Ah, the comfort of the Glasgow kiss of life for Ange Postecoglou. Back in the Scottish city where he enjoyed so much success, his ailing Tottenham team found a belated solution and a way out of some of their problems.
Dejan Kulusevski came off the bench to score a late equalizer and Spurs avoided a third successive defeat despite Rangers being the better side for much of the raucous evening at Ibrox Stadium.
For much of the match the hosts were able to spot one of the great European victories of recent years, a chance to humiliate English visitors representing the self-proclaimed best league in the world and make life difficult for a former Celtic hero.
Hamza Igamane fired them into the lead at the start of the second half and they continued as if certain to increase their lead until Postecoglou made three changes and took more control of the match late on.
Rangers faded somewhat before producing another flurry after their own changes. The visitors had Fraser Forster to thank for a late save and Cyriel Dessers had the ball in the net, but saw the ball disallowed by an offside flag.
Spurs dropped a point they barely deserved, which keeps them stable in this competition.
Dejan Kulusevski gives Ange Postecoglou a Glasgow kiss of life for Tottenham vs Rangers
Postecoglou’s side avoided a third straight defeat, but had to come from behind at Ibrox
Hamza Igamane had opened the scoring for Rangers, who were by far the better team in the match
It only extends a run of poor results to one win in eight, followed by a trip to Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday, but it will feel like a small triumph after some of the pressure their patched-up four were able to endure. .
Postecoglou was soundly beaten on his last visit to Ibrox as Celtic manager, but he left players behind that day with the title in his pocket and a Scottish Cup final on the horizon.
Here, Tottenham had key figures absent due to injuries, but two available in Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, who cannot play in the Premier League at Southampton on Sunday because they are ruled out.
Bissouma and Bentancur lined up in midfield with James Maddison injecting crucial experience into the team. Postecoglou picked a young team at Galatasaray and they were shocked by the hosts’ energetic football and the ferocious atmosphere in Istanbul.
Here, as Ibrox turned up the decibels for a big night, they took few risks with the selection, other than starting with Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski on the bench, and they survived a strong opening from Rangers with little scare.
There were cheers for those with Celtic leanings such as Forster and Archie Gray, but Spurs held firm at the back. Gray, still just 18, made a composed start. There are many things that are impressive about the teenager, but the most important of them is his temperament.
He seemed unperturbed by the occasion. Or the fact that he had been thrown in to play an unspecified role at the heart of a patched-up defensive unit and the Rangers were determined to test him in the air. He won a few early headers to calm the nerves.
Radu Dragusin was also a strong physical presence. Postecoglou will have to rely heavily on this duo in the coming weeks, with Micky an de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies all injured.
Postecoglou was badly beaten on his last visit to Ibrox as Celtic manager before joining Spurs
Former Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster made a number of incredible saves for his side
Tottenham are now in a good position in the league, but Rangers are aiming for the top eight
Gray looked for opportunities to gain possession of the ball. A stylish run out of the defensive quarters ended with the ball being lost, yards out of position on the left wing. He shook his head slightly and sprinted back.
He tried the same move again ten minutes later with the same result, and yet Postecoglou’s team did not throw the players forward with their usual abandon. Partly because Rangers were on top for the entire first half and they squeezed back, but perhaps also to protect the back four.
Their first chances came after halftime. Timo Werner flashed Tottenham’s first effort of the evening over from an angle on the left and Son Heung-min could not beat goalkeeper Jack Butland with a better chance created by Maddison.
Rangers summoned another pressure wave before the break. Forster made two brilliant saves from Vaclav Cerny who found space behind Destiny Udogie. Cerny turned forward once more from just outside the penalty area and Jefte burst forward to deliver a low cross that flashed across goal from the Rangers left.
The hosts did not allow losing centre-back John Souttar’s strike before half-time to throw them off balance.
Souttar’s injury is not what Phillippe Clement would have wanted ahead of Sunday’s League Cup final against Celtic.
Postecoglou sent Kulusevski to Werner, hoping this would give his team more of an advantage, but they were only 81 seconds behind after the restart. James Tavernier produced an excellent cross on the run from the right, and Pedro Porro failed to meet Igamane’s run, who took cover at the back post.
The Moroccan striker has scored five in his last five games and this goal has inspired his team.
Rangers were even better once they took the lead. Spurs creaked and hesitated, wedged back into their defensive third and Postecoglou had to try something. In came Solanke, Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall, whose first touch was a volley narrowly wide.
As always, they improved with Solanke in the lead. Maddison converted the free-kick and Butland denied Porro, but Rangers got back up after their own substitutions and Tottenham had to fight for their point.
Forster made a fantastic save from substitute Dessers and shouted at his defenders as he climbed to his feet. Dessers then found the net, allowing the Swiss officials to rule the ball out for offside.