatment.

In the third minute of added time, Rangers were in front through Lundstram. Barisic's free-kick was half cleared to Tavernier on the edge of the box. Roos did well to get a hand on his shot at the foot of the post, but he couldn't get it safe as King swooped down on it. He dragged it back into the six yard box where Lundstram was ready to drive the ball in.

HALF-TIME: RANGERS 2-1 ABERDEEN

Arfield replaced Davies at the break for Rangers.

It was a fast start for Aberdeen, Richardson clipping in a good cross, Duk heading over from six yards under pressure from Tavernier. Moments later, a high boot from King caught Duk on the head but the referee waved play on.

Rangers doubled their lead on 51 minutes, a poor goal from Aberdeen's perspective. From the left, Barisic had too much room to put in a deep cross to the back post where Tavernier got up above Jack MacKenzie and was able to squeeze a header past Roos and inside the near post.

Tavernier nearly made it four, running onto a loose ball from a corner, MacKenzie getting a crucial block on it to put it behind the goal. From the subsequent corner, the ball bounced up and struck Richardson's hand, the referee called over to look at it on VAR and giving a penalty on the hour. Tavernier stepped up, sent Roos the wrong way but fortunately the ball struck the base of the post and bounced away to safety.

Aberdeen brought on Coulson and Ryan Duncan for Richardson and Barron on 63 minutes as the Dons switched to a back four to try to stem the Rangers tide that had been relentless since the interval. Vicente Besuijen replaced MacKenzie seven minutes later.

Scales made another vital block on an Arfield shot on 73 minutes after Tavernier found him on the edge of the box. Better defending yet from Clarkson from the corner, somehow twisting to clear the ball off the line from another Arfield drive. Arfield was determined to get on the scoresheet, but McCrorie denied him with a great tackle in the box on 76 minutes. Christian Ramirez replaced Bojan Miovski on 77 minutes.

Stewart was next to make a vital block a minute later, getting in front of a Kent shot at goal from close range, but the Dons simply couldn't get enough of the ball to offer any threat at the other end. Morelos came on for Colak in the 80th minute. Morelos had the ball in the net within a couple of minutes, but fortunately the offside flag had gone up.

Sakala nipped past Coulson on 84 minutes and dragged a cross through the box, but thankfully, there were no takers. Aberdeen struggled to deal with Kent out wide all afternoon. Sakala worked the trick again on 85 minutes, dancing into space and putting in a low cross that clipped Scales and diverted to Morelos to tap in at the far post. After a couple of minutes wait, VAR eventually ruled that Sakala was onside in the build up ? 4-1.

As the game edged into four minutes of added time, Duncan went into the book for a late challenge. Coulson joined him for a tackle on Sakala as the game which had promised so much early on petered out. Aberdeen had a penalty shout late on, and there was still time for Tillman to miss a sitter from 12 yards from a Morelos cross, but 4-1 was enough punishment.