Second half strikes from captain Barry Ferguson and substitute Claudio Caniggia gave Rangers a hard-fought victory at Hibernian which also maintained their three-point lead at the top of the table.

Bobby Williamson's Hibees fought the title hopefuls all the way however, although both defender Gary Smith and assistant manager Gerry McCabe overstepped the mark and were dismissed by referee Kenny Clark.

Alex McLeish's men had therefore come through what could turn out to be one of their toughest away assignments of the campaign.

Rangers had been forced to kick off without a number of injured stars, including Lorenzo Amoruso, Peter Lovenkrands, Mikel Arteta and Steven Thompson.

Amoruso had suffered a gashed head during Saturday's 3-0 Scottish Cup win at Arbroath following a collision with team-mate Fernando Ricksen.

Ricksen was able to turn out but the Italian's place had to be filled by Bob Malcolm, who was once again preferred to the fit-again Bert Konterman.

New signing Jerome Bonnissel was not involved as the left-back import from Bordeaux had been sent instead to Dunfermline to top up his match fitness in the reserves.

Hibernian had restored teenage striker Garry O'Connor to the starting line-up for the first time since he broke a foot in a defeat at Ibrox in November.

Both he and Tom McManus put in plenty of effort and running from the word go and in O'Connor's case it was only his rustiness that let him down, especially when his strike partner planted a cross in front of him with the Rangers defence stretched.

The Rangers rearguard had to scramble the ball away under pressure on countless occasions before the break as Malcolm struggled and Hibs adopted a shoot on sight policy that needed defenders to put their bodies in the line of fire.

Fellow centre-back Craig Moore was at the centre of what the home fans were convinced was the first half's most controversial moment when he and McManus toppled to the penalty area turf together but Clark, who had earlier warned Ian Murray for an off-the-ball felling of Neil McCann, waved play on.

Murray had earlier been guilty of wastefully firing wide from the edge of the area after Rangers goalkeeper Stefan Klos had punched away a cross inconclusively. The German was also harried right to his goal-line by McManus and ended up giving away a corner.

Rangers' most dangerous moments of the opening half centred around set pieces but Fernando Ricksen's corner kicks were marshalled away and Ferguson's free-kicks, for once, failed to find the target.

There was one moment when Hibs feared they would go in trailing but the otherwise anonymous Shota Arveladze saw his downward close range header bounce up off the turf and over the crossbar.

The high tempo was picked up from the off and Hibs were claiming for another penalty when Arthur Numan hauled Derek Townsley down. The Dutchman was booked but referee Clark was insistent in his awarding of an indirect free kick just outside the box.

That came to nothing and Rangers should have opened the scoring straight after when Moore dived to connect with a Ricksen corner but headed over from just six yards out.

O'Connor's reply was a shot across goal that only just bounced wide after he had got the better of the toiling Malcolm.

Paul Fenwick was next in the book for a bodycheck on McCann as Rangers enjoyed a spell that eventually saw them break the deadlock just before the hour mark.

Michael Mols had just seen a shot blocked by O'Connor's back before Ricksen moved forward to find Ronald de Boer.

De Boer showed his class by providing the ideal ball for Ferguson to latch on to and he rifled the ball high past Nick Colgan to record his 16th goal of the season.

Grant Brebner, Saturday's hat-trick hero against Dundee United, almost conjured up an instant equaliser but his header from a McManus cross was saved low down on his line by Klos.

It was an important passage of the game and Malcolm did well to get to an Alen Orman cross ahead of the on-rushing McManus.

More desperate defending was needed at the Rangers end as Murray saw a shot blocked and Brebner went down in the box under Ricksen's challenge, with play again continuing.

Rangers swapped Mols for Caniggia and the veteran was promptly booked for tugging Orman back by the shirt. Orman followed him into the book not long afterwards for tripping Ferguson from behind.

O'Connor was fading by the end but he and McManus almost managed to pounce during an almighty scramble in the Rangers box but, as the bodies piled in, Klos was able to gather.

It was to prove significant as, with five minutes remaining, Caniggia made sure of the points with a tap-in.

Arveladze had sparked the move with a clever backheel to allow McCann to square the ball from almost the left byline to where the veteran was arriving, with Colgan well and truly out of the equation.

McCabe was banished to the stands for mouthing off at Clark - and Smith followed him in stoppage time thanks to two bookable offences - a touchline hack at McCann and an overdose of dissent afterwards.

Teams:

Hibernian: Colgan, Smith, Fenwick (O'Neil 69), Zambernardi, Orman, Townsley, Wiss, Murray, Brebner, McManus, O'Connor.

Subs Not Used: Westwater, Jack, Doumbe, Reid.

Sent Off: Smith (90).

Booked: Fenwick, Orman, Murray, Smith.

Rangers: Klos, Moore, Malcolm, Numan, Ross, Ricksen, Ferguson, McCann, de Boer, Arveladze, Mols (Caniggia 69).

Subs Not Used: McGregor, Nerlinger, Konterman, McLean.

Booked: Numan, Caniggia.

Goals: Ferguson 58, Caniggia 85.

Att: 13,686

Ref: K Clark (Scotland).