Match ends, Aberdeen 1, Rangers 1.
AberdeenAberdeen1RangersRangers1
Aberdeen and Rangers will contest a replay at Ibrox next Tuesday, 12 March after their fiery Scottish Cup quarter-final finished level.
In a fiercely-fought Pittodrie tussle, Sam Cosgrove's penalty gave the home side an early lead after Connor Goldson chopped down Gary Mackay-Steven.
Joe Worrall clipped home the equaliser four minutes into the second half.
Andrew Considine passed up two huge chances but made a vital late block to deny Rangers' Alfredo Morelos.
The replay will be the teams' sixth meeting of the season. Steven Gerrard's men have won one, Aberdeen have claimed victory twice, with Sunday's game and the first duel of the campaign ending 1-1.
Drama and tumult at Pittodrie
The opening was tepid, but the drama soon arrived - and how. In the ninth minute, Aberdeen surged up the left, Max Lowe trickled a clever ball for the scampering Mackay-Steven to chase and the winger was crudely hacked down by Goldson at full clip. Penalty.
Cosgrove's spot kick was ordinary, but Allan McGregor could not quite palm it clear. That's 18 goals now for the hulking striker.
Next came more tumult and more joy for the home support. Morelos, Rangers' talisman and top scorer, was being held by Considine inside the Aberdeen box. But after being released, the Colombian flung himself to turf. It was a blatant dive and the yellow card Kevin Clancy brandished received a rapturous welcome.
Morelos' nemesis in the last meeting, Scott McKenna, clipped the top of the crossbar with a header. Mackay-Steven failed to recover from Goldson's tackle and his replacement, Niall McGinn, lashed a volley over.
Rangers were being smothered, absent as an attacking force, but they produced two incisive thrusts as the half drew to a close.
First, Cosgrove went down on the edge of the away box - that, too, may have been a dive - and the visitors countered at breakneck pace. Ryan Kent burst away with Morelos in space at the back post but went for goal and rasped over.
Then a glorious touch from Scott Arfield took him inside Lewis Ferguson on the angle of the area. It was a tantalising opening, but rather than shoot, he squared the ball to Tavernier, who slipped it to Morelos, but Dom Ball galloped back to boot the ball off the striker's toes.
Rangers were a different beast - a snarling beast - after half-time. They were more abrasive, they sent the ball forward quicker, eager to involve their fulcrum more frequently. Morelos should, at least, have had a free-kick on the edge of the box when Considine tugged him back by the shoulder, but the Rangers goal was not long in coming.
From a corner, Cosgrove let Worrall amble free and the defender casually knocked home the dropping ball.
The turbulence continued. Connor McLennan was rightly booked for simulation after skipping beyond Worrall and hitting the deck. Arfield almost nudged Rangers ahead when he lofted over the bar after a delicious Daniel Candeias pass.
Aberdeen regrouped and went again. Considine squandered a glorious opportunity when he thundered free in the box and skewed his header horribly across the face, before Cosgrove' effort was blocked on the rebound. Then the big centre-back drew a fine stop from McGregor after, again, finding space in the area and hooking a low shot on goal.
As Aberdeen loaded up the box, Rangers threatened to strike on the counter. Morelos ventured offside when he was clean through had he checked his run, then Kent scurried the wrong way with options on either side. At the death, McKenna made a brilliant challenge on Morelos, and Considine came to Aberdeen's rescue from the resultant corner, flinging his colossal frame in front of the Colombian with the striker poised to unleash a volley from point-blank range.
'Missed opportunity' for Aberdeen - analysis
BBC Scotland's Tyrone Smith at Pittodrie
Make no mistake, Rangers will be much the happier team - for large periods of this game they were on the back foot. Given that, they'll be delighted to have the chance to do it all again on their own turf.
This was a missed opportunity - undoubtedly - for Aberdeen but they've won at Ibrox already this season, and with their impressive recent away form, winning their last seven on the road, they'll have plenty of belief they can do so again.
Former Rangers winger and Dundee manager Neil McCann on BBC Radio Scotland
It was a fairly even match, Steven Gerrard will probably believe, going back to Ibrox, dare I say it on a better surface, a slightly bigger pitch, maybe better conditions, they will fancy themselves to come out on top.
Derek McInnes, tactically, did a very good job. The chance to win the tie was there and only Considine will know why he didn't put Aberdeen ahead. Whether the ball did dip or took a little swerve in the wind, I don't know, but it was just begging to have the full forehead on it… it was such a wicked delivery.
Line-ups
Aberdeen
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Lewis
- 21Ball
- 4Considine
- 5McKenna
- 29LoweBooked at 78mins
- 19Ferguson
- 3ShinnieBooked at 72mins
- 11Mackay-StevenSubstituted forMcGinnat 16'minutes
- 7Stewart
- 27McLennanBooked at 53minsSubstituted forWilsonat 85'minutes
- 16CosgroveBooked at 71mins
Substitutes
- 8Gleeson
- 9Wilson
- 10McGinn
- 17May
- 18Devlin
- 20Cerny
- 24Campbell
Rangers
Formation 4-1-4-1
- 1McGregor
- 2Tavernier
- 6Goldson
- 3Worrall
- 31Barisic
- 8Jack
- 21Candeias
- 18Kamara
- 37Arfield
- 14Kent
- 20MorelosBooked at 15mins
Substitutes
- 9Defoe
- 11Lafferty
- 13Foderingham
- 16Halliday
- 17McCrorie
- 19Katic
- 23Coulibaly
- Referee:
- Kevin Clancy
- Attendance:
- 15,395
Match Stats
Home TeamAberdeenAway TeamRangers
- Possession
- Home57%
- Away43%
- Shots
- Home11
- Away7
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away2
- Corners
- Home4
- Away6
- Fouls
- Home12
- Away16
Live Text
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Full Time
Second Half ends, Aberdeen 1, Rangers 1.
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Foul by Andrew Considine (Aberdeen).
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Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Hand ball by Joe Worrall (Rangers).
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Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Andrew Considine.
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Attempt blocked. Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
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Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Scott McKenna.
Substitution
Substitution, Aberdeen. James Wilson replaces Connor McLennan.
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Greg Stewart (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Borna Barisic (Rangers).
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Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Greg Stewart.
Booking
Max Lowe (Aberdeen) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Max Lowe (Aberdeen).
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Ryan Jack (Rangers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Dominic Ball (Aberdeen).
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Ryan Kent (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt blocked. Scott McKenna (Aberdeen) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
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Attempt saved. Greg Stewart (Aberdeen) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
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Lewis Ferguson (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
