Rangers vs Aberdeen ref watch: Three decisions Matthew MacDermid got horribly wrong at Ibrox
Rangers secured a 4-1 win against Aberdeen on Saturday, but referee Matthew MacDermid certainly didn’t cover himself in glory.
The 32-year-old official has been involved in his fair share of questionable moments this campaign and did so again as Ibrox witnessed a victory.
Tochi Chukwuani grabbed the opener in the first half before Mikey Moore, Nico Raskin and James Tavernier made sure of three points after Dennis Geiger’s strike to make it 2-1.
The Gers were good value for their win despite some shaky moments in the second half, leaving Danny Rohl with plenty of plus points to take.
Despite Rangers securing a win over Aberdeen, it feels unlikely that the German will be overly pleased with MacDermid and some of his decisions.
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Tuur Rommens hard done by in first half foul vs Aberdeen
In the modern game, soft fouls are often won by as under pressure sides look to give themselves breathing space by going over easily.
You can’t blame the Dons for utilising that tactic on multiple occasions as the Light Blues certainly had the better of the Govan clash.
| Stat | Rangers | Aberdeen |
| Possession (%) | 62 | 38 |
| Expected goals | 1.64 | 0.54 |
| Shots | 18 | 6 |
| Big chances | 3 | 2 |
| Accurate passes | 429 | 231 |
The most frustrating example came through Afeez Aremu just minutes before the half time whistle as Tuur Rommens looked to snatch possession on the edge of Aberdeen’s box.
The Nigerian went down with the left-back breathing down his neck but it certainly felt soft.
Rohl was left visibly frustrated by the decision as it could have easily led to an opportunity for the home side with limited time remaining until the interval.
Decisions have regularly gone against Rangers this season and although this is an example of a consistent “foul” across world football, it is still annoying.
Emmanuel Gyamfi buys free kick from Thelo Aasgaard vs Rangers
If the above call is an example of a soft decision, then Gyamafi’s is the dictionary definition.
Thelo Aasgaard looked to take the ball from the left-back on the edge of the Rangers box, but unfortunately failed in his efforts.
That didn’t mean that he touched the German, whose delayed fall to ground left many inside Ibrox to do nothing but chuckle.
MacDermid didn’t see it that way and actually awarded a foul on the edge of the box, much to the bafflement of Aasgaard and his teammates.
Handing out a free kick despite their being no contact and a pretty obvious dive certainly didn’t impress the G51 faithful.
Matthew MacDermid halts Rangers counter attack vs Aberdeen
This is arguably the worst of the lot as MacDermid stopped the Light Blues from potentially going and adding to their goal tally.
Chukwani was charging forward before offloading the ball to Aasgaard and getting clattered by fellow goalscorer Gieger near the centre circle.
The Norway international was left with acres of space to drive into with the Aberdeen penalty area in sight.
Despite that, the referee blew his whistle and instantly awarded a yellow card to the Dons midfielder, leaving Ibrox fuming.
There was no need to make the call so quickly and it could have gone on to cost the Gers if they hadn’t done the job to secure victory.
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