IT was a night of mixed emotions at Ibrox. In the end, the overriding one was frustration.

The sense of loss, the sorrow and the heartache were palpable before this visit of Aberdeen. After it, Steven Gerrard’s side were left to rue an opportunity missed and two points dropped.

Goals from Alfredo Morelos and James Tavernier earned the champions a draw but this was not the way in which they wanted to mark the passing of Walter Smith.

An occasion that was part memorial and part match had a strange feeling about it. Ultimately, Stephen Glass was the man who could be most satisfied as early efforts from Christian Ramirez and Scott Brown ensured the Dons collected a valuable point.

Gerrard had urged his players to win this one for Walter during an emotional interview on Tuesday afternoon. The message would have hit home, but Rangers still had to perform under difficult circumstances.

It was impossible to escape the sadness that enveloped Ibrox the build-up but there was a game to be won and a job to be done. Smith would surely not have wanted the focus to be on anything else.

The pre-match tributes – the final one of which was a tifo display from the Union Bears - were classy and struck the perfect tone. A message of ‘For deeds done and glories won, thank you Walter’ was unfurled across the front of the Broomloan Stand before a chorus of ‘Walter Smith’s blue and white army’ faded into a minute of silence that was impeccably observed all around the ground.

It was perhaps fitting that the first fixture after Smith’s passing would come against the club who played such a significant part in the story during the early years of his time at Ibrox.

The rivalry with the Dons – before their stature and their force faded – was fierce and Rangers needed their own Hateley or Gascoigne moment on a night that was of real importance to their title defence.

Tributes to Smith were sporadic throughout the first half. So, too, were the boos, cheers and roars of encouragement as Rangers were stunned and then attempt to mount a comeback.

The defending from the champions was certainly not of a standard that Smith would have approved of, and Gerrard’s side found themselves two goals down inside the opening quarter of an hour.

The build-up to the first was comical. As Rangers attempted to play out from keeper Jon McLaughlin, John Lundstram was dispossessed on the edge of the are and Aberdeen would quickly capitalise.

A Ryan Hedges cross found Ramirez unmarked a couple of yards out and he had the easiest of tasks to nod the ball into an empty net as Ibrox was silenced.

Soon, it was stunned. This goal was just as unforgivable to concede, and it was Brown who made the most of Rangers’ shoddy defensive efforts.

The veteran midfielder – playing in a deeper role between Ross McCrorie and David Bates here – isn’t exactly renowned for his movement or prowess in the final third.

It would prove too good for Tavernier, though, and Brown finished emphatically with a diving header that found the corner of McLaughlin’s net. With a rare turn of pace, he sprinted towards the Sandy Jardine Stand in celebration and made the most of the moment on his return to Ibrox.

The fact that it was Brown that had scored rubbed salt into Rangers’ wounds, but the champions had much more to worry about than that. The home crowd let Gerrard’s side know about it, too.

The comeback was started before the interval, but it was only partly completed. Rangers may have got one back, but their momentum was lost as quickly as it was gained.

If Aberdeen were going to wobble or wilt, they were going to do it in those minutes after their lead was halved. When that didn’t happen, Glass must have dared to dream of a famous win.

A fine Morelos header – the Colombian nodding home a Tavernier free-kick – should have been the spark for Rangers but they trailed at the break as Gerrard faced a defining team-talk.

It was Connor Goldson who would twice come closest to bringing Rangers level but a header from Tavernier’s corner was blocked before Lundstram was denied on the follow-up. When Joe Lewis made a terrific save to deny the defender from a similar situation, Ibrox must have feared it was going to be one of those nights.

Supporters cannot expect the remarkable feats of last season to be repeated this term, but Rangers have made life far more difficult for themselves than it needed to be so far. That was the case once again here.

Teams that rely on rousing comebacks or squeaking over the line too often may challenge for titles, but they don’t win them. That is not a sustainable approach for success.

The hour mark was reached without a second goal arriving. Rangers flirted between hopeful and hopeless before Gerrard sought to turn the tide with the introduction of Scott Arfield in place of the ineffective Lundstram.

The flow of play was all towards the Aberdeen goal, but the champions had little craft or guile about their play and the chances of victory slipped away with every minute that passed.

That changed with ten remaining. After Bates needlessly fouled Fashion Sakala, Tavernier brought Ibrox to life with a clinical penalty beyond keeper Lewis.

It earned Rangers a point. It was one salvaged rather than collected, though, and the damage was once again self-inflicted for the champions.

The anger and disappointment will linger with Gerrard’s side. They cannot afford to suffer those same feelings too often going forward.