A positive decision from Jack Ross to go with two up-front against the early-season Premiership pacesetters was rewarded with the opening goal of the game from Drey Wright midway through the first half.
The goal ended Rangers’ record-breaking run of clean sheets and was Wright’s first in green and white.
Alfredo Morelos levelled in additional time at the end of the first half and Scott Arfield fired the visitors ahead shortly after the break as the game turned on its head.
However, this Hibernian side are resilient. They were disciplined in defence when they had to be and determined to attack when the opportunity arose.
The Easter Road men never gave up, chased everything, and earned a deserved share of the points from the pulsating contest when Christian Doidge powerfully headed in an equaliser from close range.
Hibs were forced into one change to the side that defeated St Mirren comfortably last weekend. With Jamie Murphy unable to play against his parent club, Ross turned to Wright to fill in. New signing Stephen McGinn was amongst the substitutes.
The visitors started brightly and penned Hibernian back in the opening stages of the match. They enjoyed a lot of possession in the middle of the park and were moving the Hibs defence around as they probed for an opening.
Rangers should have made more of their first opportunity of the afternoon when James Tavernier’s corner kick picked out Morelos unmarked in the middle. The Columbian striker – normally so prolific – failed to make a clean connection and headed tamely wide of goal.
Moments later and a clever ball over the top from Ianis Hagi found Ryan Kent goal-side of Paul McGinn; the winger opted to take it first time on the volley only to screw his effort well wide of the target.
Rangers were knocking on the door and it took a brave block from McGinn to keep out Arfield’s powerful shot, which was quickly followed by Ofir Marciano saving Conor Goldson’s header as the pressure continued.
The Hibernian defence had done well to stand up to the Rangers pressure and having done so they began to create opportunities of their own.
In the 17th minute a fantastic shot on the turn from Kevin Nisbet was met by an even better save from Jon McLaughlin as the Rangers goalkeeper acrobatically kept out the striker’s angled strike.
The deadlock was broken just four minutes later when Hibs worked the ball to Boyle on the right flank; the winger drove beyond Barisic and delivered a low cross that Wright swept in from close range to grab his first goal for the club.
Wright’s goal ended Rangers’ record-breaking run of 686 minutes without conceding a goal and for a period of time it appeared to knock the stuffing out of the visitors, who struggled to play with the same fluidity as they had earlier in the match.
Yet, on the cusp of half-time Steven Gerrard’s men restored parity when Morelos had time to bring down Ryan Kent’s hanging delivery into the back post and slam it beyond Marciano from close range.
The timing of the Rangers goal added to the disappointed of conceding for Hibernian as the hosts appeared to be comfortably seeing out the first half.
The Easter Road men had an early opportunity to restore their lead after the break when Paul Hanlon evaded his marker to meet Joe Newell’s corner kick delivery, however the defender’s header was straight at McLaughlin, who gathered comfortably.
In the 56th minute Rangers took the lead. Tavernier’s pass found Arfield on the edge of home box, he worked a clever one-two with Hagi before dispatching it beyond Marciano, who got a hand to the ball to push it onto the post, but could not keep it out.
The visitors had found their early match swagger once more and had a terrific opportunity to extend their advantage when Hagi released Kent in on goal. The Rangers winger took time to steady himself before striking for goal, only to be denied by a fine save from Marciano.
At the other end a Newell cross was diverted toward goal by Porteous and when McLaughlin made a instinctive stop the ball dropped kindly to Nisbet, who uncharacteristically failed to connect and although Doidge threw himself towards the loose ball, he too was unable to turn it in.
Both sides continued to exchange blows like heavyweight boxers, and it was Rangers’ turn next with Marciano beating away a powerful drive from Hagi before Helander’s header shaved the post from the resultant corner kick.
With 20 minutes remaining the sides were once again on level terms. Goldson was slack in possession and from Boyle’s cross, Doidge powerfully headed into the net under pressure from Helander.
Both teams pushed for a winning goal with Hibs best chance falling to Nisbet; even though his shot from distance had McLaughlin scrambling across his goal, it ultimately drifted wide of the target.
Rangers will feel they should have secured all three points when Hibs were caught cold by a ball over the top and Arfield found himself with only Marciano to beat. The Rangers midfielder however was denied not once, but twice, by two outstanding stops from the Israeli goalkeeper, who had no right to keep the ball out of his net, yet he did.
In the end both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils after an engrossing 90 minutes of football in Leith. Next up for Hibernian is a visit to Glasgow to face on-form Celtic.
Hibernian: Marciano, P. McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Doig (Stevenson 62), Boyle, Gogic, Newell, Wright (Hallberg 89), Doidge, Nisbet. Unused substitutes: Barnes, Gray, McGregor, S. McGinn, Mallan, Shanley, Gullan.
Rangers: McLaughlin, Tavernier, Goldson, Helander, Barisic, Kamara (Itten 84), Davis, Arfield, Hagi (Defoe 74), Kent, Morelos. Unused substitutes: McGregor, Bassey, Edmundson, Balogun, Patterson, Barjonas, Jones.
Referee: Don Robertson.
Image: Alan Rennie.
Report: Richard Payne.