Dundee United midfielders Luca Stephenson and Amar Fatah expressed deep frustration after Rangers 98th-minute penalty denied the home side what they felt would have been a deserved victory at Tannadice.
The pair were left gutted by the late blow but insisted there were major positives to take from a performance that pushed Danny Röhl’s Rangers to the limit.
A disappointed Luca Stephenson said United felt the game had been won until Rangers found their stoppage-time lifeline.
He said “[It’s] Really disappointing in the end.
“The lads put everything into the game, and to concede in that manner is devastating.
“They’re a good side, but I think we were the better team on the night. We deserved the three points.”
Stephenson added that the display reflected the quality of United’s recent performances, even if results have not aligned with the level shown.
He explained: “That sums us up the past few weeks - some good performances but not much to show for it.
“We went toe-to-toe with a really good side.”
Amar Fatah produced the moment of the match with a superb solo strike to put United 2–1 ahead - a goal he believed should have been the winner – despite an offside call missed in the build up to the corner that proceeded it.
He said: “I think it was a good goal.
“Toward the end you would think the game is finished, but they found a way to get the penalty and it hurts.”
Fatah admitted the wider context of United’s winless run intensified the frustration.
“When you look at the run we’ve been on, it’s frustrating,” he explained.
“We put in performances like that but don’t get the results.”
Despite the raw disappointment, Stephenson stressed that United must draw on the positives as they look to arrest their form.
“It’s raw now - straight after the game it’s difficult.
“But when we look back, we can take so many positives from it.”
With the last league win coming on 25 October, United now turn their focus to Saturday’s fixture in search of the breakthrough result their displays arguably deserve.
Despite his side’s anguish – Arabs manager Jim Goodwin had no qualms about the awarding of the penalty – converted by Nedim Bajrami – and admits he would have been “screaming for it” at the other end.
Rangers take on Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday evening as they look to return to winning ways after two disappointing draws back-to-back.