Rangers hit back to salvage a point from a hard-fought encounter at Aberdeen.
However, the Dons can count themselves unlucky not to have had the game won by half time.
Time and again they were thwarted by the brilliance of Stefan Klos who made at least four world class saves during the opening period.
Rangers got back into the game in the second half and probably on balance deserved their late equaliser.
Both sides made one change to their starting line-ups following the midweek SPL action.
Aberdeen recalled fit-again Scott Booth in place of Scott Muirhead, who dropped to the bench.
Rested Shota Arveladze returned to the Rangers starting 11 in place of Michael Mols, as Alex McLeish continued his recent policy of rotating his strikers.
The visitors were shocked in the first minute as Aberdeen made a blistering start to the match. A Scott Morrison free-kick was missed by the Rangers rearguard and Alexander Diamond was on hand to turn the ball home from six yards.
The Dons continued to press and Paul Sheerin was next to test Klos who did well to parry the ball away at the expense of a corner.
From the resulting free-kick, Chris Clark played the ball short to Leigh Hinds whose swerving cross found the head of Russell Anderson. His header had goal written all over it until Klos somehow got a hand to turn the ball over.
Back came Rangers and on 13 minutes Ronald de Boer sent Emerson free on the right, but the big Brazilian drove the ball just beyond the far upright with David Preece beaten.
With 18 minutes gone Hinds broke away from the attentions of Maurice Ross to fire in a great shot but failed to trouble Klos.
Hinds was desperately unlucky on 19 minutes when he picked the ball up and with only one thing on his mind advanced a few yards before unleashing a thunderous shot which crashed off the bar from 25 yards out with Klos nowhere.
At this stage McLeish made a tactical change with 26 minutes gone replacing the ineffective Christian Nerlinger with Hamed Namouchi.
On 37 minutes Nuno Capucho needlessly gave away the ball in a dangerous area, Clark slipped the ball to Markus Heikkinen, but yet again Klos came to Rangers' rescue as he brilliantly held the effort at his near post.
Minutes later Sheerin got the better of Emerson, his cross finding the head of Hinds but his effort fell onto the roof of the net.
Aberdeen continued to press after the break as they forced Rangers on to the back foot but the early pressure came to nothing.
Rangers finally made some headway but Ross' progress was stopped by Morrison who conceded the first corner kick of the half in favour of the visitors.
Rangers almost stole an equaliser on 56 minutes. Ross' throw-in was missed by Diamond, but Arveldaze wasn't sharp enough as he only managed to screw his effort wide from eight yards out.
With 61 minutes gone Rangers passed up another good opportunity when Capucho got on the end of a Ross cross but failed to hit the target from six yards out.
Minutes later Capucho was again the sinner when he had a free header inside the six-yard box from Paolo Vanoli's free-kick, but his effort was easily held by Preece.
The Dons keeper then had a major let-off on 72 minutes when he failed to hold a Vanoli grounder from 25 yards, but Rangers had no strikers following the ball in and the chance was gone.
Aberdeen almost scored at the other end when Rangers failed to clear Sheerin's corner. The ball broke to Hinds whose drive was again brilliantly held by Klos.
The home side again went close on 83 minutes. Substitute Bryan Prunty ran straight at the Rangers back division, but after ghosting past three defenders he lifted the ball over Klos and over the crossbar.
Rangers finally scored at the death.
The goal came in the 87th minute after a period of sustained pressure. Frank De Boer arrived unchallenged to head Vanoli's free-kick firmly past Preece from six yards.