Rangers proved they are better than Aberdeen, says Ibrox striker Joe Dodoo

Joe Dodoo (left) scored Rangers' third goal against Aberdeen

Rangers striker Joe Dodoo says Sunday's 3-0 victory proved his side are better than Aberdeen despite still trailing nine points behind them.

Dodoo scored Rangers' third as they hit the net three times in the closing minutes at Pittodrie.

The Ibrox side are in third place, behind champions Celtic and the Dons.

"We weren't surprised we beat them because we are better than them no matter what anyone says," he told Rangers' website.

"Sometimes we aren't winning games, but we do have more than them and, if we exploit the right spaces, do the right things and make the right decisions, play as a team and continue to work hard, we should be up there.

"I am happy because we got the three points and we hadn't won for a while and it was obviously brilliant to come on and score.

"But the most important thing was to get the points on the board."

Aberdeen had been on top in the second half before Kenny Miller struck the first of his two goals in the 79th minute.

Kenny Miller (left) scored twice for Rangers against Aberdeen at Pittodrie

However, Dodoo felt he had seen a way to change the game before he came on with 20 minutes left and went on to not only score but set up Kenny Miller for the second goal and strike the bar in the final seconds.

"For me watching the game, I could see what needed to change at that time of the game because I think we were really narrow and playing into their hands a little bit more," said the 21-year-old.

"All I had to do was just make the pitch bigger, just go wide and stay wide and if I made the pitch as big as possible then our midfielders could get on the ball and start moving the ball.

"That then would make it harder for them to get the ball off us because the gaps between us would become so big that they couldn't press us as much as they were.

"I knew I had to go on the pitch and exploit the spaces and, luckily, we did that and, within a five-minute spell, we beat them."

Only three of Dodoo's 19 appearances for Rangers since his summer move from Leicester City have not been from the substitutes' bench.

"You always have to be ready and if you are always ready then you will always perform, so I have to stick to my routine and continue to work hard," he said about his chances of becoming a regular starter.