Defoe came off the bench to score Rangers’ fourth at Pittodrie.
Steven Gerrard told Rangers’ official Twitter account after the Gers’ 4-2 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie that Jermain Defoe showed the kind of class he had worked so hard to bring north of the border since taking over as manager.
Defoe, 36, came off the bench to score his third goal in Rangers colours – lashing a left-footed effort past Aberdeen goalkeeper Joe Lewis in the 95th minute to ease pressure on the Gers’ goal.
The match was packed with action and incident. Alfredo Morelos scored a first-half brace and along with a James Tavernier penalty, Rangers had a 3-1 lead at half-time with Sam Cosgrove netting for the Dons.
Cosgrove immediately scored a penalty in the second half, before Morelos and Scott McKenna were both sent off for an altercation in the 53rd minute. But Defoe came on to wrap up a crucial win away from home.
“Jermain comes on and shows why he’s been at the top of the game all the way through,” Gerrard said. “He came up trumps and that’s the reason why I worked so hard to bring him to Ibrox. One chance, one goal and it gave us breathing space.”
The win sees Rangers finally secure a win against Derek McInnes’ side this season, having drawn once and lost two previously. Indeed, the Gers had been knocked out by Aberdeen in the League Cup semi-final.
Now, Rangers have opened up a gap between themselves and third-placed Aberdeen of five points, while Kilmarnock’s disappointing draw to relegation-threatened Dundee leaves Steve Clarke’s side in fourth.
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