Aberdeen 1-1 Rangers
- Published
Highlights: Aberdeen 1-1 Rangers
Aberdeen teenager Bruce Anderson scored in stoppage time to deny Steven Gerrard's 10-man Rangers a winning start to their Scottish Premiership campaign.
Rangers played more than 80 minutes with 10 men after Alfredo Morelos was dismissed for a kick at Scott McKenna.
Despite that, James Tavernier gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot after Dominic Ball fouled Josh Windass.
But Anderson, making his Dons debut, struck late into time added on.
The 19-year-old took an accomplished touch and skidded a finish low past Allan McGregor three minutes into added time.
It was an unlikely equaliser, given Aberdeen took 75 minutes to have a shot on goal.
Derek McInnes' side had looked lethargic, having taken Burnley to extra time before going out of the Europa League on Thursday, but did enough to start the season with a draw.
Rangers enjoy better chances
The visitors - who went through in Europe against Osijek on the same night - had started on the front foot. But after Morelos kicked out at McKenna - reacting angrily to a shove from the Scotland defender - they were up against it.
While composure had deserted Morelos, his team-mates stayed cool under pressure, continuing to dominate possession.
Gerrard elected to stick with what he had, taking the game to the hosts, and got his reward when Tavernier slammed home the opener from the penalty spot.
The Rangers manager had said he was "jealous" of Ryan Jack's Europa League performance against Osijek on Thursday, and the midfielder was again pulling the strings against his former club, his workmanlike performance making up for the one-man deficit.
Blue shirts swarmed all over Aberdeen when they crossed the halfway line, and as the home side struggled to cope, Rangers continued to create the better chances. Windass headed over and Lassana Coulibaly stretched the defence on the counter-attack, only to have a shot blocked.
Tavernier's cross found Jamie Murphy, who headed wide, but as the game wore on Rangers naturally went deeper, spending the majority of the last 20 minutes defending the high balls Aberdeen threw at them.
The point was Derek McInnes' eighth against Rangers from nine games during his time with Aberdeen
Anderson is Aberdeen's unlikely hero
In the absence of Shay Logan and Tommie Hoban, Aberdeen were forced to move Ball to right-back - a position he last occupied in a torrid 90 minutes against Motherwell in April's Scottish Cup semi-final, a match lost 3-0.
The Englishman's first lapse allowed Murphy to beat the offside trap and bear down on Dons goalkeeper Joe Lewis, who blocked the shot.
After Morelos' red card, the Dons had the advantage, but they gave that away when they conceded a penalty. Ball was again at fault, tugging the shirt of Windass after Scott Arfield's shot was deflected.
It was not much better for Aberdeen at the other end of the pitch. Their first-half attacking threat was sporadic, though twice Niall McGinn delivered crosses from the left that caused problems. Each time there was no end product, which underpinned how urgent McInnes' search for a new striker is.
McInnes was struggling to ask questions of Rangers, reshuffling his line-up as the match went on.
Having started with Ball and Andrew Considine in the full-back roles, he moved things around when centre-back McKenna limped off, switching Graeme Shinnie to left-back. The manager then changed it again, returning his captain to midfield and going to three at the back. Nothing seemed to work as Rangers continued to threaten.
His last move was to replace Sam Cosgrove with 19-year-old Anderson for his debut. The teenager sent a header wide in 75 minutes - Aberdeen's first attempt at goal.
Gary Mackay-Steven grew into the game and became the hosts' main threat, but still Rangers goalkeeper McGregor had little to do except watch Lewis Ferguson head past a post.
However, just as it looked like Rangers would comfortably see the game out, Considine headed down into the path of Anderson, who fired low into the far corner.
Steven Gerrard has yet to lose in five competitive games as Rangers manager
'Gerrard answered the questions asked' - analysis
BBC Scotland's senior football reporter Chris McLaughlin at Pittodrie
Most of the intrigue around this match centred around the new Rangers manager. How would he cope being up against the side who have finished second for four consecutive seasons? How would his tactics fare next to a seasoned manager in Derek McInnes? Despite not taking the points, Gerrard's side won the battle and he answered the questions asked.
The former Liverpool captain refused to panic when Morelos was sent off. He took his time, assessed the situation and then made the necessary changes. He switched shape on more than one occasion, and each time his decisions influenced the game.
He stood, hands in suit pockets, for most of the 90 minutes and consulted with his back room team when he needed to but was very much calling the shots. The quiet man, full of passion, passed his first test and proved he has a squad capable of competing for second spot.