Celtic’s draw with Dundee just 100 yards up the road the previous week had been sufficient warning that gaining three points here was not going to be a formality but, with de Boer in sparkling form, a similar shock was never really on the cards.
While Barry Ferguson – deservedly – picked up the top prize at the recent Player of the Year awards, there is no doubting the importance of de Boer to Rangers.
With a nonchalant air that borders on arrogance, the Dutchman’s unapologetic swagger is the sort of attribute that makes him hated by the opposition and loved by the Rangers support.
Here, with Ferguson out suspended, de Boer was at his unerring best and involved in nearly all of the Light Blues’ attacking manoeuvres.
In one particular cameo he collected the ball deep in the United half, feinted to go one way before spinning off in the opposite direction leaving former Ibrox defender Gary Bollan staring at the recently vacated space wondering where de Boer had gone.
By that stage, Rangers had already forged into a two-goal lead with de Boer’s influence heavily stamped all over both strikes.
With exactly 10 minutes on the clock, the Ibrox side went in front. Peter Lovenkrands crossed from deep on the left, the ball was mis-judged in the air by Bollan allowing de Boer to calmly chest the ball down before thumping it past the stranded Paul Gallacher.
Confidence was pulsing through de Boer by now and Gallacher touched his stinging drive around the post before Rangers doubled their advantage after 17 minutes.
Shota Arveladze – making his first start since the defeat at Celtic Park – was the next to benefit from de Boer’s genius the Dutchman crossed from tight on the touchline for the Georgian to nod past the goalkeeper from close range.
Aside from a threatening burst in the opening stages, United – with three ex-Rangers players on the field in the shape of Bollan, Charlie Miller and Russell Latapy – offered little in the way of an attacking threat.
Mark Wilson rattled the crossbar with a fierce drive after 40 minutes but beyond that they were largely helpless to stop Rangers running amok up front.
Arveladze powered a shot over the crossbar from de Boer’s pass before the Dutchman executed an exquisite Cruyff turn in the penalty box to leave Bollan floundering once more.
Fernando Ricksen headed the cross wide of goal but a minute later Rangers were running back to the halfway line celebrating a third strike.
Mikel Arteta wriggled his way past a few half-hearted challenges to slip a precise pass through to de Boer who nudged the ball beyond Gallacher to effectively end the match as a contest.
Stefan Klos had been a virtual spectator in the opening period but he again showed his value to Rangers with two outstanding stops as the second half unfolded.
The German goalkeeper produced a flying save to deny Latapy and, a minute later, leapt to touch over a stinging drive from Jim McIntyre.
Unsurprisingly, the second period was unable to match the first for excitement or chances although the introduction of former Rangers striker Billy Dodds added an extra spice to the occasion.
Dodds looked lively up front and only a brave dive at his feet from Klos denied him a goal against his old side.
The striker was cheered onto the pitch by the large travelling support but was not so popular minutes later when he caught Craig Moore in the face with a flailing arm.
It looked an accidental collision although Arthur Numan picked up a booking for protesting too much to the referee.
Minutes later it was 4-0 to Rangers. De Boer again was the chief architect, threading a ball through to Arveladze who crashed home a shot via the crossbar.
United grabbed a consolation goal after 70 minutes when Miller’s corner was headed on by Bollan and Dodds scrambled the ball over the line.
DUNDEE UNITED (4-4-2): 1 Gallacher; 15 Duff, 4 Griffin, 18 Tod, 5 Bollan; 21 Latapy (Smart 71), 7 Easton (Dodds 50), 27 Wilson (Lauchlan 62), 11 Paterson; 8 Miller, 10 McIntyre
Subs not used: Combe, Ogunmade
Booked: Bollan (45)
RANGERS (4-3-3): 1 Klos; 17 Muscat, 3 Moore, 12 Malcolm, 5 Numan; 2 Ricksen, 15 Konterman, 23 Arteta (Caniggia 64); 24 Arveladze, 14 de Boer (Thompson 74), 26 Lovenkrands (McCann 79)
Subs not used: McGregor, Hughes
Booked: Arteta (49), Numan (59), Thompson (84)
Man of the Match: Ronald de Boer