Rangers' blushes spared in final seconds on maddening Tannadice night laced with slapstick

His unblemished record dangled over the precipice at Tannadice. Going into the final minute of stoppage time, Dundee United led 2-1 before Will Ferry's late challenge on Max Aarons. The unlikely saviour of Nedim Bajrami rescued a point for the visitors from the penalty spot.

It may prove crucial come the end of the season. Rangers remain fourth in the table and are nine points behind joint-leaders Hearts and Celtic. United stay eighth. Their manager Jim Goodwin will be cursing his luck, seconds away from victory.

This was a pulsating treat of a match. Perhaps not in quality, but certainly in action - helped by both teams' decision to abandon the art of defending.

It started right from the off. Dundee United forced a flurry of corners by virtue of Rangers keeper Jack Butland spilling a straightforward high ball and then Danilo batting away a cross with the top of his shoulder.

At the other end, Danilo had the game's first chance on six minutes after neat interplay ended with his goalbound effort being blocked by Panutche Camara. It was then followed by an act of complete slapstick from Rangers' centre-half Nasser Djiga, whose attempted cross under little pressure skited high into the Eddie Thompson Stand amid loud jeers from the home fans.

Rangers' defence did not look clever for United's opener on 11 minutes. They pushed up beyond their own halfway line and Luca Stephenson broke the press by sending Zac Sapsford on his way. The Australian sped away from the flailing Emmanuel Fernandez, honed in on goal and deftly clipped the ball over Butland. It was a moment of fine composure.

To be fair to Rangers, they regained theirs pretty swiftly. Bojan Miovski failed to convert an excellent cross from Bajrami and then both Bert Esselink and Iurie Iovu cleared from under their own crossbar.

Meghoma’s first goal for Rangers

The leveller was coming but few would have had a Jayden Meghoma piledriver from 25 yards on their bingo card. The teenage left-back on loan from Brentford had never scored a goal in 42 previous senior appearances. So when the ball broke to him on 23 minutes, few urged him to shoot. His rocket kept rising and fizzed past United keeper Dave Richards.

Connor Barron did not have the same touch from closer in and then Amar Fatah, on 35 minutes, made a mockery of Djiga by too easily cutting inside him. Alas, his shot from a very presentable position lacked any power and Butland smothered it. An entertaining first half ended all square.

The second half swiftly fell in the same rhythm. Rangers nearly moved ahead on 48 minutes. Richards punched a Bajrami effort from range into the sky. Danilo took the ball down on the six-yard box and cracked a bicycle kick off the bar, with the rebound hitting the keeper's back before being hooked off the line by Krisztian Keresztes.

Miovski then had a head knock repaired. The North Macedonian visibly winced as his wound was patched together with staples and a bandage. He did not rock the Terry Butcher look.

Gassama was next to test Richards, capitalising on slip from Stephenson on the hour mark. Rangers had taken control of the match but needed to find a ruthless streak rather than a hail-Mary moment from a defender.

Such profligacy was again evident a minute later. Raskin's devilish ball was prodded towards goal by Gassama. The effort idled off the post, back to the Frenchman, whose strike on the rebound was saved by Richards. Danilo then failed from close range. It was a huge opportunity missed by the visitors.

United took advantage of their reprieve on 66 minutes. After Butland had saved brilliantly from Iovu's close-range header, Rangers could not completely clear their lines. Fatah cut in from the left flank, left Djiga for dead and fired home.

Rangers' woes continued on 70 minutes when Gassama was booked by referee David Dickinson for simulation under a challenge from Ferry in the penalty box. Contact was extremely limited.

Iovu had the game's next best chance but powered a header a whisker wide on 79 minutes. Rangers raced up the other end Richards blocked Meghoma's close-range strike with his feet.

By this point Youssef Chermiti was on. The £8.5 million signing glanced a header wide from six yards out on 84 minutes. It could have been another expensive miss.

Rangers got a final chance in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Ferry fouled Aarons with a mistimed clearance and Dickinson correctly pointed to the spot. With usual penalty taker James Tavernier replaced, Bajrami fired the ball high past Richards. A fitting end to a maddening match.