Rangers could only cut the gap at the top of the Scottish Premier League to seven points after being held to a goalless draw at Hibernian.
Walter Smith's side, fresh from progressing to the Uefa Cup final with a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Fiorentina, started slowly as they continued their gruelling schedule.
Smith made three changes from Thursday's match in Florence but Rangers were flat and failed to trouble goalkeeper Andrew McNeil in the first half.
Nacho Novo had a chance in the 15th minute as he robbed Kevin McCann, but the Hibs full-back recovered his mistake and made a fine tackle as the Spaniard shaped to shoot.
The match exploded into life after the break as Daniel Cousin smashed a powerful shot over from distance, before having a headed goal disallowed for offside moments later.
McNeil made an excellent save with his feet to keep out Barry Ferguson's point-blank effort, while at the other end Neil Alexander acrobatically tipped over Filipe Morais' long-range shot.
Kevin Thomson curled a free-kick wide as Rangers pushed forward in pursuit of a winner, but Hibs held on to boost their hopes of qualifying for Europe.
Rangers still have three games in hand on Celtic so they are in charge of their own destiny, but they have not won in their last four league matches and face an uphill battle to finish top of the table.
