The empty seats at Ibrox indicated a section of the Rangers faithful are bored of success, but those who stayed away missed a pulsating victory over Hibernian for the champions.

With the Scottish Premier League title long since secured less than 40,000 fans turned out tonight, but under Dick Advocaat's strict rule there is no prospect of the team's hunger fading.

Rangers secured a comfortable interval lead made in Scotland as Barry Ferguson put them in front on 11 minutes and his international colleague Billy Dodds struck six minutes later.

When Shaun Dennis put through his own goal after 47 minutes this looked another routine win, but a swift reply from Kenny Miller was followed by a powerful Dirk Lehmann strike for Hibs on 72 minutes.

Rangers were called upon to up a gear, but this season that has been their strength and Jorg Albertz duly delivered a late double, the first a penalty, to give the scoreline an emphatic feel.

Having marched to the title in such commanding fashion, Rangers are now very much a team on parade and they turned on the style against Hibernian for long periods.

The visitors offered more in return than most Ibrox visitors have managed this term but ultimately had no way of preventing Rangers restoring their lead at the top of the SPL to 22 points.

Rangers rested skipper Lorenzo Amoruso, despite the Italian being set to start a three-game suspension, and retained Tero Pentilla in a reshuffled backline which saw Tony Vidmar at centre-half.

Hibernian were without both Russell Latapy and Franck Sauzee meaning their usual creative spark was missing from the outset, though to their credit they started brightly.

On two minutes highly-rated Scotland Under-21 striker Miller scuffed his shot badly wide when well placed after a sharp exchange of passes with Ian Murray.

Hibernian threatened again when Paul Hartley cut inside of Pentilla only for Dirk Lehmann's first-time shot to be a snatched effort straight at a goalkeeper Stefan Klos.

Rangers might well have targeted a new striker for this summer but the quality of their finishing has rarely let them down this term and again it proved the difference tonight.

Hibernian's missed opportunities were punished via Rangers' first chance of the contest as Arthur Numan's precise pass was seized on by Ferguson, who beat Nick Colgan with a sweeping low shot.

It was a frustrating moment for Hibernian, whose misery was compounded only six minutes later when Rangers produced another clinical strike to leave the visitors stunned.

Numan was again involved, linking up with Seb Rozental before pulling the ball back for Dodds to crash the ball into the roof of the net from close range for 2-0 on 17 minutes.

Now Rangers had the level of control they wanted and pressed forward in numbers, a raking long pass from Albertz almost feeding Dodds again but for Colgan's intervention.

After 26 minutes referee Jim McCluskey played on after Grant Brebner's foul on Albertz to allow Rozental to fire narrowly wide before booking the Hibernian midfielder.

Rangers were now indulging in some impressive one-touch play, one flowing move seeing Tugay Kerimoglu combine with Ferguson before Rozental looped his shot over the bar.

The Chilean forward was wasteful again on 37 minutes when Dodds' intelligent chip found him unmarked in front of goal, yet he headed well wide from point-blank range.

Tugay almost put Rangers three ahead before half-time, with Hibernian now firmly on the back foot, as he curled a shot just past the upright after being found by Numan.

Within two minutes of the restart Rangers did move 3-0 in front courtesy of a lapse in concentration by Hibernian's Dennis, who put through his own net.

The centre-half, with one eye on Rozental's run behind him, slid to clear a drilled Numan cross from the left only to divert it into the bottom corner of the net.

Hibernian were at least able to muster a swift response as good work by Hartley enabled Miller to burst clear and curl an assured finish beyond the reach of Klos for 3-1 barely a minute later.

Rangers took off Ferguson for youngster Robert Malcolm before Andrei Kanchelskis raced onto a Dodds pass only to shoot straight at Colgan and Rozental to be on hand to blaze over the rebound.

The relentless search for goals continued from the home side with the pace of Numan still troubling Hibernian and it needed a Colgan side to prevent the Dutchman scoring with an angled drive.

Hibernian had not quite given in and Lehmann hit the post on 66 minutes before substitute Pat McGinlay struck the rebound straight at Klos from an inviting position.

Claudio Reyna's curled free-kick just wide of the mark was a further warning to Hibernian, but remarkably after 72 minutes it was suddenly 3-2 as Lehmann's 25-yard effort surprised Klos.

Order was restored for Rangers with 10 minutes remaining when the luckless Dennis was ruled to have brought down substitute Jonatan Johansson, on for Dodds, resulting in a penalty.

Albertz has had his share of misfortune from the spot this term, notably a miss against Celtic, but made no mistake to put Rangers 4-2 ahead on 81 minutes to halt Hibernian's comeback.

With four minutes left Albertz delivered another blow to Hibernian as he struck a long-range effort against the inside of the post and into the net to make it 5-2 on the night.

Teams

Rangers: Klos, Numan, Penttila, Vidmar, Reyna, Albertz, Ferguson (Malcolm 52), Kerimoglu, Kanchelskis, Rozental (McCann 63), Dodds (Johansson 73).

Subs Not Used: Brown, Gibson.

Goals: Ferguson 11, Dodds 17, Dennis 47 og, Albertz 81 pen, 86.

Hibernian: Colgan, Collins, Hughes, Dennis, Renwick, Hartley, Lovell (McGinlay 59), Brebner, Murray, Lehmann, K. Miller.

Subs Not Used: Phillips, McIntosh, Paatelainen, Jean.

Booked: Brebner, Dennis, Hartley.

Goals: K. Miller 49, Lehmann 72.

Att: 39,349

Ref: Jim McCluskey (Scotland).