LOSING at Tynecastle was one thing, but drawing at Ibrox was just as damaging for Rangers. Six days after their first away defeat of the campaign, Steven Gerrard saw another two points slip through his grasp as Aberdeen continued their impressive record against his side.

He now has just three wins from ten against Derek McInnes and the boos around Ibrox at full-time told the story of how costly fans fear the goalless draw could be to their title aspirations.

RANGERS CAN STILL WIN THE LEAGUE

When Gerrard spoke in the aftermath of the defeat to Hearts last Sunday, he admitted that there was little margin for error now for Rangers at the top of the table. That result left them five points behind Celtic but they could take comfort from having a game in hand and knowing that two Old Firm fixtures still remain.

The maths still works in Rangers’ favour with that theory, but many would have left Ibrox on Saturday fearing that the situation was now irretrievable in the title race. This self-inflicted blow was tough to take and the next one could be fatal for Rangers.

Gerrard believes there will still be twists and turns to come but he admitted that his side cannot afford any more slip-ups. The real worry for fans is that Rangers look like making those mistakes.

Celtic could well stumble on occasion, but it will come down to whether Rangers are able to capitalise or not. Right now, it feels like Gerrard’s side will drop more points than Neil Lennon’s between now and the end of the campaign.

Rangers have six games before the next Old Firm clash at Ibrox. If further ground is lost before then, it is surely game over.

THE SPARK IS MISSING RIGHT NOW

The key word from Gerrard’s post-match press conference was ‘spark’. Rangers haven’t had it for some time and must find it sooner rather than later.

The Gers ended the game with Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent, Ianis Hagi, Florian Kamberi, Sheyi Ojo and Alfredo Morelos on the park but still couldn’t find a way through the Aberdeen defence.

Morelos spurned his best chance when he fired straight at keeper Joe Lewis, while Aribo and Kent saw plenty of the ball and couldn’t hurt the Dons. In terms of the substitutes, Hagi showed flashes, Kamberi was on the fringes and Ojo offered very little.

“I think as a whole there wasn’t too much wrong with it,” Gerrard said of the performance. “I think we threw everything we had at it. I think we are missing a spark in the final third. Not just today but over the four games since we have come back.”

This is a side capable of cutting teams open and scoring goals but Rangers are toiling in attack at present. Their build-up is too laboured at times and they run out of ideas against packed, organised defences and more afternoons like this will follow unless a solution is found quickly.

BIG PLAYERS ARE BADLY OUT OF TOUCH

A host of reasons – everything from burn-out after the Dubai trip to Gerrard’s tactics – have been flagged up as possible reasons for Rangers’ recent slump. The biggest factor is players that are out of form, though.

The loss of James Tavernier has been more keenly felt than his critics would have expected, while Morelos is still getting back up to speed after his suspension. Ryan Jack is a huge loss, but the likes of Kent, Aribo, Glen Kamara and Steven Davis haven’t picked up where they left off since returning to action.

Every player and side will go through a dip in performances but Rangers have too many not hitting the required levels at present. As a side and a squad, they are not good enough to carry passengers and Gerrard’s key men need to raise their game sooner rather than later.

MCGREGOR AWARD SAID IT ALL

It is some time since Allan McGregor would have taken home the Man of the Match champagne from Ibrox. On this occasion, it was certainly merited, though.

The fact that the keeper was Rangers’ best player summed up the afternoon for Gerrard’s side and the boss would once again have been grateful for McGregor’s efforts.

The one-on-one save from Sam Cosgrove was the most important of the game, but he made a string of smart stops to deny the Dons and keep his side in it.

McGregor deserved the accolade, but Rangers goalkeepers shouldn’t need to be picking up such awards at Ibrox. He will hope it doesn’t happen again anytime soon.

ABERDEEN CAN KICK ON

This was a game that the Dons could have won 1-0 just as easily as they could have lost 1-0. In the end, a draw was a fair result from a competitive encounter but the point meant more to Aberdeen than it did Rangers.

It has been a difficult few weeks for McInnes as supporters have become more vocal in their criticism of him and his side. One result won’t change that, but there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic as Aberdeen more than matched Rangers.

“I'm confident we'll deliver better performances in the second half of the season,” McInnes said. “We are not far off third spot, where we want to be, and we still think there's more to come from us. We'll get there.”