Dundee’s top-six adventure has turned into a bit of a nightmare after four defeats on the spin.
Adding to the agony was the manner of the loss at Rangers.
Taking a 2-0 lead – and deserving to take a two-goal lead – but letting it slip so badly in the second half was as sore as it gets at a place like Ibrox.
It’s the hope that kills you. And the Dark Blues are good at giving hope but dragging it away.
Losing poor goals cost them once more and had brought an unwanted stat Dundee’s way.
Courier Sport was at Ibrox to analyse all the action and picked out three key talking points.
First half
For 44 minutes, it was the perfect performance away at one of the Old Firm.
After surviving the early surge from the home side, Dundee settled into the game.
They didn’t have much of the ball but you don’t get that at Ibrox.
The key is always to stay in the game and then make the most of your chances on the ball. Something they did very well in the first half, though not so much in the second.
Lyall Cameron was impressive in that regard, rarely giving it away.
Amadou Bakayoko was playing the lone frontman role very well, too. His touch was on point, winning headers and giving the home centre-backs a tough old day.
Then came the goals. The first a brilliant piece of attacking full-back play from Owen Dodgson, beating his man and sending in a teasing cross for Jordan McGhee to finish.
Dodgson again played provider for goal No 2, sending in another excellent cross. This time it was Antonio Portales with a brilliant flicked finish.
It almost went 3-0 and Rangers were in a mess.
But slack defending right on half-time piled the pressure on. Dodgson should have blocked out Ross McCausland but the youngster nipped away and squeezed the ball through McCracken’s legs.
A terrible time to concede and, in the end, the pressure was too much in the second half.
Letting leads slip
Points thrown away from winning positions has been a nasty habit for Dundee this season.
Credit is deserved for getting themselves into winning positions against good teams, just like this one.
But a leaky defence has been their undoing. And it was leaky again in the Glasgow rain.
In fact, the five goals scored by Rangers on Tuesday gave the Dark Blues the unenviable record of the worst defence in the division as it stands.
That’s now 67 goals conceded in 37 games – Livingston and Ross County have each conceded 64 in 36.
More galling, Dundee have let slip two-goal leads on four separate occasions this term.
St Johnstone away in August to draw, Hearts at Tynecastle in January, Motherwell at Dens last month and now Rangers at Ibrox.
A nasty habit Tony Docherty will have to sort if Dundee are to repeat this season’s achievements next year.
Missing defenders
One mitigating factor is the absence of key defenders right now.
Of course, captain Joe Shaughnessy is a big miss but we shouldn’t forget the impact Owen Beck made on this team throughout the season.
He’s been out for a while, yes, but defensively they have certainly been weaker without the Liverpool man.
Ricki Lamie, too, is a very experienced Premiership defender. He won’t remember the recent St Mirren game well but he’s been a strong presence at the back for much of this campaign.
That’s two very experienced centre-backs with big physical presence missing and a star in Beck.
The defence at Rangers had also never played as a quartet before – Ryan Astley was making just his second appearance alongside Antonio Portales and Dodgson has only played 50 first-team games and few at a venue like Ibrox.
McGhee aside, that’s a very inexperienced backline and it has showed against the best attacks in Scotland.
There remains plenty to be positive about for next season – defensive lessons will have to be learned, however.
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