Rangers’ clash with Dundee was halted four times but Connor Goldson ensured their realistic title hopes didn't come to an end on Tayside.
Visiting fans protested over their Sydney Super Cup friendly with tennis balls and toilet rolls that held up the Dens Park fixture before the sprinklers were inadvertently turned on to pause the game again.
But Gers supporters - and Giovanni van Bronckhorst - had more to be concerned about closer to home than a friendly against Celtic on the other side of the world in November before Goldson's late winner rescued them to cut the gap at the top back to three points.
A woeful Dens Park pitch looked set to be the graveyard for their title No. 56 aspirations but they fought until the end and Goldson was the goal hero four minutes from time.
Aaron Ramsey cancelled out Christie Elliott’s shock early opener for the bottom side with James Tavernier squandering his chance of a first half equaliser from the penalty spot.
And they were on course to spill a couple of points in the title race until Goldson popped up with a huge winner.
Rangers - in their 150th anniversary all white kit - scored early doors in their Scottish Cup win at Dens Park seven days earlier.
Van Bronckhorst was looking for a repeat and there was a rapid opener - but it went the way of the home side who took a shock lead.
It was a poor goal to concede for the visitors but well worked and Mark McGhee would have been delighted with the dream start.
Jordan Marshall got the better of Ramsey, making his first league start, down Dundee’s left and hung a cross perfectly for Elliott who rose above Ryan Kent to head into the net.
With one slip in this title race potentially fatal, it was set up for a nervy afternoon as the visitors struggled to get back into it with Alfredo Morelos sending an effort wide.
But they were handed a glorious chance to get level late in the first half when Bobby Madden awarded them a spot kick.
The referee pointed to the spot after Jordan McGhee tugged Morelos’ shirt, although it looked a soft award.
And Dundee will feel justice was done as Tavernier blazed his effort over the crossbar much to the relief of Ian Lawlor.
Van Bronckhorst had a huge half-time team talk as many would have seen it as 45 minutes to save their title challenge.
Joe Aribo and Fashion Sakala were thrown on in place of Scott Arfield and Filip Helander as the Dutchman responded to a woeful first half.
Gers slowly upped their game and only Lawlor denied them an equaliser with the Irishman pulling off a brilliant point blank stop from Ramsey’s header.
But the Irish goalkeeper was helpless as the Welshman got the visitors level as he bundled home substitute Kemar Roofe’s header across goal.
Roofe was involved again for the winner as his effort spun up and Goldson was waiting to pounce and fire home the winner
Here's three talking points from Dens Park
Jekyll & Hyde Gers get job done
It was so nervy at times and the way Giovanni van Bronckhorst - who rarely shows emotion - celebrated told its own story.
When the title race is this close then there is simply no margin for error with any slip potentially fatal.
But with more European games to come, it must be a concern how they can perform differently from Thursday to Sunday as has ben the case so often this season.
The Light Blues are in the last eight of the Europa League but toiled against the team at the foot of the Scottish Premiership.
It’s either a mental problem after the high of the midweek nights, physical following the demands of UEFA competition or tactical as they struggle against packed defences.
The season has been a strange one for the Ibrox side with so many ups and downs and they have lacked any consistency.
A managerial change certainly didn’t help but even for allowing that they suffered from a split personality, however, they are keeping the pressure on Celtic.
All white... in the end
While on punditry duty for BBC Scotland, former Rangers strike hero Mark Hateley joked that Rangers looked like Real Madrid and hoped they could play like the Spanish giants.
Nothing could have been further from the truth as the Ibrox side wore their all-white kit which was introduced for their 150th anniversary.
Mystery surrounded their reasons for not wearing it for the home clash against Aberdeen on the weekend of their celebrations.
And superstitious fans would have been fearing a repeat of their poor record when kits are given a rare outing and have proven a jinx.
They had the lilac numbers in the 1990s and this season - worn in the defeat against Malmo in the Champions League - and last season’s League Cup defeat saw a throwback retro kit but they got their in end.
Fan fury doesn’t help
Rangers supporters protested over the Sydney Super Cup which includes a game against Celtic in Australia laster this year.
But they had much more to worry about closer to home as their team toiled against the side bottom of the Scottish Premiership for large spells.
And their actions didn’t help their team on Tayside with toilet rolls and tennis balls forcing the game to be held up on three different occasions.
It didn’t take a lip reading expert to work out that Allan McGregor wasn’t best pleased early in the second half as he was captured by the Sky Sports cameras muttering a couple of expletives.
