Rangers 4-1 Aberdeen: Danny Röhl's side respond to league leaders Hearts with confident win
Report as Rangers displaced Celtic in second by beating Aberdeen, scoring four times via four difference scorers; James Tavernier netted the pick of the bunch with a stunning free-kick in stoppage time
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:10, UK
Rangers leapfrogged Celtic to move second in the Scottish Premiership with a compelling 4-1 win over lowly Aberdeen.
With leaders Hearts winning earlier on Saturday, it was vital that Danny Röhl's side showed their appetite for the title fight by responding with three points of their own. Despite a slow start, the ideal result was hardly in doubt.
Tochi Chukwuani broke the deadlock with his first league goal in the 35th minute, striking from a rebound off Mikey Moore's initial effort. The Spurs loanee ran the show in midfield, making good on his side's dominance with a wonderfully composed finish shortly after the break.
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Dennis Geiger then had a go at bringing some jeopardy to the occasion but the threat was all too brief. The Dons scored their first away goal of 2026 after Rangers were sloppy at the back, only to concede a game-ending third 10 minutes later - their dangerous slide continuing in difficult fashion.
With all Aberdeen defenders static from the second phase of a set-play, Nicolas Raskin lashed inside the far post, before James Tavernier curled a sumptuous free-kick beyond a despairing Dimitar Mitov late on. The anxiousness around Ibrox was dispelled long before Tavernier's stoppage-time stunner, with title talk as loud and persuasive as it's been all season.
Rangers extend their unbeaten run to 14 league games, picking up more points than any other since Christmas, and are well placed to go the distance in this fascinating three-way tussle for the Scottish Premiership title.
Röhl: Seven finals to go
Rangers head coach Danny Röhl to Sky Sports:
"Both result and performance were great. We fully deserved the win. We were the dominant team, which is what we want. The result was great; four goals is always fantastic. Now we have to move on - no more, no less. Seven games to go, seven finals and this is our job.
"In general we looked really good today. We were dominant in both directions, aggressive, good at ball-winning situations, we played nice football as well. Football is about results first, I said this many times. Last week we took the result and today we brought the performance as well and if you play like this then we are a really good team.
"Goals are always what we want to see, I like clean sheets as well. I would also take 1-0 away, there is no question mark for our supporters it is great to see four goals. If you want to criticise a little bit, I like to have a clean sheet but, all in all, I am proud of the team. Now I hope they come back healthy from the international break and then we have to go again. Seven finals to go, still a long way but we are in the race.
"Mikey [Moore] is an important player, but it is not just about him. The team is the star, if you want, we have not just 11 players, we have 24 players available. That's a big compliment to the medical department as well. Especially at this time of year, everyone is available and hopefully we can keep this.
"I have a lot of belief because I have a lot of trust [in the players]. I saw them yesterday in training, we played 11 versus 11 and I saw quality on both sides and how we pushed each other and this is the spirit we need. I am confident if we bring our 100 per cent then we can win all seven games but if you don't bring 100 per cent then it is difficult to win games in this league."
Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson to Sky Sports:
"We conceded goals that were poor. We didn't make Rangers work for their goals. We contained them and looked organised for 30 minutes and if you get beat by James Tavernier's goal then you can't do a whole lot about that but the level of goal that we conceded was poor. We know that as a collective and as a staff. We have told the players that.
"It's been the story of the season, we have conceded way too many goals. The reality is we are in a relegation fight, and we have to stop doing that and we have to stick together and make sure we get out of that. We have to stand up and be counted now. I have told the players the home truths. They are well aware of the reality of the situation. It is stating the obvious that we are in a relegation battle, they can read and see the table.
"I am expecting a collective reaction from everybody - staff, players and myself to make sure we push forward. We have a couple of weeks now where it eases the pressure, some time to work on some things when players come back from international duty and then we have to come out fighting and respond to that.
"I'm not sure softness is the right word, we don't defend well enough. That's not just defenders, that's a collective. Teams defend, score, win and lose together so as a collective we must be better. I think it has been happening long before I came. We have not managed to stop that tonight, so I take full responsibility for that. You can't come to Rangers and concede those goals.
"We can't affect the other results; we can only affect ours. We have a big game in two weeks' time [against St Mirren], and I expect a response and I believe we will get it. We have to stick together, we have inherited a situation no one wanted, the fans certainly didn't want. They travel in their numbers all the time and we have to be seen to be putting our bodies on the line and running that bit further."
