If the preceding three victories counted as a revival for the formerly floundering Aberdeen, it was too early in it to be leaping into the deep end at dominant champions Celtic with a bee in their bonnets.
The leak may have been plugged, but the keel is not yet even enough to withstand the waves of the Hoops’ counterattack.
Respect, though, to the Dons for giving it a more adequate go than could have been expected. They have not always played with confidence this season, nor looked as if they believed they could stand toe to toe with their opponents.
Yet here, in the face of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they approached matters with exactly that mindset, and the assurance with which they moved the ball will stand them in good stead for tasks to come.
They should not be overly put off by how little good it did them.
Having found the Easter Road pitch millimetres too short to avoid defeat on Saturday, any space made available to Celtic within the white lines was always likely to be savagely exploited by an angered home side, and the bold – brazen, even – openness of the aggressive Aberdeen shape played squarely into their much-wrung hands.
But in terms of their ability to play the ball sharply and receive it under duress, this was materially closer to Aberdeen’s early-season form than their blunt and inattentive offerings of recent months.
If they could ally this to some lethality in front of goal – a commodity which could have significantly narrowed the gap here had it not been so glaringly absent – they will be a far harder proposition for their remaining opponents than they have presented to their last few.
The score can be quickly forgotten, so long as they remember the qualities they still possess.
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