A late equaliser from Andy McLaren ensured Rangers were once again trailing in the SPL championship race.

Rangers had looked like taking all three points, courtesy of Shota Arveladze's first half opener, but the intervention of McLaren proved to be their undoing.

Rangers' £6million summer signing Mikel Arteta was trying hard to impress, but the young Spaniard found his initial efforts came to little and retreated into his shell as the game wore on.

Rangers established an early foothold on the game and a gradual increase of the pressure led to the opening goal.

Killie had already survived a scare when Ronald de Boer headed a misguided Barry Ferguson shot back into the danger zone. Fortunately Gordon Marshall was able to make a smart stop from Peter Lovenkrands.

An Arteta corner kick then had Killie all at sea. Arguably - and the home side certainly did that - it shouldn't have been given as Lovenkrands had appeared to have supplied the final touch.

Killie failed twice to get the ball away, and not a challenger was in sight when Arveladze arrived to head past the exposed Marshall.

McSwegan fired narrowly over from distance once more before Ferguson forced Marshall into a replica save of the earlier one from Klos.

Killie were angry at being behind and the home fans berated referee Kenny Clark at the break, but the home side were also fortunate not to be a man down with more than an hour to play after Alan Mahood, who had been booked for tripping de Boer, went in two-footed on Arthur Numan.

Marshall was having a great game and saved his side again with another good block with his legs, this time to deny Arveladze.

Jim Jefferies made an inspired substitution in the 64th minute when he introduced McLaren for Craig Dargo.

Garry Hay floated over a corner and Klos, who was under severe pressure from challengers on his line, could only punch the ball to McLaren some 10 yards in front of goal.

The substitute made no mistake.

The situation was so desperate for Rangers that Tore Andre Flo was sent on, but although Arveladze and Lovenkrands came close with headers it never looked like materialising.

Kilmarnock: Marshall, Shields, Hessey, Hay, Mitchell,  (Boyd 73) Mahood, Sanjuan, Fulton, McSwegan (McLaughlin 90), Dargo (McLaren 64)