Rangers came from behind to beat Aberdeen and cut the gap behind League leaders Celtic to 10 points.

Second-half strikes from substitutes Billy Dodds and Jorg Albertz earned the points after Michael Mols had cancelled out Arild Stavrum's 11th-minute opener.

Rangers still have a game in hand on their cross city rivals and the result also means Aberdeen still have not won at Ibrox since 1991.

Two individuals were conspicuous by their absence from the Dons' starting line-up - Eoin Jess and Alex di Rocco - with the former nowhere to be seen and the latter coming off the bench in the second half.

And that was not all they had in common as both had been busy telling the media how unimpressed they were with life at Pittodrie.

Jess made it clear he wanted away because he did not feel Aberdeen were ambitious enough while the Frenchman was quoted in his home country as saying he had no intention of making his loan move permanent as the standard of Scottish football was poor.

Rangers had made four changes with Tony Vidmar and Tore Andre Flo missing out through hamstring injuries, Albertz being dropped to the bench and Allan Johnston eliminated from the squad altogether.

In came Kenny Miller, Ronald de Boer, Arthur Numan and Claudio Reyna, with the latter pair having served a suspension.

The opening 10 minutes had a familiar look about them with Rangers doing all the attacking and the visitors defending as best they could.

They needed to as well, with an early chance falling to Mols when a corner found its way to his feet.

His shot was not strong enough to get past the massed ranks on the line, one of whom gladly hacked the ball away.

But when Aberdeen tried the same trick at the other end it brought an opening goal for Stavrum.

Rangers' defensive frailties have been well-documented this season and once again they made things difficult for themselves by needlessly conceding two corners.

Reyna's back header to Stefan Klos was too powerful and Numan misdirected his clearing header to concede the other corner.

The second flag-kick found its way through a scrum of bodies at the near post to a delighted Stavrum, who stabbed past Klos.

It took the home side a while to recover and, not for the first time, Dutchmen Fernando Ricksen and Bert Konterman struggled; the former with defensive duties on the flank and the latter with wayward passing.

Stavrum got the better of Konterman on the left to send a cross meant for the head of strike partner Robbie Winters and it would have got there too had Scott Wilson not intervened at the crucial moment.

Aberdeen were to have another good first-half chance when Stavrum picked out an unmarked Clark in the box but the youngster delayed his shot to allow Ricksen to deflect to safety.

But by then Rangers were level thanks to an error by Scotland under-21 goalkeeper Ryan Esson.

De Boer swung in a corner, Wilson got a flick on and Esson moved to catch at the far post. He was under pressure but his height advantage should have made it routine.

Yet somehow he allowed the ball to fall at Mols' feet and the Dutchman lashed home.

Mols should have scored again moments later when the stunned Aberdeen rearguard failed to cope with an attack that fell to Miller in the box, His touch set up Mols for an inviting chance that he smacked against the crossbar.

Rangers made two changes at the break, taking off the ineffective de Boer and bringing on Albertz while Billy Dodds came on for Miller up front.

There were two early penalty claims after the restart at the away end, both for handball, but both were ignored by referee Hugh Dallas.

Esson showed he was still vulnerable when he came out of his goal and kicked the ball to Arthur Numan, whose cross, fortunately for the goalkeeper, could not find a colleague.

But Esson was arguably at fault for Rangers' second goal, which arrived shortly afterwards when Barry Ferguson fired in a shot from outside the area and Dodds diverted it on to the target.

It squirmed under the goalkeeper's body into the net for Dodds' 13th goal of the season but only his second since September.

Aberdeen made changes of personnel themselves and one was to send on Andy Dow, who almost fashioned an equaliser for Winters in what was to prove Aberdeen's only real chance after the restart.

Dow sent in the cross and Winters flashed his header across the goal.

Mols went down in the box under Philip McGuire's challenge but referee Dallas was having none of it.

Mols' next foray into the danger zone saw the Dutchman hit the post.

Thomas Solberg, the man who had gifted Mols a winner at Pittodrie when he had allowed himself to be dispossessed by de Boer, dived in with a challenge but Mols skipped past it, stayed on his feet and fired past Esson only to hit the far upright.

Dodds curled high and wide as Rangers tried in vain to kill of the game and near the death they finally managed it when Albertz slammed Dodds' cutback into the roof of the net.

Mols might have made it four in stoppage time but fired straight at Esson, who must have left the pitch glad it was all over.