This was a tale of heroes and villains and even, as Steven Gerrard alluded to, a potential conspiracy against his Rangers team.

It was a fraught, ill-tempered encounter and Gerrard might have had “welcome to the Scottish Premiership” spinning around his mind after a controversial affair in which he witnessed one of his players ordered off, another hit the opener from the penalty spot and the loss of two points in stoppage time.

Aberdeen 1-1 Rangers: Scottish Premiership – as it happened Read more

Both sides see themselves as principal contenders, if not for the league title, then for the runners-up spot, where Aberdeen have finished for the past four seasons. But if Derek McInnes, their manager, needed persuasion that Gerrard’s influence on Rangers will make a fifth successive silver-medal place more difficult this term, it came in the Pittodrie sunshine.

McInnes needs a goalscorer if his men are to make an impact, however, and he spent 90 minutes watching Sam Cosgrove and Stevie May firing blanks against opposition that had been reduced to 10 men since the sending-off of Alfredo Morelos in the 12th minute for an off-the-ball kick at Scott McKenna. He pitched 19-year-old Bruce Anderson into the fray 18 minutes from time and showed his delight as the youngster swept home an equaliser two minutes into stoppage time. Cue the day’s hero.

But it was the red card shown to Morelos, for whom he had no comforting words, and the lack of one from referee Kevin Clancy after Aberdeen’s Dominic Ball had felled Josh Windass in the area on the half-hour mark – that led to James Tavernier’s penalty – that prompted Gerrard to enter the realm of a potential sanction from the Scottish FA. Of his Colombian striker, he said: “I think when you do stuff like that, when you react like that, you leave officials with decisions to make.

“So, we will speak to him about the part he has played in it. But we feel hard done by because we felt he was provoked twice with violent barges [from McKenna]. No way in the world was his kick-out violent. So, we didn’t think he deserved a red. He needs to learn and be ready for that. I can’t prove that’s the case but two violent barges by McKenna, it seems people are out to wind him up, yeah.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bruce Anderson celebrates after equalising for Aberdeen in stoppage time. Photograph: Stuart Wallace/Rex/Shutterstock

“What’s disappointing from our point of view is that the whole incident was two or three seconds but the assistant referee [David McGeachie] only saw one second of it, Alfredo’s instant in one second but not the two barges in the other two seconds.

“At the same time, with the penalty incident there was no attempt to play the ball. So, it’s beyond me how a card can’t be shown for that situation.

“It seems like the world is against us today. But we’ll make sure we get better for that. We’ll make sure we play better and try and put results to bed, because it looks like some more decisions will go against us as the season goes on.”

The Dons struggled to make an impact in this compelling game and seemed only to find their feet midway through the second half. They kept their depleted opponents on the defensive yet failed to test Allan McGregor in the Rangers goal.

With McKenna, the subject of a possible bid this week from Swansea, limping off with a torn hamstring, and a recognition that scoring opportunities were a rarity, McInnes conceded his team were tired physically and psychologically after playing 120 minutes of punishing football in their Europa League defeat by Burnley at Turf Moor on Thursday night. As a result he was pleased with the outcome.

“For me it was no more than we deserved,” he said. “When you don’t play anywhere near your best then it’s important you still get something.

“Late goals have been synonymous with my teams over the years, whether that’s an equaliser or winning goals. It’s always better to score a late equaliser than lose one.”

His decision to hand Anderson his debut in such trying circumstances, however, paid off and presented the Dons with a point they did not deserve. The teenager told McInnes as he prepared to enter the fray that he would get his manager a goal which he did as Andy Considine’s header fell for him 16 yards out and allowed him to put the ball out of McGregor’s reach with the game almost over.