Chris Sutton has delivered a ruthless assessment of Aberdeen’s defeat to Rangers, leaving Stephen Robinson facing an uncomfortable reality check after the Dons’ controversial 1-0 loss at Pittodrie.

Rangers finally got their Scottish Premiership campaign up and running on Sunday, but their victory was anything but straightforward.

Lawrence Shankland’s first-half penalty proved decisive as Derek McInnes’ side held on for three desperately needed points. The result also provided some much-needed relief for Rangers following their disastrous European exit to Jablonec on penalties only days earlier.

Yet the result immediately became overshadowed by a series of contentious refereeing and VAR decisions.

Aberdeen believed they had strong grounds for a penalty after Kevin Nisbet went down during a challenge involving Dujon Sterling inside the Rangers penalty area. Referee Matthew MacDermid was unmoved, however, and play continued.

The biggest controversy arrived late in the match.

Nisbet appeared to have dramatically rescued a point for Aberdeen when he found the net, only for VAR to intervene. MacDermid was sent to the pitchside monitor before eventually deciding that Nisbet had pushed Sterling during the build-up.

The goal was therefore chalked off.

And there was another twist.

Nisbet also appeared to be in an offside position, meaning Aberdeen’s late equaliser may have faced another obstacle even without the alleged foul.

Naturally, Robinson was furious with the outcome.

The Aberdeen boss insisted afterwards that his team had produced a strong second-half display and argued that they had taken the game to Rangers.

But Sutton was having absolutely none of it.

Sutton delivers brutal response

Speaking after the match, Robinson maintained that Aberdeen had been excellent in the second period, praising his players’ attitude, work rate and ability to create opportunities.

He also suggested that VAR had played a major role in preventing his side from taking something from the match.

Those comments clearly did not convince Sutton.

The former Celtic striker was asked whether he agreed with Robinson’s assessment — and his response was brutally dismissive.

Sutton questioned whether Robinson had been watching the same match as everyone else.

His argument was simple: he did not believe Aberdeen had done enough to claim they were unlucky to leave Pittodrie empty-handed.

Sutton went even further by dismissing Robinson’s suggestion that key decisions had effectively cost Aberdeen the game.

He argued that Aberdeen were fortunate to have taken anything from their opening fixture against Hearts and insisted their performance against Rangers was nowhere near the level Robinson had described.

For Aberdeen supporters, Sutton’s assessment will undoubtedly add another layer to an already frustrating afternoon.

The Dons came into the fixture hoping to make a statement at home, but instead they suffered another defeat and were left debating both their performance and the officiating.

Boyd backs Sutton over Rangers controversy

Sutton was not the only former player to reject Aberdeen’s complaints.

Ex-Rangers striker Kris Boyd also offered a completely different interpretation of the key incidents.

Boyd was particularly adamant that the penalty awarded to Rangers was correct.

From his perspective, there was no meaningful debate over the decision, describing the challenge as a clear penalty.

He was far less convinced by Aberdeen’s other appeals.

Boyd saw no compelling reason for another penalty to be awarded, while he also agreed with the decision to rule out Nisbet’s late effort.

In fact, Boyd pointed out that the apparent offside position made the controversy surrounding the disallowed goal even less significant.

His conclusion was particularly damaging for Robinson.

Rather than believing Aberdeen had been victims of poor officiating, Boyd felt the bigger issue was the team’s performance.

That leaves Aberdeen with plenty to consider.

Rangers finally have momentum

For Rangers, however, the arguments surrounding VAR will matter far less than the result.

McInnes desperately needed a response following the club’s European disappointment, and although Rangers were far from spectacular, they got exactly what they needed.

Three points.

A clean sheet.

And a first league victory of the season.

Shankland’s penalty ultimately separated the sides, with Rangers doing enough defensively to survive Aberdeen’s late pressure.

The win could prove extremely important for McInnes as he attempts to steady the ship and rebuild confidence after the painful European setback.

Aberdeen, meanwhile, must quickly move on.

Whether Robinson’s assessment was justified will remain a matter of debate, but Sutton and Boyd have certainly made their positions clear.

For now, Rangers leave Pittodrie with the points, while Aberdeen are left asking whether the officials really were responsible for their disappointment — or whether Sutton’s much harsher verdict has hit closer to the truth.