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By CALUM CROWE Published: 07: 46 AEDT, 12 January 2026 | Updated: 07: 52 AEDT, 12 January 2026 View comments Under the bleakest of leaden skies, and in the face of a howling gale whipping in off the North Sea, Danny Rohl and his Rangers players refused to be blown off course. They weathered the storm in Aberdeen in a very business-like fashion, claiming a second successive 2-0 win over the Dons in the space of only a few days. Their fifth win in a row since they lost to Hearts at Tynecastle prior to Christmas, the response from Rohl’s side could hardly have been more emphatic. In the intervening period, they have beaten Motherwell, St Mirren, Celtic and Aberdeen (twice). This victory moves them back up to second in the table, just three points behind leaders Hearts. Their credentials as title challengers are undeniable, with Thelo Aasgaard firing them in front in the first half with his third goal in his last four starts, before a James Tavernier penalty wrapped it up in the second half. The numbers they are producing under Rohl continue to impress. Since the young German took charge, he has led Rangers to 11 league wins in 14 matches, with two draws and only one defeat. James Tavernier celebrates in trademark fashion after scoring the second goal from the spot Thelo Aasgaard beats Dimitar Mitov with a well-taken effort from a first-half set-piece Rangers manager Danny Rohl was thrilled with a fifth successive win to stay in the title hunt This also marked Rangers eighth clean sheet in the league. There is a new-found steel and resilience in this team which is probably their biggest asset under Rohl. With Tochi Chukwuani and other new signings now to be integrated into the team over the coming weeks, Rangers can look forward to a prosperous second half of the season. The opposite is true of Aberdeen. Still without a permanent manager, the Dons have now gone six-and-a-half hours without scoring a goal. Languishing down in eighth place in the league, their season could be in real danger of just fizzling out unless they get this new appointment right. Rangers were forced into one change from the team that beat Aberdeen at Ibrox on Tuesday night after it was confirmed that Connor Barron could miss the next three months due to suffering knee ligament damage. Aasgaard came in to take Barron’s place, with Rangers looking to end a four-match winless run at Pittodrie which stretched back to 2022. Aberdeen made four changes from the game in midweek. Jesper Karlsson, Marko Lazetic, Nico Milanovic and Leighton Clarkson came in for Kevin Nisbet, Kenan Bilalovic, Stuart Armstrong and Kjartan Kjartansson. Aasgaard's effort ripples the back of the net as Rangers beat Dons for a second time this week Interim boss Peter Leven, who tweaked the shape from a back three to a back four, was keen to stress that every player would start with a clean slate following the sacking of Jimmy Thelin. It was Aberdeen who had the first early sight of goal when Milanovic cut inside from the right on to his left foot, only for his shot to be blocked by John Souttar. Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande then let fly from distance, with Dimitar Mitov tipping the ball behind for a corner-kick. Such a potent threat from set-plays, and having opened the scoring with a header in midweek, Manny Fernandez rose at the back post but skewed his header over the bar from Tavernier’s corner. With the winds gusting around the stadium and the ball swerving and dipping as a result, it was no surprise that both teams were intent on taking a pop from distance whenever the chance came along. Clarkson was the next to let fly and Jack Butland was needed to get down low and make a smart save as the ball bobbled in front of him. Aberdeen had actually started the match reasonably well but they fell behind on 22 minutes courtesy of some woefully slack defending from a set-play. Mitov is beaten by Fernandez but was fortunate that the goal was ruled out for an infringement Tavernier pleads with referee David Dickinson as VAR makes a call on the Fernandez goal Tavernier and Jayden Meghoma worked an angle from a short corner, with Meghoma then swinging the ball into the box with his left foot. Aasgaard found space and met the ball first time on the volley from just over six yards out, steering the ball past Mitov with a really clinical and composed finish. Rangers defender Fernandez appeared to be struck by an object thrown from the crowd in the celebrations which followed — and he was heavily involved once again just a few minutes later. Aberdeen (4-3-3): Mitov 4; Devlin 5, Milne 5, Knoester 5, Gyamfi 5; Shinnie 5 (Aouchiche 79), Clarkson 5 (Bilalovic 67), Polvara 5; Karlsson 4 (Keskinen 57), Milanovic 4 (Armstrong 67), Lazetic 5 (Nisbet 46). Booked: Knoester, Clarkson. Manager: Peter Leven 5. Rangers (4-2-3-1): Butland 7; Tavernier 7 (Aarons 90), SOUTTAR 8, Fernandez 7, Meghoma 7; Raskin 7. 5, Diomande 7. 5; Gassama 7 (Matondo 90), Aasgaard 7. 5, Moore 7 (Djiga 88); Chermiti 6. 5 (Miovski 90). Booked: Souttar, Aasgaard, Chermiti. Manager: Danny Rohl 7. 5. Referee: David Dickinson. Attendance: 18, 151. The 24-year-old centre-back described himself as unstoppable at set-plays earlier in the season. Whilst that may have been a tad bold, you can certainly understand his point. With five goals already this season, he looked like he had made it six when he leapt to head the ball into an empty net following yet another blunder from Mitov. After a long free-kick upfield from Tavernier, Mitov, who is having a poor season, had come miles off his line and got nowhere near the ball. But his blushes were spared by VAR, with referee David Dickinson disallowing the goal for an alleged foul by Fernandez after he put his arm out to gain leverage and brushed against Mitov. It was incredibly soft, a huge let-off which ultimately masked another poor piece of goalkeeping from the Bulgarian. ‘If I’m Fernandez there, I’m absolutely furious that has been ruled out, ’ said Chris Sutton in the Sky Sports studio. ‘The goal should have been given. How is he supposed to jump without using his arms? ’ Leven had called on Aberdeen to be more ruthless and clinical in both boxes ahead of the game, but they still looked vulnerable at the back and largely toothless up front. Seeking to give his team more of a threat at the top end of the pitch, Leven brought Kevin Nisbet off the bench at half-time. Nisbet has had a poor season, with only one league goal since his loan stint from Millwall was made permanent for a fee of around £300, 000 last summer. Rangers had another good chance to double their lead on 52 minutes and once again it came from a set-piece as Nico Raskin headed just wide of the target from a Tavernier free-kick. Rangers skipper Tavernier proved he's still got what it takes from 12 yards with the late clincher Their profligacy continued when a good run from Mikey Moore saw him feed Youssef Chermiti on 65 minutes but the striker’s shot was saved by Mitov. Still only one goal ahead despite dominating much of the contest, it was by no means comfortable for Rangers as the game entered the final 20 minutes. For all he blundered for the opening goal in the first half, Mitov was actually keeping Aberdeen in the game, sticking out a boot to make another low save from Moore. But Rangers finally put the matter beyond doubt when they won a penalty on 73 minutes after Aberdeen skipper Graeme Shinnie had fouled Djeidi Gassama. Tavernier stepped up and fired it low and hard to Mitov’s right. The Dons keeper went the right way but there was too much power and accuracy on the ball for him to keep it out. Rangers saw the game out comfortably enough. Taking the acclaim from the travelling support at full-time, this was a case of job done for Rohl and his players.

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