Rangers missed the chance to regain top spot in the Scottish Premier League after it took a last minute Kevin Thomson goal to secure a 3-3 draw against Dundee United on Tuesday.
Rangers’ long unbeaten record at Ibrox now stretches to 20 games, but the draw in this rearranged match means they have fallen two points behind league leaders Celtic.
Steven Davis had opened the scoring before a Francesco Sandaza double fired United into the lead. Sasa Papac scored his first goal for Rangers to equalize, but a second-half Scott Robertson goal looked to have given United the win before Thomson scored.
Rangers manager Walter Smith felt his side had lost some sloppy goals.
“We are disappointed at the defending. We gave up the goals a little too easy and we had to work very hard to get ours but there were a lot of pleasing things in the game,” Smith said.
Rangers fielded an unchanged side from the one which demolished Inverness 5-0 on Saturday, but United proved to be a tougher opposition and looked comfortable when in possession.
However, it was Rangers who took the lead after 10 minutes through Davis. Kenny Miller found the Northern Ireland internationalist on the edge of the box and he jinked past three defenders before unleashing a screamer past Lukasz Zaluska.
United equalized six minutes later. Morgaro Gomis slipped the ball to Sandaza, whose effort whistled past Allan McGregor low into the net from 18 yards. Kris Boyd then twice had the ball in the net, but both efforts were ruled offside.
United took the lead after 26 minutes when Spaniard Sandaza got his second of the game. Paul Dixon charged forward and found Robertson in the box whose shot was palmed away by McGregor to Sandaza, who tapped in.
Miller came close to equalizing in the 33rd minute when he robbed Sean Dillon of the ball on the byeline before racing into the box and flashing a curling effort just wide of the far post.
Rangers equalized in the 38th minute when Papac got his first goal for the club. The Bosnian internationalist took a touch after collecting a Nacho Novo chipped pass in the box before rifling the ball past Zaluska.
It took a superb one-handed save from the Polish keeper to deny Boyd in the 53rd minute when he unleashed a powerful high shot after Miller found him in the box.
But it was United who took the lead in the 58th minute when a defensive lapse allowed Robertson to score. A long throw from Dixon was missed by everyone and the midfielder was at the back post to knock it in.
Boyd should have equalized for Rangers three minutes later when Thomson found him unmarked in the box, but he hesitated before letting fly and Zaluska managed to turn it round the post.
United’s Craig Conway was terrorizing the Rangers defense down the left wing and he tried to set up Sandaza for his hat-trick in the 80th minute, but the Spaniard’s shot on the turn flew over the bar.
Rangers threw on captain Barry Ferguson and Kyle Lafferty in their quest for an equalizer, but it was Thomson who darted past several tackles before unleashing an unstoppable shot past Zaluska in injury time to give Rangers a share of the points.
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