Rangers 3 - 1 Aberdeen: Gers grind a huge result

IF IT'S true that the secret of winning titles is to take all three points when you don't play well, then Walter Smith's men underlined their championship credentials yesterday.

This victory over Aberdeen brought up 11 straight league wins for the SPL leaders for the first time in 15 years, but the Ibrox men were not entirely convincing and looked more brittle at the back than at any time during their winter surge for the title.

For the first time in 2008, they were required to dig themselves out of trouble and respond to conceding the first goal, lost during a dodgy opening half hour. And even without hitting the heights, the excavation fashioned by strikes from Christian Dailly and Charlie Adam either side of the interval, added to late on by Kris Boyd, allowed them to run out pretty comfortable winners.

Jimmy Calderwood's side might have squandered corking opportunities to capitalise on Stevie Lovell's opener, but their hosts ultimately wore them down to retain their four-point advantage over Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premier League. It is easy to overlook just what it has required from Smith's side to keep daylight between themselves and their city rivals. In harvesting 46 points from a possible 48, not since Martin O'Neill's Celtic won 25 SPL games on the spin in 2003-04 has an Old Firm side proved so adept at racking up the desired results every week.

Now they must take this form into a cup fortnight, with UEFA Cup games against Werder Bremen to come in the next two weeks, starting with the Germans' visit on Thursday, while next Sunday attentions must turn to Hibernian in the Scottish Cup – before the CIS Cup final against Dundee United a week later. It isn't a head-spinning schedule for Smith. "It is quite simple, we have to keep winning."

The opening minutes gave no indication of the problems to come for Rangers in an engrossing and open first period. In fact, all the signs were that the Ibrox men would be presented with no difficulties by the home side. Even when Jean-Claude Darcheville tweaked his troublesome hamstring and had to be withdrawn after the warm-ups and replaced by Kris Boyd. Twice in the early exchanges Barry Ferguson sliced through the heart of an nervy Aberdeen backline. A goal for the home side seemed then only a matter of time. The Pittodrie men appeared both weak-willed and weak-minded, looking for all the world like a team that had lost five and drawn one of their past six games.

One breakthrough, one example that the Rangers defence might not be all that their recent clean-sheet record would suggest, changed the entire tone of the opening 45 minutes, however. There was almost a quarter of an hour gone when Lee Miller, with the first of a raft of clever touches, poked the ball forward to strike partner Lovell. After turning Carlos Cuellar and finding himself through on Allan McGregor, the English forward should have gone on and finished. But steadying himself to pick his spot, he chose a corner that the Rangers keeper covered with his leg. Seconds later and Lovell was presented with another opportunity, but after escaping free on the right he delayed before sending in a low effort from a tight angle that was blocked by Steven Davis.

If Aberdeen provided the cut, Rangers' thrust took the form of a Cuellar header from a corner that Jeffrey De Visscher stopped on the line, and then an Adam piledriver that shuddered the goalframe as the encounter developed into a chance-fest. Even if it was deserved, the surprise was that Aberdeen, and especially Lovell, eventually succeeded in converting an opening. Miller again made things happen with a neat headed flick-on from a Barry Nicholson corner that allowed Lovell to launch himself at the back post and bury a header.

The strike rattled Smith's men. Their messy play bore little relation to the imperious form that allowed them to give Hearts a 4-0 going over in midweek. And their vulnerability should have led to them falling two goals behind after the deadlock breaker. De Visscher should be mortified he could not deliver this potentially decisive blow. Nimble footwork and fine vision from Miller allowed the striker to roll the ball into the path of the on-rushing Dutchman, who was bearing down on the penalty area with a yard on David Weir when he received possession. He then choked, frankly, and allowed the 37-year-old to catch him and nick the ball from his foot. No wonder De Visscher lay on the turf as if mortally wounded as he digested his ineptitude.

There was an inescapable feeling this was a turning point in the making. So it proved when Dailly, in his home debut, put Rangers back on level terms when he produced an exquisite flick at the front post to turn in a corner from Adam. The midfielder himself then made it 2-1 courtesy of a glancing header in the 50th minute, seizing on a floated in cross from the right by Kirk Broadfoot. From then on Aberdeen had nothing much to give and Boyd's obligatory goal arrived seven minutes from time. A penalty won after substitute Nacho Novo was upended by Alan Maybury provided Boyd the chance to bolster his strike tally and he took that in thundering home the rebound after Derek Soutar had saved from the spot.

Dons manager Jimmy Calderwood conceded the result made it "well nigh impossible" for his team to claim third place again in the league this year, and that they only had themselves to blame. "We had a number of chances to score and should have been 3-0 up," he lamented. "We lost our discipline at their first goal and lost soft goals at vital times." The story of the Pittodrie side's season.