Rangers 3 - 0 Aberdeen

The only positive to take from this afternoon was the 4-0 reverse that Hearts suffered at Tynecastle. The Dons themselves were swept away in the opening half hour at Ibrox when a Kris Boyd hat trick left the Dons a well-beaten team. The Reds defence has been the backbone of the league campaign this season but defensive errors cost at least two of the goals with both Anderson and Considine guilty. Aberdeen tightened up after the break as they moved to a back three but Aberdeen never threatened to pull one back and now they must recover from this and ensure they keep Hearts at arms length as they chase the UEFA spot.

Rangers kicked off at a rain swept Ibrox but it was Aberdeen who threatened first when an Anderson free kick was well defended in the 2nd minute. The Dons had made a confident start but Anderson had to be at his International best in the 5th minute to deny Prso a scoring opportunity. Rangers quickly settled  and Charlie Adam went close two minutes later as he drilled a shot wide with Aberdeen getting forced back. The pressure paid in the eighth minute when Novo won the ball on the right and his cross saw Boyd beat Anderson to the ball and head past Langfield to leave Aberdeen with an uphill battle.

This was hardly the start they were looking for and Aberdeen needed to settle quickly if they were to take anything from this match. The visitor's were under pressure again in the 16th minute but this time they held firm despite a hopeful appeal for a spot kick. A Hart free kick four minutes later was easily cleared by the home defence and seconds later Weir comfortably dealt with a second free kick. McGregor was forced into his first save in the 22nd minute when Foster surged forward and set up Miller who fired a shot straight at the keeper. At the other end an Adam shot was deflected over for the first corner of the match.

Just as Aberdeen appeared to be settling poor defending allowed Boyd to net a second goal as a bouncing ball was not dealt with in the box and Boyd pounced to score. Matters got worse in the 31st minute when Ferguson and Hutton combined to set up Boyd for his hat trick. Aberdeen responded with Clark hitting the bye line and McGregor turned Miller's effort round the post. The resulting corner saw Miller head a Jamie Smith effort well wide. Considine who was at fault for the third goal collected the first yellow card of the game in the 35th minute and in the final minute Ferguson had a chance to make it four before he took a dive inside the penalty area that was deserving of a yellow card.

Chris Clark failed to return in the second half after picking up a knock and was replaced by Zander Diamond as the Dons moved to a back three. Aberdeen were almost caught two minutes into the half when Rangers broke quickly as Severin lost possession with the Dons going forward. Aberdeen were failing to create anything in the final third but they looked tighter at the back after a nightmare first 45 minutes. A Dempsey free kick in the 57th minute eventually fell to Severin but the midfielder fired it well wide of the target. Two minutes later Boyd had a pot at goal from 25 yards but his shot also went wide.

Brewster replaced Lovell in the 63rd minute and Burke replaced Novo for Rangers as Aberdeen struggled to get back into this match. Dempsey had a half hearted, if not optimistic, appeal for a spot kick two minutes later but it was never going to be awarded. Severin had another attempt in the 67th minute but this effort landed in Row Z. Aberdeen looked happy to apply damage limitation by this stage as they once again were pegged back in their own half. Brewster did get a header on target in the 74th minute but McGregor comfortably held it. Two minutes later Maguire replaced Miller as the Dons looked for a consolation.

Dempsey fired over in the 77th minute then Considine went down injured a minute later and with all three substitute used Aberdeen were happy to see the youngster limp on. Considine was lucky to escape a second yellow card in the 84th minute for a late challenge, which should really have seen the youngster walk. Maguire then won a corner a minute later but Brewster was only able to scoop it in the air and McGregor gathered. Rangers were showboating in the final minutes and Rae almost fired in a fourth but fortunately he pulled his shot wide. Maguire collected a late yellow and in the final seconds a final free kick found Diamond at the back post but the Dons couldn't convert.