Scottish Premiership roundup: 10-man Rangers win while Aberdeen strike late
Rangers survived an early setback to beat Dundee in an eventful Premiership encounter.
Striker Amadou Bakayoko stunned the home fans in the fifth minute but the Light Blues responded with goals from Cyriel Dessers, captain James Tavernier, with a penalty awarded by VAR, and attacker Abdallah Sima.
The Rangers midfielder Jose Cifuentes was sent off at the end of the first half after another VAR intervention led to a yellow card being upgraded to red.
Rangers were outnumbered but could have increased their lead despite a valiant effort from the visitors. They move five points behind leaders, Celtic, who play Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Rangers had lost their midfielder Tom Lawrence and striker Danilo to injury against Hearts in midweek and with one eye on the final Europa League group game against Real Betis on Thursday Phillipe Clement rang the changes.
Borna Barisic, John Souttar, Cifuentes, Rabbi Matondo and Dessers came back in while Connor Goldson, Ross McCausland and Ridvan Yilmaz dropped to the bench.
The visitors, with the centre-back Ricki Lamie in for the injured Owen Beck, soon threatened.
Rangers’ Jack Butland had to produce a fantastic save from Lyall Cameron in the fourth minute after he had waltzed through the defence with ease. The home side did not heed the warning. Cameron floated the corner into the area and it eventually fell to unmarked Bakayoko who knocked in from five yards.
The mood inside Ibrox changed until Dessers equalised. Dundee’s Jordan McGhee headed Tavernier’s long and aimless ball straight to Todd Cantwell, who moved the ball on to the former Feyenoord striker. His first effort was blocked but he hammered his second attempt high past Carson.
The afternoon got worse for the Taysiders when Kevin Clancy was sent to check his monitor for a possible penalty when Sima’s shirt was pulled by Aaron Donnelly at a corner.
Clancy pointed to the spot and Tavernier sent Carson the wrong way to turn the game on its head, although the Light Blues defence still looked leaky.
However, Sima’s powerful header from a Tavernier corner gave Carson no chance and made it four goals in three games for the Senegalese attacker.
Dundee’s Joe Shaughnessy had the ball in the net minutes later but Bakayoko had barged into Butland to prevent him gathering and a free-kick was correctly given.
Cantwell then scored for Rangers but Clancy had already blown for an infringement.
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As Rangers pressed, Cantwell’s powerful drive was brilliantly saved by Carson before Tavernier clipped the top of the bar.
In added time, Clancy again went pitchside to check a foul by Cifuentes on Bakayoko and returned to dismiss the midfielder.
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Cantwell was sacrificed for the more defensive Dujon Sterling, with Matondo making way for McCausland for the second half.
Cameron tested Butland with a long-range drive before Clement was booked for venting his spleen.
Sima should have scored a second in the 64th minute after bursting through the defence but shot wide and then Dessers got himself clear only to be crowded out by backtracking defenders.
Clement told the BBC: “It’s a deserved victory. Even with 10 we were the team that created the best chances in the second half. The team is growing to become a team, to have the right mentality, to do the right things together.”