The game was enthralling throughout with play switching from end to end.
The pace was unrelenting for the whole 90 minutes, with Aberdeen thoroughly deserving victory as they created the better chances.
At the end of the day, Celtic's resounding victory at Tannadice meant that the night's result was immaterial.
Aberdeen forced two early corners as the home side took the game to Rangers from the off.
However, the visitors could have had the lead after just seven minutes when a Barry Ferguson driving run from midfield saw him pick out Jean-Claude Darcheville, whose fierce ball across the area was brilliantly blocked by Zander Diamond at the expense of a corner.
From Charlie Adam's corner, Carlos Cuellar peeled off Scott Severin to get on the end of a Christian Dailly knockdown, but his fierce effort was somehow parried over by Jamie Langfield.
A lightning quick break by Kevin Thomson sent Darcheville racing clear of the Dons' rearguard, but the striker took a heavy touch, allowing Jamie Langfield to block his 12 yard effort.
The game had really opened up a minute later as hesitation in the Rangers defence let the ball fall to Stuart Duff, whose measured shot from 20 yards shaved the post as it went wide.
Aberdeen were first to show in the second half when a clever through ball from Barry Nicholson troubled Cuellar, who only succeeded in knocking the ball into the path of Lee Miller whose smashing drive from 20 yards brought out a tremendous stop from Neil Alexander.
Rangers countered to press forward looking for the vital opener and it was their talismanic skipper Ferguson who almost claimed a goal on 55 minutes.
A clever ball from Daniel Cousin saw him hold off the challenge of Diamond before shooting at goal, with Langfield getting down early to smother.
Rangers had a major escape on 61 minutes when Diamond nodded a Barry Nicholson corner into the path of Duff, who scooped his left-foot shot wide of the upright from eight yards with the goal at his mercy.
But there was joy for the home fans on 63 minutes when a brilliantly flighted free-kick from Nicholson fell on to the head of Miller, whose header flew into the corner of the net.
Rangers looked a shattered team as their title effort had all but gone and it got worse on 79 minutes.
Duff's long diagonal ball found Miller, who cleverly played it into the path of Darren Mackie and held off the challenge of Cuellar before stabbing the ball past Alexander to send the home support into raptures.
There was still time for disaster for the visitors on 80 minutes when second-half substitute Nacho Novo's total lack of discipline saw him red carded for an ugly over the top tackle on Duff after he had initially won the free-kick.