Lewis Ferguson penalty kick wasn’t the only thing blown off course at Pittodrie on Tuesday night.
The Aberdeen ace refused to be buffeted by the wild wind blowing across the North Sea shoreline as he survived his Uri Geller moment, firing home the equaliser to give the Dons a deserved point against Gio van Bronckhorst’s Rangers.
The result was the first blemish on what until that point had been a perfect Premiership record for the Dutchman as he chalked up his first milestone as Gers boss.
It’s now eight wins out of 10 but must the champions do better under their new manager?
With van Bronckhorst’s reign into double figures, now’s a good time to take stock of how the Ibrox men have progressed since Steven Gerrard’s successor made his return to Glasgow.
Before Tuesday’s slip-up against Stephen Glass’ revved-up Reds, there could be no complaining about results.
Van Bronckhorst blew into Ibrox promising not to whip up a storm but to evolve the winning template he was inheriting.
And a commendable Europa League draw against Ligue 1 giants Lyon aside, he’s done more celebrating than the Downing Street work force over the past two months.
There’s been trips along the M8 to Livingston, Easter Road and Tynecastle - with three points tucked away for the return journey.
The defensive lapses which reoccured more often than a Boris Johnson u-turn during the latter days of the Gerrard era suddenly became rarer than a trustworthy Tory minister while the likes of Joe Aribo, Alfredo Morelos and Calvin Bassey have all thrived under van Bronckhorst’s new regime.
In general, the new boss has stabilised a group that was on the brink of becoming erratic but there have also been moments where things haven’t looked quite so under control - with Tuesday the stand-out example.
It’s no coincidence that the two worst performances of the former Feryenoord coach’s tenure so far have come with Aribo absent.
The 25-year-old is attracting interest from a string of Premier League clubs with his ability to control and cut open opponents but there are some Ibrox supporters now worrying they’ve become over-reliant on the former Charlton ace.
At home to Dundee United last month, the Light Blues did just enough to get across the line with James Tavernier’s penalty but it was a lifeless performance for most of the game as their playmaker in chief watched from the bench until the final 25 minutes.
There was no turning to the Nigeria star against Aberdeen the other night though with Aribo currently dancing up a storm at the African Cup of Nations.
Without Aribo’s telescopic limbs, victory proved to be out of reach as van Bronckhorst’s 100 percent league record went.
January recruit James Sands came in for his debut but he seems more like a safe pair of hands in midfield than the type of guy willing to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and drag Rangers to victory.
His partner Glen Kamara wasn’t keen to take the handbrake off either, while full-backs Tavernier and Borna Barisic have been ordered to limit their foraging drives forward.
That meant for the most part at Pittodrie, it was left to Gers front four of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Scott Wright and Ianis Hagi to raid the Dons' final third.
Without further back-up, though, it was too easy for Glass’ men to pick them off and counter.
Maybe a return from injury of Steven Davis, Scott Arfield or even the perennially unfortunate Ryan Jack might allow Gers to be a bit more ambitious in the days ahead before Aribo returns from Cameroon.
Perhaps the answer is simply to release the shackles from Tavernier and Barisic and allow them to provide the threat they became famous for under Gerrard.
To do that, though, van Bronckhorst will need to consider throwing caution to the wind.
