March 05, (THEWILL) – Rangers won 1–0 against Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership after substitute Kemar Roofe scored a late winner at Ibrox, helped by a Joe Aribo assist.
On a day when the Glasgow club was commemorating its 150th anniversary, it appeared that they could suffer a setback in their title defence, as Jim Goodwin’s Dons dug deep and limited them to just a few clean chances.
Roofe, who came off the bench in the 78th minute and scored three minutes later, gave the home crowd some respite and kept the pressure on Celtic, their crosstown rivals, who host Livingston on Sunday.
Rangers made three changes to the side that featured in their midweek win over St Johnstone, with Borna Barisic, Fashion Sakala, and Ryan Jack coming in for Leon Balogun, John Lundstram, and Scott Arfield.
The Aberdeen side that lost to Hearts on Wednesday saw two changes, with Connor McLennan and Ross McCrorie replacing Scott Brown and Matty Kennedy.
Alfredo Morelos sent a low shot just wide from the edge of the box after two minutes, giving Rangers an early chance for the opener.
In the 23rd minute, the hosts produced a decent opening when Ryan Kent crossed to the far post, but Sakala volleyed high and wide.
Before halftime, Rangers came closest when Glen Kamara surged into the danger zone and delivered a low ball into goal area that was deflected off the post by a bunch of Aberdeen players.
Sakala headed a cross from Jack harmlessly wide three minutes later.
The second half began with both sides still struggling for a way through the deadlock. In the 50th minute, Sakala had the opening chance of the second half, but his diving header from Barisic’s cross flew far over the crossbar.
When Aribo headed a Connor Goldson cross into his path in the 57th minute, the Zambian striker had another decent chance, but his half-volley from 15 yards out went over the bar. Sakala headed into the side of the net a minute later after receiving a cross from Barisic at the far post.
That Barisic and Sakala’s combination in the match was their final one, as they were replaced by Arfield and Balogun. Surprisingly, both teams’ first shot on goal came in the 71st minute, but Joe Lewis easily stopped home midfielder Jack’s low attempt from within the box.
As the game progressed, the home crowd became increasingly enraged, booing manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s decision to replace top scorer Morelos with Roofe in the 78th minute.
Only for the manager to get the last laugh when Roofe scored the game’s sole goal from close range after James Tavernier headed Kamara’s cross from the left into his path barely three minutes into his substitution.
As the defending champions continue to chase the 2021/2022 title, they will know that there is no better way to commemorate 150 years of existence than winning a 56th title. For Scotland’s most successful club, that dream remains a reality and this victory underlines that objective.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
