It is a testament to how well the Ibrox club has regrouped under Michael Beale, who took over in December in the wake of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s sacking, that it took until the 15th game of his tenure to taste defeat. The pain of Sunday’s 2-1 reversal against Celtic, however, comes from the fact it was the final of the Viaplay Cup and against their bitter Glasgow rivals. It was also a solemn reminder that as well as Rangers are doing under Beale, they are still lagging behind Ange Postecoglou’s all-conquering outfit.

All of this is not new to Beale. Despite two new January additions, he needs more time and resource to bridge the gap with Celtic. The early January 2-2 draw at Ibrox against them was an improvement on the 4-0 away hammering early in the season, but Celtic have not been at their best in the past two derbies yet have escaped unharmed. Rangers had periods of dominance at Hampden yet never truly carved their opponents open, relying on a set-piece goal. For all their hard work, there was little creativity, little tangible danger to goalkeeper Joe Hart and his defenders.

Nevertheless, this is far from panic stations either. What we have seen from Beale since returning to Scottish football is an honest, open, intelligent and methodical manager. He has restored previously underperforming players to somewhere close to their best. Beale’s Rangers team has overcome all domestic foes beneath them in the league, to varying degrees of ease. The chances of them overhauling the nine-point gap with Celtic in the cinch Premiership is unlikely but, crucially, it has not grown since the 42-year-old’s appointment. Their defence of the Scottish Cup continues a week on Sunday against Raith Rovers in the quarter-finals. As Beale pointed out after this final, there is still so much to play for.

Rangers' players look on after Celtic defeated them to win the Viaplay Cup final.

“We’ve got 12 league games to go, we’ve got a Scottish Cup to retain we are in the quarter-final of,” said Beale. “It’s up to them [the players] how they want to end this season now. It’s in our hands as a group. I am still making decisions and assessing who to bring in and maybe who I think needs to move on. That’s natural at this stage of the season, so everyone is playing for something and it’s important we end the season strongly. Our fans won’t let us not do that and I’ll be driving it within the club as well.”

Beale will now learn more key characteristics of the players at his disposal. The reaction to this setback will be telling. Saturday’s home match against Kilmarnock, the worst away team in the league, provides a presentable opportunity to bounce back. A midweek trip to Easter Road after that is likely to be more precarious. Many of the current squad – seven of which are out of contract – are playing for their futures. Beale was visibly sore after losing such a high-profile match and with a Rangers revamp coming in the summer, the next few weeks will go a long way to determining who will remain at Ibrox. Letting standards slip now is not an option.

'It’s up to them now': Rangers dealing with rare week as Michael Beale casts even closer eye on squad