Rangers won this game far more comfortably than the 3-2 scoreline suggests, as they passed up a hatful of second-half chances after a fairly evenly contested opening period.
Manager Alex McLeish will be delighted with the response of his players after their midweek flop in Europe.
However, the game will be remembered for the disgraceful scenes on 56 minutes when a home supporter got on to the pitch, running half the length of the field before aiming a kick at Dutchman Fernando Ricksen.
He was finally apprehended by several policemen in the centre circle.
The game opened in typically frenetic fashion with neither side able to bring any fluency to their game.
With six minutes gone Ronald de Boer had a claim for a penalty as he clashed with Russell Anderson inside the area going for a Mikel Arteta cross.
Rangers again came close minutes later when Barry Ferguson's 25-yard free kick flew narrowly over.
On 18 minutes a lightning quick break by the home side saw Scott Booth and James McQuilken link up, before the latter's cross found David Zdrilic whose weak header was easily held by Stefan Klos.
Aberdeen took a surprise lead on 23 minutes when Phil McGuire's long ball out of defence caught the Gers rearguard flat-footed.
Zdrilic held off Henning Berg, but Klos stopped his first effort only for the ball to ricochet off the striker's head and into the net from 12 yards.
The Dons nearly added to their opening in the 31st minute, Darren Mackie chesting the ball down before driving a left-foot volley which was only just missed by Booth inside the six-yard area.
Rangers suffered a major blow on 31 minutes when Peter Lovenkrands crashed to the ground in agony following an aerial challenge from Anderson.
He was stretchered away to be replaced by Steven Thompson.
Rangers hauled themselves back into the game when Michael Mols' tremendous fee-kick from 30 yards crashed off the bar only for de Boer to head home, despite the valiant efforts on the line from Booth.
Rangers pushed home their supremacy when Mols battled well to gain possession inside the area. He found Arteta who cleverly stroked the ball beyond David Preece.
Excellent link-up play between Mols and Arteta should have extended the visitors' lead but Preece blocked the Spaniard's 16-yard effort.
Rangers' stranglehold on the game was complete when Mols neatly turned McGuire before planting the ball into the corner of the net from the edge of the area.
The Dons almost got back into the game when a David Zdrilic header crashed off the crossbar and rebounded to safety.
On 71 minutes the big striker was again prominent when he flashed a drive from 20 yards just wide of the target.
Rangers ripped apart the Dons when Arteta picked out Ricksen in acres of space, the full-back firing in a low cross which Mols stabbed goalwards only for the effort to be blocked by the feet of Preece.
As the game entered injury time a Zdrilic header from a Paul Sheerin corner was cleared off the line only for Eric Deloumeaux to follow up and head home from six yards.