Dundee United 1 (McCracken 10) Rangers 1 (Namouchi 89)
A last-minute Hamed Namouchi goal saved a priceless point for Rangers at Tannadice today - but it was a most unimpressive display from the Light Blues, now level on points with Celtic who however have the chance to go three points clear against Livingston tomorrow.
Manager Alex McLeish made two changes from last Monday with Alex Rae and Steven Thompson replacing Dragan Mladenovic and the suspended Nacho Novo against a home side containing three former Rangers players, namely Paul Ritchie, Derek McInnes and Barry Robson.
Rangers went into today's Ne'erday fixture, the club's first since 1994, knowing that they had failed to defeat Dundee United in the last three meetings between the two sides.
The Ibrox legions had travelled in force to Dundee, despite the ludicrousness fixture scheduling that arranged this date and the departure of Jean-Alain Boumsong in one of the great acts of betrayal of modern times by both the player and his agent Willie McKay.
A heavy rainstorm twenty minutes before kick-off sent many of the players, warming up on the pitch, scurrying for shelter - underlining the dreich nature of the afternoon.
A one-minute silence in memory of the victims of the Indian Ocean Disaster was immaculately observed prior to kick-off.
Rangers almost snatched an early lead in three minutes when Shota Arveladze's header from a Dado Prso cross was just wide of the target.
Seven minutes later however United took the lead in their first attack when, following a Mark Wilson corner a McInnes cross was bulleted home by David McCracken.
The New Year had clearly brought some of the visitors' failings with it - the loss of an early goal - and there was a worrying lack of response from the Light Blues.
Alex Rae almost levelled matters in 21 minutes when he scooped a Thompson header over following an Alan Hutton cross.
Six minutes later United again had the ball in the net when Jim McIntyre netted from a Robson cross only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
Rangers cranked up the pressure as the interval approached - Prso's header from a Fernando Ricksen cross being inches wide in 38 minutes.
Three minutes later Arveladze netted from a Zurab Khizanishvili through-ball only for a linesman's flag to signal offside, a decision that television was to prove to be incorrect.
In the dying seconds of the half Alex Rae, through on a Thompson pass, saw his low drive deflected wide by the legs of home goalkeeper Tony Bullock.
It was United who almost doubled their lead three minutes after the restart when a 25-yard shot from McInnes was held by Klos, then sixty seconds later the Ibrox defence was sliced open when Jamie Grady's cutback found McIntyre whose shot was parried by Klos - the rebound falling to Grant Brebner who with no time to control the ball sent it wide.
Immediately thereafter at the other end a low Arveladze cross was inches away from the inrushing Thompson.
The miss of the match in 63 minutes saw a Ricksen corner completely missed in mid-air by Prso.
Namouchi replaced Arveladze two minutes later as Rangers struggled to make a breakthrough, almost making an immediate impact when Bullock blocked his shot.
United looked just as likely to snatch a second however - Robson, clean through from a Grady pass, shot straight at Klos, then saw his 25-yard shot being tipped over by his former colleague on seventy minutes.
Two minutes later the selfsame Robson, scorer of United's last-minute equaliser at Ibrox on October 24, almost netted directly from a corner - the ball being scrambled off the line by Vignal.
Rangers piled on the pressure as the minutes ticked away - Bullock denying Ricksen from a 25-yard free-kick when he touched the ball wide.
The goalkeeper again rescued his side with just two minutes left on the clock when he turned a Prso header over from Gregory Vignal's cross.
United appeared home and dry - but there was one more twist in the tail when, with Klos up for a Ricksen corner in the dying seconds, the ball being back-headed by Namouchi into the net.
It was a dramatic finish - and a vital point - but the blunt truth is that this was an abysmal performance from the Light Blues.
Alex McLeish afterwards conceded:
"We got out of jail today. We were staring defeat in the face, but we threw everything forward in the second-half. We had enough chances to win several games, but we make things difficult for ourselves. We missed Nacho Novo."
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