Rangers struggled before holding on for this narrow victory. Yet when Michael Mols and Shota Arveladze had put the home side two ahead in the first half it looked a matter of how many for the Ibrox side.
However a goal by Tom McManus for Hibs on the stroke of half time ensured a nervous second half for the league leaders as the knew that any mistake could have been costly.
Rangers went close in the opening minute when Mols volleyed inches over from Barry Ferguson's astute pass. Then from Maurice Ross' cut-back Arveladze's first-time shot rebounded off keeper Nick Colgan before being cleared for a corner.
It was all Rangers in the opening period and after Lorenzo Amoruso headed over, the home team should have gone ahead from Amoruso's cross.
Arveladze skillfully controlled the ball on his chest, flicked it over Paul Fenwick, but volleyed over as the crowd rose to acclaim a wonder goal.
The breakthrough for Rangers came when Arveladze's slide-rule pass released Fernando Ricksen and from his cut-back Mols shot home via the underside of the bar.
A McManus shot into the sidenetting was a rare foray by the visitors into the Rangers half. Colgan then fumbled a Mikel Arteta cross which surprised Claudio Caniggia as he shot hurredly over.
Mols was ruled narrowly offside from Arveladze's backheel and referee Mike McCurry incurred the wrath of the home fans when he signalled for a free-kick after Caniggia was fouled at the edge of the box, though by that time Arveladze had shot home.
The home side's second goal was however not long delayed, Barry Ferguson's pass found Ricksen and when the Hibs keeper could not hold the Dutchman's fierce drive, Arveladze was on hand to cheekily backheel the ball home from six yards.
Hibs were thrown a lifeline on the stroke of half time when the Ibrox defence failed to clear Colgan's long kick out and McManus nipped in to loft the ball home over Stefan Klos.
The visitors pushed forward far more in the second half and Garry O'Connor tested Klos with a 25-yard shot which the keeper did well to touch over. With Amoruso and Arteta having to go off with injuries, the Ibrox side struggled to find the fluency of the first half.
The visitors were prepared to throw long balls into the area in the hope that Mixu Paatelainen or McManus would get a touch and that it took Rangers until the last minute of the half to test Colgan, via Ferguson's well-struck free-kick, was testimony to how the Ibrox side toiled in the second half.
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