Rangers moved to within a point of leaders Celtic in the race for the Bank of Scotland Premier League title thanks to victory at Kilmarnock.
Shota Arveladze's 16th-minute strike proved to be the only one of a well-balanced encounter which saw the Ayrshire side fail to move any nearer to the top six sides.
The Georgian is likely to be leaving Ibrox in the summer and, with Nacho Novo suspended for his part in the last Old Firm encounter, it was a timely return to the limelight for the frontman.
The icy nature of the Rugby Park surface added an extra dimension to this encounter.
However, both sides appeared determined to play as much football as possible even if the quality and quantity was inevitably diminished.
The first clear-cut chance of the game, in the 17th minute, resulted in the opening goal and Killie centre-back Simon Ford was at the heart of it.
The former Grimsby man sent a header away from the danger zone but only as far as the marauding Alan Hutton on the right flank.
The Scotland Under-21 international, who had replaced Zura Khizanishvili at right-back following the Georgian's disastrous midweek UEFA Cup display against Auxerre, fired in a cross that Ford was unable to head away.
And Arveladze, having quickly brought the ball under control, fired past the exposed Graeme Smith.
It was only his sixth goal of a campaign which has been truncated by injury and erratic form but Arveladze might have doubled that lead just before the break when a little flick from Gregory Vignal looked to have bought him some space in a crowded box.
But Smith, who was standing in for injured first-choice keeper Alan Combe, had anticipated and was there first to collect.
Within seconds, Killie might have found the net themselves at the other end when teenager Steven Naismith set Kris Boyd up in front of goal only for the striker to miss his kick completely.
Killie have high hopes for the 18-year-old Naismith, who was full of activity down the left. He also has bite to his game, and Fernando Ricksen was not amused when the youngster dumped him on the turf on more than one occasion.
Referee Dougie McDonald then booked Colin Nish, who, having already clattered goalkeeper Stefan Klos, fouled Vignal.
Nish had been justifiably aggrieved before that 36th-minute indiscretion after Danny Invincibile, having been sent away by Boyd, opted to fire at Klos from distance when his team-mate was free on the right and screaming for a pass.
Killie boosted their attacking options in the second half by replacing midfielder Gary McDonald with striker Gary Wales, who took up a position in the centre anyway.
Rangers had been caught out from their own corners in games against Inverness and Auxerre, but almost inflicted that misery on Killie when Arveladze sent Prso cantering away down the inside right channel.
However, Prso opted to shoot early, allowing Smith to make a comfortable tip-round.
Alex Rae, who had been recalled along with Dragan Mladenovic in a revamped central midfield, fired a long-ranger just wide before the next Ricksen-Naismith encounter saw the Dutchman appealing in vain for a penalty.
Naismith was replaced by Stephen Murray just before the hour mark but it was fellow rookie Smith who continued to catch the eye.
He made a fine parry to deny a Ricksen effort at a time when Rangers had piled men forward, but he needed Ford to clear off the line after Prso had retrieved the loose ball and crossed to the back post.
Hamed Namouchi and Jean-Alain Boumsong both went for it, with the former heading goalwards before being flattened by the latter.
Namouchi had only himself to blame straight after, however, when he fired wide from only eight yards out and was replaced in the 67th minute by Steven Thompson, who was making his comeback from an ankle injury sustained against Celtic more than a month ago.
The gangly Nish had always been an unlikely-looking right winger and was replaced with more than 15 minutes to go by Rhian Dodds.
A second chance came Boyd's way but, again, he was unable to take it.
Invincibile nicked the ball off Vignal but Boyd, having negotiated his way round Andrews, could only fire at Klos.
Rae was booked for a foul on Dodds but Boyd could only prove it was not his day with the most wayward of free-kicks.
Chris Burke made his long-awaited return when he replaced Prso for the final minutes, having recovered from the virus that had seen him excluded for almost two months.
Murray was booked late on for a foul on Hutton.
Teams
Kilmarnock: Smith, Greer, Hay, Dindeleux, Ford, Leven, McDonald (Wales 45), Invincibile, Naismith (Murray 59), Boyd, Nish (Dodds 72).
Subs Not Used: Samson, Dargo, Johnston, Wolski.
Booked: Nish, Murray.
Rangers: Klos, Hutton, Vignal, Boumsong, Andrews, Alex Rae, Mladenovic, Namouchi (Thompson 69), Ricksen, Arveladze, Prso (Burke 79).
Subs Not Used: Graeme Smith, Ball, Hughes, Malcolm, Ross.
Booked: Alex Rae.
Goals: Arveladze 16.
Att: 11,156
Ref: D McDonald (Scotland).
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