Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin insisted travelling to Ibrox would offer an insight into the size of gap between his rebuilt side and Rangers.
On the basis of a 4-1 humbling, the chasm remains wide and it will take a few transfer windows – and further investment – to potentially bridge it.
Concerningly for Aberdeen, this could have been an even heavier defeat.
Rangers missed a penalty, had a shot cleared off the line, a goal disallowed and keeper Kelle Roos produced a string of saves.
Aberdeen play Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden on Sunday, January 16.
That is midway through the January transfer window.
Dons boss Goodwin will need to secure signings before that clash to bolster the bid to reach the final.
Goodwin went with an attacking 3-5-2 formation and said post-match he wanted to “be brave and go for it” rather than “park the bus on the 18-yard line”.
The sentiment was admirable… but the tactic backfired.
There were too many open spaces which were ruthlessly exploited by Rangers.
It cannot be repeated at Hampden in the semi in January.
Aberdeen disjointed and outplayed
This was a shocker from the Dons, who were disjointed and outplayed in all departments.
The three-man defence, so effective in previous games, was ripped apart. And the midfield failed to stamp any authority on the game.
Rangers also snuffed out the threat of Aberdeen’s leading striker Bojan Miovski, although his partner upfront, Duk, made his presence felt.
The Ibrox club had 36 shots at goal, 13 on target.
In stark contrast, Aberdeen, despite the positive formation, mustered just one shot on target and four off.
The Ibrox club had 70.2% possession to Aberdeen’s 29.8% – and made it count.
Another sobering Dons away day
It was a sobering day for the Dons. The second in the last three away Premiership trips.
The recent three-game winning streak was sandwiched between a 4-0 loss at Dundee United and the 4-1 hammering at Ibrox.
Aberdeen went with the same starting line-up that defeated Motherwell 2-1 away last weekend.
Rangers created the first opportunity in the fifth minute when Ryan Kent burst past Ross McCrorie on the left flank.
Kent crossed from the byline to find Fashion Sakala in space, but he headed over the bar from eight yards out.
It was a let-off for Aberdeen.
Barron fires Aberdeen into the lead
Against the run of play, Aberdeen went ahead in the 21st minute.
Duk collected possession on the left then barged into the box. He twisted and turned under pressure, trying to open up an angle for a shot.
Somehow he managed to retain possession, and James Tavernier then appeared to haul Duk down.
The Rangers skipper stopped playing to protest his innocence to the referee in fear of a penalty.
Midfielder Connor Barron reacted quickly to lash the loose ball into the net from six yards for his first senior Aberdeen goal.
Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin had talked in the build up to the match about the aim to make Rangers supporters’ anxiety “creep on to the pitch”.
That anxiety kicked in when Barron’s shot bulged the net.
However, there was little anxiety within the Rangers squad, who quickly rallied and hit back.
Long before full-time, the only anxiety at Ibrox was being felt by Aberdeen’s suffering travelling fans.
Rangers make dominance count
Rangers equalised in the 27th minute, when Aberdeen were left exposed down the right flank as Malik Tillman crossed into the box to find Antonio Colak.
Striker Colak side-footed a shot beyond Roos from 12 yards.
Rangers then went ahead in first-half injury time when Barisic’s free-kick was scrambled clear to Tavernier, who shot from the edge of the box.
Keeper Roos blocked the shot, but Leon King kept the ball alive and dragged it to John Lundstram, who fired home from close range.
It was tough on the Dons to go behind so late in the half, but Rangers deserved to be ahead at the break.
Rangers netted again in the 51st minute when Kent kept the ball in play on the left byline before squaring a pass to Borna Barisic.
Substitute Barisic was given far too much time to deliver a cross which found Tavernier, who rose high above Jack MacKenzie to head in from 10 yards.
Tavernier continues to torment Aberdeen- the Ibrox skipper has been directly involved in 12 goals in his last 10 home appearances against Aberdeen, scoring 10 and pitching in with two assists.
Penalty awarded after VAR check
Aberdeen’s woes deepened when Rangers were awarded a penalty when a shot from Lundstrum bounced up and hit Jayden Richardson’s hand in the box.
The incident went to VAR before referee Nick Walsh awarded a penalty.
Tavernier, normally so lethal from the spot, hit Roos’ right side post and Aberdeen then cleared to safety.
Aberdeen switched to a back four midway though the second half when Hayden Coulson and Ryan Duncan came on for Richardson and Barron.
However, the damage had already been done.
Moments later, Leighton Clarkson cleared a Scott Arfield drive off the line.
A miserable day for Aberdeen slumped to a further low when Alfredo Morelos netted with a right-footed six-yard shot. After a VAR check for offside, the goal stood.
ABERDEEN (3-5-2): Roos 7; Scales 4, Stewart 4, McCrorie 5; MacKenzie 5 (Besuijen 70), Clarkson 5, Ramadani 5, Barron 5 (Duncan 63), Richardson 4 (Coulson 63); Duk 6, Miovski 4 (Ramirez 76)
Subs not used: Lewis, Morris, Watkins, Milne, Kennedy.
RANGERS (4-2-3-1): McGregor 6; Yilmaz 2 (Barisic 8), Davies 4 (Arfield 46), King 6, Tavernier 6; Sands 6, Lundstrum 7; Kent 6, Tillman 6, Sakala 6; Colak 6 (Morelos 80)
Subs not used: McLaughin, Davis, Matondo, Wright, McCann, Devine.
Referee: Nick Walsh
Man-of-the-match: John Lundstrum (Rangers)
Attendance: 49,365
Conversation