Hibernian - 2, Rangers - 2

Anything Heart of Midlothian can do, Hibernian can do better. Well, almost. The day after the maroon side from Edinburgh came back from a two-goal deficit to win at Celtic, the green half of Scotland's capital city came within 10 minutes of inflicting the first away league defeat of the season on the other giants from Glasgow, Rangers.

But for the intervention of Neil McCann's gifted left foot Edinburgh would have been celebrating a rare win double over their Glasgow rivals. The irony, of course, is that McCann was recently of Hearts.

McCann received a predictably abusive reception on his half-time introduction and responded with the curling cross for Rod Wallace's 55th minute header, Rangers' first equaliser, and then Hibernian having scored again, McCann strode onto Barry Ferguson's simple through ball to drill a 16-yard shot under Nick Colgan.

The Hibernian fans were distraught temporarily but when the evening was over they must have reflected on its satisfactory nature. The last nine times Hibernian have played Rangers the team in blue have won.

Easter Road also has an emerging hero in 20-year-old Kenny Miller, scorer of both the Hibernian goals. A few months ago Miller was on loan at Stenhousemuir. They were both accomplished finishes and in the wider context of Scottish football did the league a big favour. That was important after Celtic's premature capitulation on Saturday. The bookmakers may even take bets again this morning.

This was a much tougher contest than that bloated affair at Parkhead. Dramatic it might have been, but most of the football slow and flabby. Here it was crisp and lean, no small achievement in the swirl of a cold winter wind. As it transpired there were also plenty of ingredients to fill another compelling storyline.

Miller was the central character in most of them, from the opening minute when he accepted a neat pass from Grant Brebner and was foiled in the Rangers' box only by the quick thinking of Stefan Klos, well off his line. Miller had done well to fend off the physical attention Lorenzo Amoruso had been paying him and that was to be a pivotal confrontation throughout.

In midfield, too, there were healthy, skilful battles between Franck Sauzee and Russell Latapy for Hibernian and Barry Ferguson and Giovanni van Bronckhurst for Rangers. In the 10th minute Van Bronckhurst struck the woodwork with Colgan beaten and 60 seconds later Colgan made a decent save from the same player.

Rangers were relatively comfortable but then Hibernian were content to concede territory and establish themselves gradually. That it took them 43 minutes to win a corner shows how difficult their task was. No score at the interval obviously aided the home spirit and on the restart Latapy and Sauzee had superiority in the centre circle. It was Latapy who instigated the breakthrough, Ian Murray won a crucial header in a goalmouth scramble, the ball rolled to Miller and his strike was true.

Easter Road erupted and in the next attack it was Klos charging off his line again to deny Latapy. The euphoria was brief, however. Six minutes later McCann waltzed down the left and put a cross onto Wallace's head - 1-1.

With play lengthening Arthur Numan's short pass back to Klos had Miller sprinting in and around the Rangers 'keeper to put Hibernian in front again. Colgan then made a stop from Wallace but just when Hibernian were beginning to think of a first victory over Rangers since 1996, up stepped McCann.

"If we have a good run in we'll be very difficult to catch. But it'll take a lot of hard work from now until the end of the season," McCann said.

Hibernian: Colgan, Collins, Hughes, Jack, Smith, Murray (McGinlay 88), Brebner, Sauzee, Latapy, Paatelainen (Lehmann 67), Miller. Subs Not Used: Gottskalksson, Hartley, Lovell. Goals: Miller 49, 68.

Rangers: Klos, Vidmar (Reyna 70), Moore, Amoruso, Numan, Kanchelskis, Ferguson, Van Bronckhorst, Albertz, Dodds (McCann 46), Wallace. Subs Not Used: Charbonnier, Tugay, Carson. Booked: Moore. Goals: Wallace 56, McCann 81.

Referee: Michael McCurry (Scotland).