RANGERS suffered a surprise defeat at Tannadice last night as their skipper, Richard Gough, scored an own goal to gift Dundee United a shock victory.

It gave Celtic a title tonic with the gap at the top still eight points but Walter Smith's side have played one game more.

A rare error by goalkeeper Andy Goram led to the 66th-minute matchwinner, with the ball spinning off the head of Gough after he misjudged a cross from Andy McLaren.

Tommy McLean's United move up to fifth in the Premier Division as a result of a second league defeat of the season for Rangers by the Tannadice club. They leapfrog Hibs who are at Dunfermline tonight.

But United lost substitute Neil Duffy on a stretcher, and then an ambulance to hospital, after a bad tackle which landed David Robertson a booking from referee Willie Young.

It was Rangers substitute Erik Bo Andersen who might have saved the game for Rangers with a 78th-minute miss reminiscent of Peter Van Vossen's Old Firm clanger as he shot over from close range.

All the pre-match talk had been of Rangers going 17 points clear at the top before Celtic play again but now the best the Ibrox side can hope for is 14 with their Glasgow rivals having three games in hand.

Brian Laudrup was held in check by Erik Pedersen and the Dane's frustration showed with an injury-time booking for dissent.

This was a return to Tannadice for Rangers to face United for the first time since they won 2-0 on Billy Kirkwood's managerial baptism when Gordon Durie scored in the first 12 seconds.

And the visitors, and Paul Gascoigne in particular, were indebted to Goram just after halftime when he plunged to save a shot by Andy McLaren after Gascoigne was caught in possession in the box.

But it was from the Dundee United winger's 66th minute cross that the home side took the lead via the unexpected source of Rangers' skipper Gough.

McLaren crossed from the right and Goram, who had come off his line, missed his punch, and the ball spun in off the head of Goram.