So much for New Year's resolutions. Hampered over the past 12 months by a failure to rebuild moments of promise, Rangers' start to 2025 feels strikingly familiar.
Half an hour later at Easter Road, Philippe Clement's side seemed to have finally used their resounding victory over Celtic on Thursday as a cornerstone.
Confident in everything they did, they built a two-goal lead through Hamza Igamane and could well have scored more goals to put the game out of Hibs' reach. For those fans lodged behind Liam Kelly's goal, it felt like the corner had finally been turned.
What happened either side of the interval ensured we hadn't yet seen the last replay over the festive season.
Martin Boyle's unexpected goal gave Hibs hope, but there should be no real reason for the visitors to panic at half-time. Today, however, that's precisely what the Rangers do.
A weak start to the second half by Clement's players ensured an old movie was played.
Hibs defender Bushiri rises highest to score home equalizer in 3-3 thriller with Rangers
Rangers' hat-trick hero Igamane looks to the sky after missing a late chance
Bushiri celebrates his 83rd minute goal as Easter Road goes crazy
While the visitors made elementary errors, Boyle scored the equalizer from the penalty spot.
Even when it looked like Igamane had clinched victory by scoring his third, Rocky Bushiri's bravery in the box was unmatched and Hibs were back on level terms.
The point Rangers got in the end was certainly deserved, but it will feel like scant consolation once the dust settles.
Once again, they couldn't keep their foot down for 90 minutes after being so impressive in the derby. Just three wins out of 10 away from home in the league is not nearly enough.
You had to feel something for Igamane here. The 22-year-old scored the perfect hat-trick, finishing with both feet and his head, only to be left without a win bonus.
He is very much the shining light for a Rangers team that currently simply does not have the quality to make a serious title challenge.
Given how poorly his team started, this turned out to be a very good point for David Gray.
Hibs' hopes of extending their unbeaten run to six games appeared to have faded when Rangers took that early lead, and again when Igamane grabbed his third of the day.
Igamane gets Rangers off to the perfect start by scoring in the fourth minute
Prolific striker Igamane celebrates his second and it seems very easy for Rangers
Hibs star Martin Boyle reduces the lead in the 32nd minute to make it 2-1.
The home team is clearly made of sterner stuff than a couple of months ago. They are fighting for their manager and each other. The flagging levels of faith their fans had in them have been completely restored.
Both teams came into this with a real sense of purpose, with Hibs taking 13 points from a possible 15 and Rangers emphatically beating Celtic. Only the visitors seemed to have wiped the dirt from their eyes.
Sharp and precise with their early work, Clement's team were everything Hibs were not in the early exchanges.
The first goal, after four minutes, came from the opening whistle.
It came from a familiar source: Bushiri couldn't get his feet together and ensured Rangers kept the home team locked down.
Rangers worked the ball out to the left where Ianis Hagi lurked in space. The Romanian drills the ball low and across the goal. Igamane scored nonchalantly and stood around egging on the home fans for a few moments.
Hibs' passes, short and long, caused them problems. An elemental mistake by Nectar Triantis resulted in Nedim Bajrami advancing and trying his luck. This time, Bushiri's extended leg saved the day.
Gray's men were unable to get going. The Rangers made several passes around him: Nico Raskin, Vaclav Cerny and Mohamed Diomande advanced the play. He prepared Igamane. He shot narrowly.
Boyle would again emerge as a hero when he scored to make it 2-2 from the penalty spot.
Igamane looked to have won the game for Rangers when his hat-trick made it 3-2.
The striker and his team were left dejected after Bushiri's late goal for Hibs.
Much of the good work done by Clement's team in the Old Firm derby was undone
Hibs' best chance to level out of nowhere ended in confusion. A Nicky Cadden cross from the left was attacked by both Boyle and Dwight Gale. By getting in the other's way, the opportunity was lost.
Only Jordan Smith prevented his team from losing two goals. The goalkeeper blocked Bajrami's angled shot and then stopped Cerny's shot that threatened to beat him at the near post.
The second goal was definitely yet to come. Bajrami moved smartly from the center to the left to gain space. Without pressure, his center was precise. Igamane achieved enough with his header to ensure Smith's hand could not prevent it from finding the top corner.
With Hibs failing to track down the runners, it looked like Rangers could score as many as they wanted.
The goal that halved the deficit came just as Gray's men were beginning to show some signs of recovery.
Jack Iredale's free kick was allowed to float around the area. Josh Campbell played in for Bushiri, who did well to find Boyle with his back to goal. The winger's contact was not pure, but he still found the far corner to change the tone of the match at half-time.
To better serve Gayle, Hibs had to be braver in possession. However, that didn't necessarily mean taking risks at the edge of one's own box. Having twice given away possession in that area, Igamane was only denied a hat-trick thanks to a clever save from Smith to his left.
The Rangers were not as careful with the ball at the start of the second half as they had been at the start of the game.
Both Cerny and Diomande gave him away cheaply to ensure their team couldn't get out. This made Hagi the second favorite in a foot race with Campbell. The Romanian protested because he had touched the ball, but he didn't. Grief.
Boyle hit the ball high into the net from the penalty spot to make it 2-2. Nobody had foreseen it after half an hour.
Gayle sent a diving header into Kelly's arms. Lewis Miller hit the target with a thunderous strike and then clipped the post with a close-range header. The rangers were briefly at sea.
Clemente made the changes, introducing Danilo, León King and Óscar Cortés, but his third goal came from a combination of two starters. Cerny did well to move away from Nicky Cadden and focus. Igamane made a brilliant shot across the goal and placed the ball low into the corner with a precise touch.
King's lack of football became apparent when Hibs equalized again with seven minutes remaining. A Nicky Cadden corner from the right saw the substitute outmuscled by Bushiri's giant frame. The defender's header went into the top corner.
Bushiri seemed determined to hog the spotlight. Another mistake right at the death when he delivered the ball caused Igamane to move away from him. This time the forward finished off the outside of the post.
You can't blame him. He had more than contributed his grain of sand to his team. It is not the first time that the mistakes of others cost the Rangers dearly.