James Tavernier sent his spot kick in to orbit but the Rangers captain reckons the character shown by the Ibrox squad to bail him out was out of this world.
The skipper uncharacteristically skied a first half penalty and it looked like rivals Celtic were going to open up some serious space at the top of the Premiership going in to the International break.
But it was lift off after the interval as Gio van Bronckhorst’s men changed in the entire atmosphere by getting the job done on a day when the result could have easily drifted.
The 150th anniversary white kits might have ended up with a few embarrassing stains on the back and ended up being launched in to the bin alongside the infamous lilic effort from the 90s.
Tavernier blazed from the spot but he also led from the front – and he was a relived man to avoid paying the penalty for his miss thanks to Aaron Ramsey's first goal fo the club and Connor Goldson’s late winner.
The captain said: “I obviously tried to better my one here last week and go top corner.
“I probably leaned back on it too much, but you are always going to miss some. I always focus on putting it the back of the net next time, keeping my head and carrying on with the game.
“The boys dug me out and I was delighted.”
Rangers had to do it the hard way – yet again.
The Light Blues have had a habit of going behind this season but there are none better at repairing the damage.
Tavernier admitted it takes guts to get the glory at this stage of the season and he hailed his teammates for refusing to accept a bad day at the office.
Rangers were fairly woeful in the opening period at Dens after going behind to a shock opener.
Van Bronckhorst’s side failed to muster a shot on target – including the stratospheric spot kick from the skipper.
But it was a different story after the break. The manager chucked on more attackers and the champions showed they have the stones to dig out a result when the damage of defeat – or even a draw – would have been seismic with Celtic up after the international break.
Tavernier said: “I thought we showed great character during the game. Obviously we didn’t get to our levels in the first half. We had a couple of chances, with my penalty being one of them.
“We knew in the second half we’d need to put in a really good performance.
“The boys were terrific in terms of their energy levels, on the back of a tough night on Thursday.
“We had boys coming off the bench helping us out and we scored two really good goals to come away with three points.”
Van Bronckhorst got it spot on with his changes. Throwing on Fashion Sakala and Kemar Roofe piled the pressure on Dundee.
Moving Aaron Ramsey in to a more central role completely changed the flow of the game.
The former Arsenal man was a ghost in the first period but ran the show in the second.
It was bold from the boss but it paid off and Tavernier believes it’s a sign of the strength in depth at the club – especially with a few weary limbs around on the back of their Europa League heroics in Belgrade last Thursday night.
The skipper said: “We were more patient on the ball in the second half. We got in better positions that we did in the first half.
“The subs came on and made a real impact on the game, even towards the end. But that’s why we have a great squad.
“I’m just glad we came away with the three points.”
It wasn’t just the subs who came to the rescue. Van Bronckhorst went for broke when the clock was ticking by throwing Goldson up top – and it paid off in seconds.
The centre back made it two in a week on Tayside and Tavernier admitted the win finally arrived because the team stayed calm to allow his big pal to make an impact as a striker.
The full back said: “Definitely. Even at 1-0 down in the second half we showed great patience. At 1-1 we were still building and not forcing it too much.
“We just kept asking questions, forcing corners and the first instance Connor Goldson goes up to play as a striker, he managed to score.
“Fair play to him. He does like it here after scoring last week and this week.
“I’m just delighted for the team and for the fans. You saw how much it meant to them at the end.
“I’m really happy.”
No wonder. It’s been a brutal run for Rangers in recent weeks as they fight for glory on several fronts.
The Euro heroics might not quite be getting matched on home front, where it’s been more of a struggle.
But it’s three league wins on the spin now to stay within striking distance of Celtic at the top going in to the mouthwatering Old Firm showdown Ibrox a week on Sunday.
Tavernier hopes his international mates get wrapped in cotton wool while the rest catch their breath and prepare for the big one.
He added: “We’ve got a lot of internationals so hopefully they’ll come back injury free. But the boys not going away will get plenty of rest and we’ll work hard in the week leading up to Celtic.”
