Rangers fans unfurled a banner at Dens Park bearing the lyric "A light shone in the night..." from their favourite song, Penny Arcade. By the end of the 90 minutes on Tayside, it felt fitting that the lyric was only half complete, with the words "some way ahead" missing. That encapsulated everything about Derek McInnes' side and what unfolded in Dundee.
There is definitely something bright about this new-look Rangers team - their seven-game winning run going into this one was testament to that. Two wins over Celtic in that time offered up optimism as to what they might be able to achieve this season. And for 25 minutes on Saturday night, there was a spark about Rangers.
In that period just after half-time, they pulverised Dundee, which culminated in a goal of the season contender from Nico Raskin to put them 2-1 up. Gers were illuminating at that point. But what then materialised was a stark reminder that any serious beacons of light - like a title win - are still very much in the distance.
Missed opportunity at Dens Park
Until McInnes can fully rid his side of the lapses that cost them dear in Dundee, there will only be rays of hope for their long-suffering supporters. No one knows that better than the manager himself. You could sense in the Dens Park press room that McInnes felt it was a missed opportunity. How many times have we said that about a Rangers side over the last five years?
But perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, the unnecessary dropping of two points may be a good thing for some of these players. After all, if any of them were daring to get carried away by their form and Old Firm wins, this was a dose of reality. McInnes is trying to guide the club to just a second title triumph in 16 years. And as someone who experienced being a winner at Ibrox as a player, he'll know slip-ups like this cannot be made too often.
Dundee's sharp start and Rangers' response
In the end, Dundee fully merited their point. Worryingly for McInnes, Rangers did not really turn up for the first 41 minutes. Steven Pressley's Dark Blues - on an excellent run of form themselves - were at it from the off. His men were direct at times in getting the ball up to twin strikers, Ash Hay and Bradley Fink, but they were sharp and precise in their play. Rangers struggled to deal with their energy and physicality initially, which led to Dundee's opener eight minutes before the break.
Emmanuel Fernandez was out of position for a long ball and right-back Dujon Sterling did not deal with it. It's unclear exactly what he was trying to do as he nudged the ball back towards his own goal but it was unconvincing. Fink pounced on it and rounded keeper Ivor Pandur to bury his third goal in four games. McInnes was now looking for a response.
He had put his faith in Stuttgart loanee Badredine Bouanani, who started ahead of Kevin Kelsy. The Algerian left Nice for Germany for £13million a year ago and showed why with his equaliser. If fans had watched any clips of Bouanani before he arrived in Glasgow, this strike is his stock in trade... cut in from the right flank and unleash a left-foot shot into the far corner. In an Arjen Robben-style, you know he's going to do it and yet it is just very difficult to stop.
Raskin's stunner and a costly lapse
Bouanani's finish was out of the top drawer and it ignited his side. The spell McInnes' men enjoyed after half-time is what he will want to see from them every week. They threatened to bludgeon Dundee into submission. And when Raskin produced a thing of beauty from 25 yards out, it should have been game over. By that stage, Minsu Kim and Bouanani were causing the Dark Blues major problems. The South Korean's tenacity and skill were key factors in the build-up to Raskin's goal. But the outrageous dip he got on his shot, which flew over Owen Goodman and kissed the crossbar on its way in, was a sight to behold.
Rangers had the game in their grasp, yet somehow still let it slip through their fingers. This is a new group of players McInnes has assembled but some who have been through dark days, like Raskin and Sterling, will have experienced this before. To be more precise, when an inexplicable error proves costly and they can't recover. Dan Neil was already having an off night. But there should have been no danger to Rangers when Raskin knocked a pass into his feet. He could have played it back to the Belgian or used his keeper. Instead, Neil was sleepwalking and ended up being mugged by Callum Jones who slotted a tidy finish past Pandur for 2-2.
Frustration as title hopes remain distant
McInnes admitted it felt like someone popping Rangers' balloon. Unfortunately for the Ibrox gaffer, his side just did not have enough puff to blow it up again before the end. They fired enough balls into the box but they weren't as dangerous after Kim and Bouanani had been replaced by Kelsy and Findlay Curtis 14 minutes from time. Dundee deserved their draw as Pressley continued the brilliant work he's doing at Dens this season. But for Rangers, McInnes and those travelling fans, it was a feeling of sheer frustration. There were flickers of light that shone at times on Saturday night, flashes of what they might be capable of. But in terms of going on to lift the title? It's clear that is some way ahead for now.
