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Rangers leapfrogged rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premier League after a 1-0 victory in the Old Firm derby at Ibrox.

Steven Davis's 37th minute strike was enough to give Walter Smith's side a two-point lead in the table after a typically frantic encounter.

The hosts took the lead after Kenny Miller had bustled his way to the left byline and cut back a pin-point cross for Davis to bundle the ball in, with Artur Boruc left helpless.

The match started at a heady pace, and Celtic's Paul Hartley lunged recklessly in on Miller in just the second minute, with referee Craig Thomson having no hesitation in brandishing the first yellow card.

Possession was evenly spread until the goal, after which Celtic showed impressive urgency and intensity in attack, but without the conviction in the final third to force their way back into the match.

Shunsuke Nakamura whipped in a cross-shot which tested Neil Alexander in the 16th minute, but the keeper did well to parry the ball away for a corner.

Steven Whittaker was then desperately unlucky, after he looped in a deep, inswinging cross from out on the left, which proceeded to elude all eight players inside the box, before striking Boruc's far post.

Christian Dailly's long throw was intercepted by Shaun Maloney on the half-hour, before a deep cross from the defender saw Scott McDonald go down inside the box under a challenge from David Weir, but referee Thomson was unmoved.

Davis then gave the hosts the lead to send the home fans into delirium, with Miller - who was brought into the starting line-up at the expense of the in-form Andrius Velicka, vindicating his manager's decision with his assist.

Davis distinguished himself at both ends of the field: a superb goal-line clearance denied Celtic stand-in skipper Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink from what would have been a timely equaliser.

Another teasing cross from Maloney to the back post almost found his captain Vennegoor of Hesselink at the start of the second half, but again Weir was there to get a faint header away.

A devilish delivery from Andreas Hinkel out on the right in the 58th minute was met with a towering header from the Dutchman, but he could not direct his effort past Alexander, who palmed clear.

Kris Boyd almost doubled Rangers' lead a minute later with a point-blank shot after Glenn Loovens and Gary Caldwell had been caught out of position, but he was denied by a superb reflex save from Boruc.

Boyd then stole in at the front post, but again was not clinical, as he directed his shot off target from Davis's cross out on the right.

Aiden McGeady, who was surprisingly confined to the bench from the start by Gordon Strachan, lashed a shot into the side-netting after forcing his way into the Rangers box in the 75th minute, and should really have tested Alexander.

The substitute then did well to jink past Dailly, before Weir slipped in the box from the resulting cross, but Nakamura's shot from the edge of the box flew wildly over in the 83rd minute.

Seconds later, Pedro Mendes was denied at the other end after finding himself inside the Celtic box; a superb sliding tackle by Caldwell alleviated the danger at the expense of a corner.

From the resulting set-piece, Mendes whipped in a good delivery which was met crisply by Boyd, but his header was coolly shepherded over the bar by Alexander.

Despite relentless pressing from the visitors - including a foray into attack from Boruc - Rangers defended obdurately, and held firm to seize the advantage in the SPL title race.

- - -

St Mirren stayed second bottom after a comprehensive 3-1 home defeat to Motherwell.

Teenager Jamie Murphy opened the scoring for the visitors with a 13th-minute header and David Clarkson then contributed a goal in each half for Motherwell.

With 31 minutes gone Stephen Hughes cut in from the right and drilled a shot which struck the base of the opposite post, and fellow Scotland B international Clarkson won the short race to the ball and tapped home the rebound from no more than a yard.

Then on the hour mark, fit-again Paul Quinn floated in a cross from the right and although it went over the head of the jumping Cillian Sheridan, Clarkson was on hand to head home his second goal of the game from inside the six-yard box.

Substitute Stephen O'Donnell, making his comeback from injury, sparked a late rally when he scored with a fine volley, but it proved a mere consolation as the Paisley side remain mired in the relegation fight.

Kevin Kyle kept Falkirk bottom as he again proved his worth to Kilmarnock with a crucial equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

The Bairns were outplayed in the first half but Darren Barr headed them in front 11 minutes after the break.

The visitors looked set to climb off the foot of the table but goalkeeper Dani Mallo let Kyle's 20-yard strike squirm through his hands midway through the second half.

Falkirk did cut the deficit at the bottom to two points after St Mirren lost to Motherwell, while Killie remain embroiled in an intriguing relegation battle.

Dan Quarrell / Eurosport