A pre-season spent in Italy was the perfect build-up to the new season. The team were unbeaten in all competitions in August and September, including a 5–1 mauling of Celtic at Ibrox. The initiative gained was never really lost and Rangers collected fifty-six points from thirty-six games, twenty-six of which were victories. The League Cup was again at Ibrox as the side again beat a determined Aberdeen team. The final came just a fortnight after the sides met in the league, Rangers lost 2–1 in the Granite City. During the game Aberdeen's Neil Simpson inflicted a terrible tackle on Rangers midfielder Ian Durrant which left the latter with a knee injury for over three years. But for a 1–0 defeat by Celtic in the 1989 Scottish Cup Final, the treble would have rested at Ibrox that season.