Michael Beale urges no Rangers hangover at Hampden as cautious injury update for Celtic crunch clash delivered

Michael Beale hopes Rangers take note of their Pittodrie reality check as he warned any repeat of their dismal Dons display will scupper next season’s title bid.

The Ibrox side were hoping for a morale-boosting win ahead of next Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi shoot-out with Celtic. But instead the Londoner and his team were left nursing fresh frustration as Gers’ six-and-a-half year unbeaten record against Aberdeen in the Granite City was allowed to crumble. Beale has no doubt his team will get themselves up for the task of halting Ange Postecoglou’s treble-chasers next week.

But he’s worried about what lies further ahead if his “wasteful” side don’t sharpen up. The Ibrox boss said: “I think it’s the reality of Scottish football for some of these players. Aberdeen look like they are back to their old selves [when they were] under Derek McInnes. They are quite front foot, quite aggressive in the way they play.

“You could see what it meant to them at the end, but that’s fine. It’s a rivalry and you could see what it meant to them to get the win. And I think it’s a warning sign to us going into next year.

“We have gone away from home and blown quite a few teams away. But next year this sort of result will be hugely damaging to us.

“It’s an eye opener for one or two players and the lesson for the team is that when you get the chances we had today you have to take them. In any game of football against any opponent, but certainly here.”

Goals from Liam Scales and Bojan Miovski consigned Gers to just their third defeat since Beale’s November appointment. But the loss was the first time in 23 games under Steven Gerrard’s former No.2 they have failed to score.

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