Being a pre-cursor to the CIS Cup semi-final meeting, this was a warning to Aberdeen that they would have to up the ante to advance past the Tayside outfit.
From the outset, the Tangerines played the more fluent and determined football.
Willo Flood was first to create an opening with a clever flick and follow-up shot in the fifth minute, however his finish did not match the build-up.
Minutes later, Danny Grainger's shot flew off Alexander Diamond's boot creating panic in the home defence.
And with United playing downhill, Craig Conway set up another chance for Robson to cut back but Mark Kerr wasted the volley.
Then a decent three-man move involving the two centre-backs set up Hunt but he too mis-hit his volley.
Aberdeen's best chance of the half fell to Barry Nicholson in the 28th minute.
Sent clear on the break, the midfielder had the chance to shoot with his left, but favouring his right gave time for Sean Dillon to race back and block a certain goal.
But the miss of the half came in the 39th minute when Garry Kenneth found himself on the end of Flood's corner but astonishingly headed wide from only two yards out.
The Terrors finally grabbed the lead five minutes after the break courtesy of a dreadful error from Jamie Langfield.
With plenty of time to clear the ball from Andrew Considine's pass back, the keeper elected to take his time and cannon the ball off the advancing Hunt and into the net from around the 20-yard mark.
United's lead should have lasted only for five minutes when Kenneth, who was having a poor game, was out-muscled by Steve Lovell and the defender pulled him down for a penalty.
But the normally reliable Nicholson, it wasn't his day when he skied the resultant kick well over the bar.
With Aberdeen chasing the equaliser, the Terrors scored an exquisite second to seal the game.
A clearance from Dillon was brilliantly flicked on by Hunt for the electric Conway to race away and cut the ball back for Robson to smash it into the far corner from 12 yards.
The Aberdeen fans streamed out of the ground in the 84th minute when a marvellous 20-yard free kick from Robson went low past the badly positioned wall and into the corner of the net for his fifth goal in four games.