Sam Stone

Tue 20 December 2022 22:04, UK

Two late goals from Scott Arfield saw Rangers snatch an extraordinary late 3-2 victory against Aberdeen as Michael Beale maintained his 100 per cent record since returning to the club.

Luis Lopes and Leighton Clarkson thought they’d given The Dons a famous victory after Fashion Sakala had given Rangers an early lead.

However, Arfield struck twice in stoppage time to give the Light Blues a memorable victory at Pittodrie. Here Ibrox News rates the players’ performance out of ten.

Allan McGregor – 4

McGregor is rarely caught out, but his mistake for Luís Lopes’ opener was really poor. He should have gotten closer to the free-kick from the 22-year-old. Changed the perplection of the game, with The Dons showing very little beforehand.

James Tavernier – 4

Potentially struggled in tough conditions at Pittodrie but this was another disappointing performance from the Rangers captain. Lost the ball far too often and didn’t show enough quality when he was in possession. Tough time for Tavernier at the moment.

Connor Goldson – 6

Pick of the defence for Beale’s side. Goldson played a number of cross-field balls to Ryan Kent and was relatively untroubled defensively. Wasn’t helped by the performance of his defensive partner. Potentially could have done better for Aberdeen’s second goal. Lost composure on the second half and gave the ball away far too much.

James Sands – 3

Rash at times from the American who failed to adapt to the conditions. Distribution wasn’t the best from Sands whilst operating in the centre of defence and was run ragged by Aberdeen’s pacey forwards. Gave away the free-kick for Duk’s equaliser. Was also at fault for The Dons’ second goal after a dreadful clearance. Really unimpressive.

Adam Devine – 7

Excellent from the youngster who looked like the more senior fullback on the pitch for the Gers. Linked up well with Fashion Sakala and Ryan Kent in the first half. Pushed high up the field and showed no fear. If he can get more quality deliveries into the box, he will prove to be an important attacking outlet.

Glenn Kamara – 7

Kamara performed well in the centre of midfield on a difficult evening for himself and Ryan Jack. Aberdeen looked to press their first touches and the 27-year-old did well in both a defensive and offensive sense. Played his way back into some sort of contention.

Ryan Jack – 5

Lost the ball too many times but did a job defensively for the Gers as he returned to his old club. Broke up the play expertly and used all of his experience to give the Light Blues a platform to build off of.

Malik Tillman – 6

Whenever he did get on the ball he was a huge threat for the Gers, however, he didn’t do it anywhere near enough. For much of the game, he was a passenger. Beale has to find a way to get the American involved in games for the duration.

Fashion Sakala – 7

Was lively in the first half and probably the Gers’ biggest threat. Took his goal well and move across the frontline well. He should take a lot of confidence from his display. Didn’t get into the game enough in the second half and was subbed off with half an hour left.

Ryan Kent – 7

A promising performance from Kent, particularly in the first half when the winger drifted into pockets of space. Aberdeen couldn’t deal with him at times, unfortunately, he fizzled out in the second half. Needs to perform for the full 90 minutes.

Alfredo Morelos – 7

Good centre-forward performance from the Colombian who looked to run in behind and be a physical performance for the Gers. Was influential in Sakala’s opening goal after a clever move down the right wing. Held the ball up well and linked the play up nicely. The only thing that was missing was a goal.

Scott Wright (on for Sakala, 59′) – 4

John Lundstram (on for Jack, 59′) – 4

Scott Arfield (on for Kamara, 59′) – 8 (Man of the match)

The substitute was a goal threat from the moment he stepped on the pitch. The matchwinner.

Ben Davies (on for Sands, 59′) – 6

In other Rangers news, journalist shares what he’s been told as £6million bid lined up for Gers ace.