Rangers show their different side

Rangers boss Mark Warburton will aim to marry the commitment of their winning performance against Aberdeen with the possession game he normally demands during next week’s rematch with Hearts.

Rangers showed a different side to their game in the 2-1 victory over the Dons at Ibrox, picking up seven of the 11 bookings and hitting the ball long at times to overcome Aberdeen’s high pressing game, and they were fired up right to the end with Dons skipper Ryan Jack sent off just before his team scored following a lengthy spell of pushing which involved numerous players.

“I don’t think we controlled the football,” Warburton commented.

“The stats will probably show we had 55% of the ball or something.

“But we did what we had to do, we battled and we stepped on. And they are a very good team, but I felt we deserved to win the game.

“It’s another big game next week. We have to recognise that we can get better from that game because we didn’t control the football as much as we wanted to.

“But at the same time, if going long meets the press and we can pick up second balls, then we will do it.”

Rangers defender Clint Hill was sent off in stoppage time after being twice booked for fouls on James Maddison and he admitted he had got carried away by the atmosphere from the 50,003 crowd.

“It was magnificent,” he told the Rangers website. “I’ve never played in an atmosphere like that before. It was electric from the start. The crowd really responded to our play and the way we got about Aberdeen, and they gave us that lift when we needed it.

“I probably slightly got carried away myself a bit with the atmosphere, and I am a little bit gutted I got sent off. I feel like I have let the lads down.”