Danny Morrissey's late equaliser earned Limerick a draw at Tallaght Stadium as Shamrock Rovers fell further behind in the race for the SSE Airtricity league title.
Stephen Bradley's side badly needed a win after a poor run of results which has seen them lose three consecutive matches to Dundalk, Bohemians and Bray Wanderers, and they now sit 11 points behind the top two - having played a game extra.
Rovers started brightly after Graham Burke struck in the 15th minute before Morrissey struck late on to heap more pressure on the Rovers' manager.
The Tallaght-based side recruited heavily in the off-season in the hope of maintaining a sustained challenge for the league this season.
However, with roughly a third of the season gone, Rovers are in danger of being cut adrift by Cork City and Dundalk and they may even struggle to claim a European place come the end of the campaign.
They trail third-placed Waterford FC by seven points while Dublin rivals St. Pats are a point behind Rovers with two games in hand.
Bradley's side head to the Brandywell next Friday night to take on Derry City and no less than three points will suffice before they have to start looking over their shoulders at a relegation dog fight.
A season which promised so much is in danger of unravelling quickly.
