But this group of players moulded by Walter Smith is made of the right stuff and they thoroughly deserved to come back and win the game with a superb display of guts and skill.
Kenny Miller’s astonishing start to the season continued as he slammed two more goals taking his tally to 10 in six matches.
And it was strike partner Nikica Jelavic who scored the winner in 67 minutes to ensure Rangers stay top of the SPL by virtue of goals scored.
The contest had scarcely developed a pattern when Aberdeen took the lead with a good goal from their point of view but a poor one by Rangers’ standards.
Madjid Bougherra tried to play a high line when Chris Maguire picked up possession in midfield but he got it all wrong.
Maguire slipped a good ball through to Scott Vernon who was suddenly clear on goal on the right side as he raced towards Allan McGregor’s goal.
Bougherra’s claim for offside was in vain as Vernon looked level at worst and he ran through to fire a right foot shot past McGregor.
Rangers had dominated possession against the compact Dons and they had even more of the ball after losing the goal but they could not make it count.
Kenny Miller had a shot from a tight angle well blocked by Jamie Langfield after Nikica Jelavic had flicked the ball on in 17 minutes.
Then Vladimir Weiss pulled a shot harmlessly wide when there were team mates in better positions.
Jelavic was again at his creative best in 29 minutes when he played a lovely return pass to Stevie Naismith but he pulled a right foot shot just wide of the left hand post.
And, remarkably, Rangers were made to pay when Aberdeen increased their lead barely a minute late.
Darren Mackie did not seem to have too many options when he took possession on the left side of the Rangers box.
But he whipped in a low left footed cross and Chris Maguire was quickest to react, diverting the ball into the right corner for a second Dons goal.
It was against the run of play but it was clinical finishing from Aberdeen and suddenly Rangers were in real trouble.
They needed to get back into the game quickly and did so with a penalty in 32 minutes when Vladimir Weiss won a penalty after he was clearly tripped by Jerel Ifil.
Zander Diamond needlessly inflamed the situation when he pushed Weiss to the ground and Stevie Naismith got involved.
Willie Collum booked both players and Kenny Miller had to wait before taking the spotkick.
He was composed, however, and made it nine goals in six matches with a cool penalty.
Rangers were forced into a switch two minutes later when Kirk Broadfoot came on for Steven Whittaker who had taken two considerable knocks on the head.
And he was in the wars within six minutes when Maguire charged into him unnecessarily to earn a yellow card.
The Light Blues craved a levelling goal before half-time and they nearly got it from an unlikely source.
Sasa Papac made a forward run into the box and Miller picked him out but his header was too straight and Langfield was able to make a decent save.
However, they got the equaliser they wanted six minutes into the second half and it was another classic goal from Kenny Miller.
It was Naismith who instigated the move on the left side with some good work before releasing Steve Davis who had moved into the left channel.
Davis looked up to see Miller in space on the right side of the box and played him in. Miller then slammed a right foot shot high into the net.
Rangers could sense the game was theirs for the taking and they pressed Aberdeen at every opportunity.
They thought they had turned things around when Davis worked so hard to find some space to release a pass for Jelavic on the edge of the box.
The big Croatian measured his shot and could not believe his luck as it beat Langfield but smacked the outside of the right hand post.
Jelavic, however, was to have his moment nine minutes later when the Dons were undone and Rangers showed their remarkable resilience.
Aberdeen were caught out with Lee McCulloch’s ball over the top and Naismith was allowed to run through before squaring for Nikica Jelavic who could not miss with his left foot.
It was a simple goal and everything Rangers deserved for the way they worked so hard to retrieve what seemed a hugely difficult situation.
It crushed the spirit of Aberdeen who did not create another chance. Indeed the day got worse for the Dons when Maguire was sent off four minutes from time.
He collected a second yellow card for fouling Naismith but by then the game was lost in any case.
The one concern for Rangers was that Davis had to come off in 74 minutes with an injury.
It was a great day, however, as Rangers showed their mettle at a traditionally tough venue.