The Premier League title race is alive and kicking after St Johnstone somehow resisted almost total Rangers pressure to inflict the leaders' second successive defeat.

It was Portuguese super-sub Miguel Simao, who netted the 73rd minute winner after Nick Dasovic had headed a Kieran McAnespie free-kick back into the Rangers danger zone.

Simao then turned provider to seal the win, racing clear from midfield before setting up McAnespie, who fired past an exposed Stefan Klos for number three.

It was enough to send Rangers tumbling to their second consecutive defeat and leave Celtic hovering just six points behind, with one Old Firm game still to play.

Manager Dick Advocaat will be scratching his head long into the night wondering how his side ended the game without reward.

They started brightly, battled back from a Jimmy Weir opener and spent the second period camped in the Saints half.

Both sides welcomed back centre-halves who had become strangers in recent times, Craig Moore returning after a spell at Crystal Palace for the Ibrox men, while Weir was back as skipper after overcoming a long-term Achilles injury.

Sandy Clark's men were first into their stride, Darren Dods heading narrowly wide following a fine cross from Kieran McAnespie.

Jorg Albertz and Rod Wallace quickly established themselves as Rangers' most potent attacking weapons, the German in particular given far too much room in the middle of the park.

Wallace was finding space in front of the Saints rearguard but neither Andrei Kanchelskis, nor Neil McCann enjoyed a productive opening from their wide positions.

However, once Rangers settled they certainly seemed to have Saints' measure - and so they should, having already inflicted four defeats on their opponents, including a 7-0 drubbing at McDiarmid Park in November.

With the two sides also due to meet in Scottish Cup semi-final combat at Celtic Park next Sunday, Saints were desperately seeking a straw to clutch at and Weir produced one on 13 minutes.

McAnespie was again the provider, floating an inch-perfect free-kick into the Rangers area, where Weir rose highest to power home a header past Klos' despairing dive and into the bottom left-hand corner.

Lone front-man Roddy Grant wasted a glorious chance to make it two when he got on the wrong side of Lorenzo Amoruso but could only smash his shot against the legs of Stefan Klos.

At the other end, Alan Main, touted as the best Scottish-born keeper in the league, was having a busy night.

He scrambled down to his right to save a swivelling shot from Wallace, who found acres of room just outside the six-yard box.

Jonatan Johansson was the next Rangers striker to turn away in anguish after he latched onto Kanchelskis' deflected effort, Main again plunging to his right-hand side to produce the point-blank save.

Albertz had a couple of long-range efforts and Sergio Porrini also drove an effort straight at the Saints keeper as the traffic continued almost exclusively in one direction.

It was the same story after the interval, Johansson producing a replica of Wallace's earlier spinning effort, with the same result as Main again made the stop.

Somehow, a brave Saints body always seemed to get in the way of the visitors' best efforts, until Moore celebrated his return with the equaliser.

Vidmar bravely headed back a Giovanni van Bronckhorst corner and while he lay flat on the ground after a clash with Main, Moore was flinging himself at the loose ball to score from two yards.

But Saints were not to be denied and, though Porrini appeared to get the final touch to Simao's effort but it would be a brave man to tell the bulky Portuguese Under-21 international that they were taking his winning goal away.

Teams

St Johnstone: Main, Weir, Kernaghan, Dods, Bollan, McAnespie, O'Halloran (Griffin 80), Dasovic, Kane, McBride (Simao 58),Grant (Lowndes 82).

Subs Not Used: Preston, Ferguson.

Booked: Kane, Dods.

Goals: Weir 14, Simao 73, McAnespie 90.

Rangers: Klos, Porrini, Moore, Amoruso, Vidmar (Amato 70), Kanchelskis, Van Bronckhorst, Wallace, Johansson, Albertz,McCann.

Subs Not Used: McInnes, Wilson, Brown, McKnight.

Goals: Moore 58. Att: 9,740

Ref: H Dallas (Motherwell).