If the Celtic players were round at Leigh Griffiths’s house last night with the alcopops on ice a la Leicester City at Jamie Vardy’s, then they would have had the caps back on the WKD in quick-smart fashion. At least Aberdeen had the decency not to leave them hanging on, as they obliterated a truly woeful Dundee outfit last night in the time it takes to get a couple of Hooches down your neck.

It may be April Fool’s Day, but this is no wind-up, the Dons were four goals to the good by half-time to put this game - and any hope of a Friday night Celtic title party - to bed quicker than even the most lightweight of two-can Dans. By the end, it was a magnificent seven against a punch-drunk Dundee outfit, with an Andy Considine hat-trick thrown in for good measure.

Derek McInnes has taken a pride in Aberdeen being the one Scottish club to at least have taken the fight to Celtic over the last few years, trying valiantly to be the fly in the ointment of the Parkhead club’s ongoing domination of the Scottish game. Their resistance this season may well have been swept aside by the champions as they would a slightly troublesome gnat, but at least they have made Brendan Rodgers side earn the right on their own after delaying the inevitable by squashing the meek resistance of Dundee. Goodness knows what the city’s famous comic creation, Freddy the Fearless Fly, would have made of it all.

For the Pittodrie side, the gap between the other half of Glasgow and themselves is of more importance this term than any pretence of keeping up with the rampaging Celts, and on that score, it was job done and in emphatic style. Rangers were trailing 11 points in their wake at close of play, although the watching Pedro Caixinha will be hoping that will be reduced to eight again after his side have welcomed Motherwell to Ibrox this afternoon.

Lee Hodson of the light blues had suggested yesterday that his side could put the pressure on the Dons with two wins before the sides meet next Sunday, but there was more chewing of cigars than fingernails for those in red last night.

A succession of early corners for the visitors set the tone, culminating in a great chance for Andy Considine as he met Niall McGinn’s delivery from the left, but he put a free header off target.

The home side failed to heed the warning, and a little while later Johnny Hayes swung in a corner from the other side that Considine again met with the freedom of the city to nod beyond Scott Bain.

Adam Rooney might have settled the affair just a few moments later, with Bain making a meal of his flick at goal from a McGinn cross, but the frontman would get in on the act soon enough.

Shay Logan had time on the right to lift his head and pick out Rooney advancing into the area, and the striker helped the ball on with a superbly executed diving header.

It was three before half-time, as a quick glance at the Dundee teamsheet was required to make sure they weren’t playing a back three of Larry, Curly and Moe.

Graeme Shinnie attempted to feed the ball wide to Kenny McLean but the pass looked short. Kevin Holt missed it in any case, allowing the Aberdeen midfielder to stroll into the area and plant a right-foot shot across Bain and into the net.

Just when you thought the dire Dundee defending couldn’t possibly get any worse, it plumbed new depths of ineptitude.

A hopeful high ball was hoisted into the area by Shinnie, and with Bain taking a step before retreating to his line and the Dundee defenders looking at each other as if they needed to be introduced, Considine decided just to saunter onto the ball and head it into the net.

For all Paul Hartley’s men were abject, Aberdeen were scintillating, and at this point they were eying up the chance to better their seven-goal haul against Motherwell a few weeks back.

And it looked on just after the break as Hayes went past Cammy Kerr like he was skipping over a twig before dinking the ball to the back post, where Ryan Jack arrived to hit home via the inside of the post.

You would have thought that the visiting Red Army were celebrating wrapping up the title at this point such was their delirium, and the party was far from over.

Ryan Christie popped into proceedings to rob Holt on the edge of the area and feed the ball wide to Rooney, and the hapless Kevin Gomis stretched out a leg to divert his cross off Niall McGinn’s shin and into the net.

As if the concession of a seventh goal wasn’t embarrassing enough, the fact that it was for a Considine hat-trick increased the beamer factor exponentially. You would think the big left-back would be hard to miss, but again Dundee allowed him to casually stroll onto the end of a Christie free-kick to slide home his third.

It would all be enough to drive the most abstinent Dundonian to drink, and no doubt there will be a few hangovers in the Granite City too this morning, albeit for a very different reason.

DUNDEE: Bain; Holt, Gomis, O’Dea, Kerr; Vincent, Hateley (Ojamaa, 45’); O’Hara, McGowan, Ross (Wighton, 45’); El Bakhtaoui.

Booked: Kerr (81’)

ABERDEEN: Lewis; Logan, Taylor, O’Connor, Considine; Jack, Shinnie; Hayes (Wright, 69’), McLean (Christie, 61’) McGinn (Ross, 75’); Rooney.

Scorer: Considine (17’, 39’, 83’), Hayes (25’), McLean (34’), Jack (51’), McGinn (73’)

Referee: Alan Muir

Attendance: 7314