Derek McInnes cut a dejected figure at Dens Park, admitting that Dundee had completely punctured Rangers’ growing swagger after a costly defensive lapse forced the Ibrox side to settle for a 2-2 draw.

​The Light Blues arrived on Tayside riding the wave of a seven-game winning run. That momentum evaporated under the floodlights as a series of errors stopped them from climbing to the Premiership summit ahead of Sunday’s clash between Celtic and Hearts.

​Stephen Pressley’s disciplined Dundee side drew first blood seven minutes before the interval when Bradley Fink tucked away a composed finish. The goal punished a lethargic opening period from the visitors, who struggled to handle Dundee’s high press and physical front pairing.

​Rangers responded with flashes of genuine brilliance. Badredine Bouanani, handed a start in place of Kevin Kelsy, justified his inclusion late in the first half with a gorgeous curling strike past Owen Goodman. Momentum tilted further toward the visitors after the break when Nicolas Raskin unleashed a venomous 25-yard drive that crashed in off the underside of the crossbar.

​At 2-1 up, Rangers appeared in total control. They pinned Dundee inside their own territory and looked poised to cruise toward three points. That superiority vanished following a nightmare error by team captain Dan Neil. Welsh attacker Callum Jones pounced on the midfielder’s blunder, slotting home a dramatic equaliser that sent the home crowd into raptures.

​Speaking after the match, a visibly disappointed McInnes compared the turning point to a burst balloon, lamenting how quickly a winning position slipped away.

​”We spoke before kickoff about the need to be solid at the back,” McInnes explained. “We knew Dundee would challenge us with direct play and relentless pressing. The plan with Bouanani and Djeidi Gassama was to isolate their defenders out wide, especially with their centre-backs tracking Minsu Kim. We did not move the ball fast enough in the opening stages, but the goals turned things around.”

​The Rangers boss praised the build-up that led to Raskin’s thunderbolt, insisting that the quality of football during that spell deserved to yield three points.

​”For twenty-five minutes of that second half, we took the game by the scruff of the neck. Dundee could barely escape their half. To let them back into the contest through a basic mistake is so painful because you could not see any way back for them before that.”

​While refusing to single out Neil for direct criticism, McInnes acknowledged the psychological blow caused by the giveaway.

​”A mistake like that kills your rhythm. It halts your momentum and hands belief straight back to the opposition. We still generated enough deliveries and created enough openings to score three or four goals, but we were not clinical enough to finish the job.”

​The dropped points leave Rangers reflecting on a squandered opportunity, as self-inflicted damage brought their winning streak to an abrupt halt.