After the break, however, the Dons looked a different side and before the hour mark they should have been level with former Ibrox defender Richard Foster, in particular, missing a sitter.
Ross Perry in action against AberdeenCraig Brown’s men will perhaps feel frustrated at not taking any points back to the Granite City given the chances they created in the second-half.
But in the end it was the Champions that secured three valuable points before the international break and they doubled their advantage with seconds of the match remaining through the lively Naismith.
Ally McCoist made two changes to his side for this SPL clash with Rangers looking to bounce back from their midweek Euro disappointment.
Naismith returned after being suspended on Thursday night and he started in the middle of the park alongside Steven Davis after the pair performed so well at Fir Park in the club’s previous league outing at Fir Park.
The only other change was in defence with Ross Perry featuring alongside Dorin Goian while Kirk Broadfoot was utilised at right back initially and Carlos Bocanegra on the left.
From referee Iain Brines’ first whistle Rangers went on the attack with Wylde seeing a lot of the ball.
His pace was causing Rory McArdle problems in the early stages and on ten minutes a poor back pass from Ryan Jack went straight to the Kirkintilloch-born winger but his shot from 20 yards flew harmlessly across David Gonzalez’s goal.
It was good stuff from the home side and in the next attack a long ball was flicked on by Jelavic to his strike partner Lafferty who took an excellent first touch but his effort from distance went high and wide of target.
It was not a surprise when, on 14 minutes, the opening goal arrived and again it was excellent build up play.
Jelavic had options to his right and left but he fed a clever pass through to Davis who had pushed in to an advanced position.
He looked up once and with a deft touch found the corner of the net with Gonzalez diving helplessly to his left.
Aberdeen looked to be there for the taking and the closest they came to scoring was a from a long throw in from Kari Arnason which was flicked over Allan McGregor’s bar by striker Scott Vernon.
From there the game dipped in terms of the quality and prior to half time the scoreline stayed the same despite a late flurry of activity.
Gregg Wylde in action against AberdeenWith just two minutes remaining a shot from Robert Milson went narrowly past McGregor’s goal in front of the Copland Stand before Mo Edu had a chance to double his side’s advantage in the dying seconds.
Wylde again found acres of space down the left and his deep cross was met by his American teammate who could only head wide from eight yards although he appeared to be nudged in the back by Foster as he was in mid-air.
Before the whistle there was yet another injury problem for McCoist to deal with as Goian toe poked the ball out of play before grabbing his knee.
The Romanian immediately signalled that he could not continue which meant Steven Whittaker made a welcome return to action.
Aberdeen, however, looked far more determined for the start of the second half and almost immediately they should have been on level terms.
Confusion between Bocanegra and Perry allowed Vernon to sprint through on goal with just McGregor to beat but the keeper narrowed the angle forcing the number nine wide and the danger was eventually cleared.
With 47 minutes on the clock the visitors were given another opportunity to test the Scotland’s top shotstopper from a free-kick situation.
Fyvie rolled the ball to Arnason who blasted a low shot from 20 yards which skimmed the side netting of McGregor’s goal.
If Rangers had started the game positively it was now the Dons that were asking questions of their opponent’s makeshift defence with Broadfoot now at left back.
Wylde, however, still looked a threat and a deep cross from the youngster almost caught out Gonzalez who was flapping as the ball cannoned off the top of his cross bar and out for a goal kick.
Steven Naimsith scores against AberdeenA good nod down by Edu then found Jelavic on the 18 yard box but his left foot shot lacked power and accuracy.
But it was all Aberdeen at this stage and it was a miracle they didn’t find the net before the hour mark.
On 53 minutes a cross from right back Rory McArdle glanced off Bocanegra’s head and McGregor somehow clawed the ball away from his back post before it found the net.
The forward then tried his luck from 20 yards and when McGregor could only palm his shot away from goal Foster somehow managed to clip the bar with a diving header from eight yards when it looked easier to score.
But with Aberdeen throwing men forward they were leaving also leaving gaps at the back.
Edu looked to exploit them when he skipped away from Isaac Osbourne in the centre circle and his powerful shot from 25 yards had to be watched closely by Gonzalez as it skimmed off the perfect Ibrox surface and away from his goal.
The second half, however, was tough to watch for the Ibrox faithful, so much so that the introduction of Alejandro Bedoya almost went unnoticed given the nervous tension in the stadium.
It certainly wasn’t the easiest of matches for the American to come in to but he, along with his teammates, worked hard until the final whistle to secure three crucial SPL points and they got their reward by adding a second goal at the death.
It was Davis who fired a free kick at Gonzalez and when the Columbian spilled the ball Naismith was there to hit the net from close range.
Man of the Match – Steven Davis: Stand-in skipper was a stand-out and after a tough 90 minutes on Thursday night he worked tirelessly again and deserved his goal.