Rangers ease pressure on McInnes with first league win of the season

Scottish Premiership results on Sunday:

• Aberdeen 0-1 Rangers
• Dundee 1-2 Hibernian
• St Mirren 3-3 Motherwell

RANGERS GAVE MANAGER Derek McInnes breathing space with a 1-0 victory at Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday and bounced back from an embarrassing exit from European competition.

Former Ireland U21 international Connor Ronan started for Aberdeen, while ex-Shelbourne player Gavin Molloy was an unused sub.

The Glasgow giants were eliminated by Czech minnows Jablonec in the Conference League play-offs on Thursday, meaning there will be no European group stage football at Ibrox for the first time since the 2017/18 season.

Lawrence Shankland’s second-half penalty earned a first league win of the season for Rangers and eased the questions over McInnes’s future after just eight games in charge.

Rangers began the day already eight points adrift of rivals Celtic, but were rewarded for a more purposeful performance.

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“Probably for the first time this season, I’ve really enjoyed watching the team,” said McInnes, who was minutes away from leading Hearts to the title last season and ending the Old Firm domination of Scottish football.

“Strong performance, deserved win. I thought we were good in the game. I thought we looked like a team, a sense of the team that I would like us to be.”

South Korean winger Kim Min-su was thrown straight in for his debut in one of four changes to the side beaten 1-0 on the night and then on penalties in the Czech Republic.

Min-su impressed, but it was Rangers’ other winger Djeidi Gassama who won the decisive spot-kick 21 minutes from time.

Shankland sent Marius Muller the wrong way from the spot for only his second goal since joining from Hearts, both of which have come from the penalty spot.

Aberdeen skipper Kevin Nisbet thought he had equalised nine minutes from time but was judged to have pushed defender Dujon Sterling before heading home, and the goal was ruled out.

St. Mirren missed the chance to move level with Celtic at the top of the table as Jardell Kanga’s stoppage-time equaliser rescued a point for Motherwell in a 3-3 draw.

Motherwell had led 2-0 and missed a penalty before the Buddies struck three times in 10 minutes towards the end of the first half.

Joe Hodge started for the visitors, though fellow Ireland international Killian Phillips did not make St Mirren’s matchday squad.

Hibernian put their own disappointment at missing out on the Conference League group stages with a late defeat to Gent on Thursday with a 2-1 win at Dundee.

Irish pair Jacob Devaney and Jamie McGrath both started for the visitors, though Owen Elding and Warren O’Hora were unavailable, while Kieran O’Hara was an unused sub for the hosts.