Philippe Clement Commends Rangers' Dominant Performance In 3-0 Win Against Aberdeen

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Philippe Clement expressed satisfaction with Rangers' commanding 3-0 victory over Aberdeen. The win on Wednesday eased some pressure on Clement, as Rangers had been trailing behind Celtic. With this result, they have now achieved consecutive victories, closing the gap to 13 points behind Brendan Rodgers' team.

Hamza Igamane opened the scoring for Rangers early in the match, netting his 13th goal for the club in just 13 minutes. Despite Ianis Hagi hitting the woodwork, it wasn't until stoppage time in the second half that Rangers secured their win with two more goals in quick succession.

Substitute Leon Balogun, who had earlier hit the post, scored their second goal at the far post. He then assisted Cyriel Dessers for the third goal in the 97th minute. Rangers were relentless in attack, registering 29 shots and hitting the target with 12 of them, resulting in an expected goals (xG) tally of 3.43.

"We had chances, a few good saves from the goalkeeper, and we hit the crossbar and post," Clement told BBC Scotland. "But we kept pushing, as I demand, to score more and kill the belief of the opponent."

Aberdeen's struggles persisted as they extended their winless streak to 12 games. They found it challenging to create opportunities against Rangers, with Liam Kelly making only two saves from six attempts. Aberdeen managed just 11 touches in Rangers' box compared to Rangers' 43.

Manager Jimmy Thelin acknowledged their lack of composure: "You don't want errors like that, but they happen. We have things to work on," he told BBC Scotland.

Clement's Praise for Players

Clement praised his team's performance: "We played really well. We had domination with and without the ball." He highlighted Hamza Igamane's form and stressed the importance of maintaining it throughout the season.

"[Hamza Igamane] is doing really well," Clement said. "He needs to do this all season; it's hard to get to the top but harder to stay there."

Thelin's Call for Improvement

Thelin emphasised Aberdeen's need for improvement: "We have to be more composed and find better rhythm in games." He noted that too many transitions went against them due to giving away possession frequently.

Thelin added: "The fans' expectations are higher. We are in a challenging time right now—a mix of everything—bad run, injuries, new players."

Clement also commended Cyriel Dessers for his energetic performance and goal-scoring contribution after returning from injury: "I'm happy with the way Cyriel [Dessers] came in with a lot of energy and scoring a really good goal."

Thelin recognised his players' efforts despite their struggles: "Sometimes when you don't have rhythm with the ball, players run and fight for each other." However, he admitted that performances must improve to earn points.