Following Thursday's victory over Fiorentina, you would have thought that Rangers would head to Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon brimming with confidence and put on a performance worthy of UEFA Cup finalists.
Be it a dreaded hangover following their European adventure, an extended period of shock from making the final or simply jet-lag, a strong Rangers side failed to make a winning return to domestic football.                       
The Gers' headed to Easter Road knowing that arch-rivals Celtic had already bagged three points a day earlier, coming from a goal down to see off Motherwell at Fir Park although from kick-off it almost seemed inevitable that Rangers weren't going to defeat a stubborn Hibs side.
In a first half of limited chances it was in fact the hosts who looked the more likely to score as Rangers' boss Walter Smith looked as though a pillow would have been a welcome sight as his side struggled to get back into the stride of bread and butter football.
In truth, neither side found their way into the match in the first half and as pass after pass sailed out for throw-ins and goal kicks  both  Smith and Hibs' boss Mixu Paatelainen appeared increasingly distressed with their players and rightly so, after all Rangers and Hibs are chasing the title and UEFA Cup spots respectively.
In a half which lacked any real creative freedom Carlos Cuellar came closest to breaking the deadlock, forcing Andrew McNeil into an acrobatic save just before the break but it was not enough to spark the visiting support into life who had brought banners urging their team to become heroes in Manchester later this month.
After receiving what must have been a stern dressing down at half time from Smith, the Rangers side came out fighting with strikers Nacho Novo and Daniel Cousin combining well to create a number of chances as the visitors began to assert their dominance.
Just as it appeared that Rangers were on the brink of finding a break-through though the hosts  began to pile on pressure of their own, the best chance falling to the brilliant Dean Shiels who collected a pass 25 yards out before pulling the trigger and making Neil Alexander tip the ball behind for a corner kick.
Just as it was getting interesting though the tempo of the match took an unwelcome turn, becoming patchy and bogged down in the midfield almost until the end of the match until Novo came close to increasing his hero status.
With Hibs unable to keep hold of the ball, Novo took his chance, running into the space and flashing in a shot as the ball came loose. His effort was fierce and on target but yet again McNeil was in the right spot, sticking out a leg to divert the effort round the post and away to safety.
Rangers will be disappointed with the result but with three games in hand - none on paper against a side as strong as Hibernian - and seven points to be made up in the race for the title
they'll know their destiny is still in their hands.