Mark Warburton’s Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers lost at Pittodrie.
Derek McInnes has told Herald Scotland that James Tavernier deserves a slice of the blame for Rangers’ 2-1 defeat at Aberdeen on Sunday.
Rangers players and manager Mark Warburton were left fuming at Pittodrie yesterday when James Maddison’s injury-time free kick denied the Gers a deserved point.
The root of the frustration stems from the decision to award the Dons a free kick in the first place, with right-back Tavernier penalised, and booked by referee John Beaton, for what looked a fair and clean challenge on Aberdeen’s Johnny Hayes.
Rangers had fought their way back into the contest when Andy Halliday’s 79th-minute penalty cancelled out Hayes’s opener shortly after the half-time break.
But the Dons boss McInnes isn’t buying the Glasgow club’s protestations, suggesting that Tavernier knew the risks of making such a challenge from a “bad position”.
“I think Tavernier gets himself in a bad position,” he said to Herald Scotland.
“If they’re unhappy it’s maybe because they’ve seen it again and maybe he did touch the ball. But he was in a poor position to start with.”
Rangers have now lost two and drawn two of their last four Premiership outings, but this will be just as frustating as their 5-1 defeat at Celtic, albeit for different reasons.
This was a game that Rangers could and probably should have won – they definitely did not deserve to lose, and Warburton will still feel hugely aggrieved.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
