Neil Smith reports from Ibrox

RANGERS made it eleven wins on the bounce with a gritty, battling display against Aberdeen at Ibrox.

A goal from Aberdeen's Steve Lovell stunned the home support after only 27 minutes but a fantastic equaliser from Christian Dailly was to prove pivotal.

A Charlie Adam header minutes after the interval was a relief but Kris Boyd made sure of the win on 82 minutes when he saw his penalty saved by Derek Soutar but rattled home the rebound in his usual style

It wasn't the prettiest of wins for Walter Smith's troops but with Celtic beating Hibs 2-0 at Easter Road the result was all that mattered.

Queen's 'Another One Bites The Dust' was the perfect song to play after the final whistle!

The gaffer originally made just one change to his line-up following his side's fantastic 4-0 win over Hearts at Tynecastle with Chris Burke replacing Steven Naismith.

But he was forced to make a dramatic last-minute switch after Jean-Claude Darcheville pulled up in the warm-up with an injury and was replaced by Boyd.

The club's top scorer put in a lot of graft throughout the 90 minutes and was involved in the action after only 60 seconds when Dailly found Steven Davis darting into a wide channel.

His neat cut-back found Boyd but his first touch of the ball let him down and he was easily dispossessed.

In what was a positive start for the Gers, Charlie Adam then received the ball on the left flank and his delightful pass found Ferguson bursting through the Dons' backline.

The captain took one touch beyond Zander Diamond but was stretching for his shot which blazed over the bar.

The team was clearly up for it as were the fans who got behind the boys from referee Kenny Clark's first whistle.

The official did not have much to do in the opening stages but Diamond was receive the first yellow card of the day for a late challenge on Boyd.

The decision looked harsh and Dons' boss Jimmy Calderwood was clearly not impressed in his technical area.

Calderwood, however, had his hands on his heads minutes later when his side produced a tidy move which carved open the Gers' defence but Allan McGregor was on-hand to divert Lee Miller's shot beyond the post.

It was a great chance for the visitors to open the scoring and they were to enjoy a sustained period of pressure on Greeg's goal for the next five minutes with Miller again catching Weir and Cuellar cold but Steven Davis was there to make a last-ditch block.

It was to be an unsettling time but Rangers were to regain control and Dailly showed his aerial threat on 22 minutes when he met a Charlie Adam corner but the ball was cleared off the line by a Dons defender.

Adam is renowned for his delivery with his cultured left boot but he showed terrific quality with his right moments later when he cut inside 30-yards from goal and dinked a beautiful chip which rattled Derek Soutar's cross bar with the keeper well beaten.

Aberdeen, however, looked hungry and sharp and were rewarded on 27 minutes when they took a shock lead.

De Visscher's corner was glanced on at the near post and Steve Lovell headed home from only four yards.

It could have got even worse in the next attack when De Visscher raced past Davie Weir and was found with a delightful through ball.

The Dutchman set himself to shoot but Weir made up good ground and managed to deflect the ball into the side netting.

This was to be a turning point in the game as Dailly then scored his first goal on his Ibrox debut. And what a beauty it was!

Adam swerved a corner to the near post and the Scotland international got ahead of his marker before flicking the ball past Soutar with the neatest of touches.

It was a moment of magic from the midfielder and the equaliser could not have come at a better time with Gers in desperate need of a spark.

A second goal was not to arrive for either team prior to the half-time interval but it was all set for a cracking second-half with both sets of players giving 110 per cent in what was a pulsating contest.

Smith, not surprisingly, made his first tactical change for the restart with Nacho Novo replacing Burke.

The Spaniard immediately moved into attack with Boyd as part of a 4-4-2 formation and the reaction the gaffer got was immediate as Adam was to net goal number two for the Gers on 50 minutes.

Kirk Broadfoot, who is starting to excel in the right-back slot, delivered a teasing cross into the danger area and Adam was there to glance the ball into the net.

Ibrox erupted and Charlie savoured the moment by dropping to his knees in front of the Copland Road.

With a narrow lead in place Rangers started to look composed for the first time in the match but Allan McGregor, who had an outstanding first-half, almost gave his manager a heart attack when he totally missed a bread and butter cross and Andrew Considine somehow headed over with the goal gaping.

It was end to end stuff and Smith elected to put on some fresh legs by replacing Adam with Lee McCulloch.

The Light Blues were to stay on top of proceedings but with 15 minutes remaining had failed to score that all-important third goal that would secure three vital points.

It came on 82 minutes from the penalty spot after Nacho Novo was hauled to the ground in the penalty area after some skilful footwork.

Boyd stepped up but his first effort was brilliantly saved by Soutar who dived to his left.

But like all good strikers Kris was there to blast the ball high into the net to secure the points.

Rangers can now enjoy a lengthy break from SPL action with the knowledge that their four point advantage is still intact and once again they showed that they are fully prepared for a title battle.  

Man of the Match - Steven Davis. Another energetic performance from the onloan Fulham star but Allan McGregor also deserves praise for his first-half heroics.