Rangers drew level on points with Celtic in the title race with a 3-0 win over St. Mirren at Love Street, Paisley tonight - but the Parkhead men retain a four-goal advantage going into Thursday's final fixtures.
This evening's win marked the Light Blues' first away win in the SPL since 27 February at Tynecastle - a sequence of results that may well cost the Ibrox club the championship they so richly deserve.
Rangers Manager Walter Smith made four changes from Motherwell with Steve Davis, Kevin Thomson, Kris Boyd and Jean-Claude Darcheville replacing the suspended Carlos Cuellar, Lee McCulloch, Charlie Adam and Daniel Cousin.
Rangers got off to the perfect start in four minutes when a Davis cross to the far post was knocked back across goal by Kirk Broadfoot for Boyd to slot the ball home.
The home side were not here to meekly lie down however - four minutes later Will Haining's header from Franco Miranda's cross was held by Neil Alexander, then another searching ball from the Argentinian was headed just over by Stephen McGinn.
The visitors went 2-0 up in 23 minutes when Darcheville rifled home a low twenty-yard grounder after Davis had dispossessed Stephen O'Donnell.
Four minutes later the game flared up when Thomson clashed with Hugh Murray on the halfway line. Half the players on each side appeared to get involved, and Referee Craig Thomson dispensed justice by yellow carding Murray and Billy Mehmet for the Saints, Thomson and Steven Whittaker for Rangers.
The woodwork deprived the visitors of a third goal before the interval when Darcheville's overhead kick from a Boyd knockdown off a Davis cross struck a post.
Rangers restarted on the offensive and came agonisingly close to an early goal in 51 minutes when Nacho Novo's chip from a Boyd cross was headed off the line by Haining, then three minutes later the Spanish forward sliced the ball wide from a Darcheville lay-off.
Jean-Claude again threatened in 57 minutes when his stabbed shot from a Barry Ferguson flick was turned wide by home goalkeeper Mark Howard.
Seven minutes later David Weir's header from a Thomson free-kick was held by Howard, although just to underline that it was not all one-way traffic Billy Mehmet's header from a Miranda free-kick flew just wide of the target.
Darcheville made it 3-0 in 68 minutes when he raced through to slot the ball home from Ferguson's crossfield pass.
The Ibrox captain himself should have made it four seven minutes later when his chip from a Boyd knockdown flew over.
There was a welcome return for DaMarcus Beasley in 76 minutes when he replaced the disappointing Novo for his first game for six months.
Four minutes later Cousin substituted for Darcheville.
Boyd's header from a Davis corner was blocked on the line by Gary Mason in 81 minutes, but Rangers were unable to add to their score.
Afterwards the Ibrox boss summarised:
"We had a good first-half and might have added another couple of goals in the second. I was pleased with the sharpness of the players. Both ourselves and Celtic still have difficult games to play. We're in a far better position than last year."
So now it's on to Pittodrie on Thursday with Celtic at Tannadice.
ST. MIRREN Howard; Barron, Potter, Haining, Miranda; O'Donnell, Murray, Mason, McGinn (Hamilton 54), Dorman; Mehmet
UNUSED SUBS Smith, Dargo, McCay, Docherty, McAusland, Burns
RANGERS Alexander; Broadfoot, Dailly, Weir, Whittaker; Davis, Ferguson, Thomson, Novo (Beasley 76); Boyd, Darcheville (Cousin 80)
UNUSED SUBS G. Smith, Faye, Furman, McMillan, Fleck
REFEREE Craig Thomson