Aberdeen 2 Rangers 0

Alex McLeish's team showed no signs in the first half of wanting to fight back from their ignominious Scottish Cup exit on Saturday, and although they improved in the second, glaring misses from Peter Lovenkrands and captain Barry Ferguson meant the Dons scooped the points with relative ease.

Yet again question marks surround McLeish's future at Rangers, yet with the Champions League clash with Villareal just round the corner it is likely that Ibrox chairman David Murray will stand by his man. However the Rangers support have begun questioning Murray's loyalty to the man that has taken their club 18 points behind arch-rivals Celtic, and unfurled a “Murray Out” banner prior to the kick-off of yesterday's game.

The match itself was very much a game of two halves, the only difference being that Aberdeen took two of their chances and Rangers squandered every one of theirs. An even opening half hour saw the best chances fall to Aberdeen, with Jamie Smith misdirecting a point-blank header then Barry Nicholson firing a great ball across the six yard box with nobody on hand to tap the ball in. If the on-form Steve Crawford had not picked up an injury in training for Aberdeen this week, he would surely have been on hand to score.

The Dons did score in the 34th minute when debutant Ferne Snoyl, signed on loan from Feyenoord during the transfer window, sent a teasing ball into the box where Jamie Smith was on hand to volley home. When Steve Lovell added a second two minutes from the break, the Dons were playing some inspired football.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood said: "We deserved the win tonight. We settled down after the first five or ten minutes ad Rangers didn't cause us too many problems in the first half and we got two good goals. If we'd taken our chances it might have been more.

McLeish made two changes at half time, and will certainly have had some harsh words in the dressing room. Both worked, as the visitors dominated the second half but they missed chance after chance due to some stout defending and some very poor finishing. Ferguson scuffed a shot from eight yards out, then fluffed a diving header from around the same spot. But miss of the game came on the hour when Lovenkrands sent the ball wide when it seemed easier to score after being set up by substitute Thomas Buffel.

Rangers huffed and puffed for the remainder of the match but Aberdeen had shut up shop by this point, something they have failed to do effectively so far this season. McLeish told the BBC: "We dominated the second half, but we needed a goal and didn't get the break. If we had scored early, it might have been different."

Rangers now face the prospect of an Old Firm derby straight after consecutive defeats where they have conceded five goals without scoring one. "It's horrendous for the fans," said McLeish. "I'm absolutely gutted and hurting as much as they are. I must contemplate making changes for the game against Celtic.

"I'm sure the players will be up for it, but they know they are walking a tightrope with performances like that, but we have to keep battling."

McLeish has become an expert on the tightrope himself this season, but defeat against Celtic on Sunday may see him finally fall.