Goals from Badredine Bouanani and Nicolas Raskin looked to have secured a hard-fought and psychologically important league victory for the Ibrox club, who had fallen behind to a Bradley Fink strike in the first half, on Tayside and extended their winning run to eight games.

However, Callum Jones pounced on a bad mistake by Dan Neil and levelled with around 20 minutes of regulation time remaining.

The visitors were unable, despite having the ball cleared off the opposition goalline, to reclaim the lead in the closing stages of an entertaining encounter which was an excellent advertisement for the top flight.

Winning back-to-back derby matches last month had Rangers’ legions of followers in raptures and led many of them to predict the balance of power in Scottish football was set to change. But these are the sort of games that a team has to take care of to clinch the title come May. They failed to do so.

Derek McInnes was furious that his team conceded both of their goals after needless errors at the back and will doubtless be working hard to shore up his defence in training in the coming days.  

The fourth-placed hosts have enjoyed an excellent 2026/27 campaign so far despite their lengthy injury list and they deserved their point. Here are five talking points to arise from the match.

Rangers refresh

McInnes made one change to the starting line-up which took to the field as his side returned to action following the extended international break last weekend.

Kevin Kelsy, the Venezuelan striker who had scored in the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock in Govan, dropped to the bench and his place was taken by Bouanani, the Algerian winger who made his second start.  

The Rangers manager, who had put the Conference League exit at the hands of Jablonec behind him in fine fashion, explained his thinking behind the switch when he spoke to BBC Scotland before kick-off.

“It's unrealistic to think you can go away from home in the Premiership and think it's going to be all straightforward,” he said. We've got to be ready to roll our sleeves up. We just feel getting a wee bit more control through midfield might allow us to cause more of a threat. Any time you have a chance to go top of the league it's important you take it.”

McInnes was spot on about his charges needing to put a shift in to get a result. Their passing and movement off the ball was sharp during the early exchanges and Kim Min-Su claimed for a penalty when his goal-bound attempt struck the arm of Ryan Astley in the opposition area.

But referee Duncan Nicolson was unimpressed an a VAR check showed the the ball had ricocheted off his body onto his limb. Dundee continued to contain their rivals well and pose them problems in the final third.

Dominant Dundee

That Dundee manager Steven Pressley started, after Drey Wright had passed a late fitness test, exactly the same side that had played all 90 minutes against Falkirk last weekend told a story about how threadbare his squad is and how limited his options are.

But getting extended minutes is clearly to the liking of Ethan Hamilton and his team mates. They posed far more of a threat, albeit on the counter attack, and went close to breaking the deadlock twice before finally opening the scoring eight minutes before half-time.

Astley forced Ivan Pandur to tip his header over the crossbar after getting on the end of a cross from Hamilton and at the resultant corner Ash Hay, who this week signed a contract extension, nodded onto the crossbar after his captain found him with his delivery. The first goal was very much with the run of play.

Sterling work

That said, Rangers right-back Dujon Sterling will not enjoy looking back at a replay of it. The defender underhit a pass back to Pandur after Hay had failed to control a long punt upfield and Fink nipped in, rounded the keeper and slotted into the net off the inside of the post.

The Swiss forward, who is on loan from Wycombe Wanderers, spent his formative years training with Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland at Borussia Dortmund. It showed in his composed finish. It was his third in four outings.  

BB King

Rangers responded impressively to falling behind and drew level just four minutes later. Jo Bevan blocked a Kim shot and then Imari Samuels got in the way of a Bouanani effort. But the ball fell to the wide man and he made no mistake, curling beyond Owen Goodman and into the top corner.

The 21-year-old VfB Stuttgart loanee justified his selection with his strike. But he knew, along with every player in a white jersey, that he needed to up his efforts when he returned to the dressing room at half-time.

Raskin rasper, dozy Dan

McInnes obviously had a few choice words to say before the second half got underway as they were much improved when the action resumed. Both Bouanani and Djeidi Gassama forced Goodman to palm wide at full stretch.

Raskin was far more clinical. The Belgian midfielder, who has continued to perform at a high level despite his widely anticipated move away in the final days of the transfer window back in August amounting to nothing, lashed in off the underside of the crossbar from fully 25 yards out.

But Neil had a moment of madness with a pass just outside his penalty box and Jones capitalised. He muscled past the hapless midfielder and showed great composure to find the bottom right corner of the net.

McInnes threw on Kelsy and Findlay Curtis for Kim and Bouanani in an attempt to inject some energy into Rangers' forays forward. But it finished 2-2 at the end of 90 frenetic minutes.