After falling behind to a late Scott McDonald goal the Light Blues responded in fine style with an equaliser just two minutes later through Lee McCulloch.
It was no more than the visitors deserved for their endeavours all afternoon in what was a poor match in comparison to the Gers’ recent outings.
Walter Smith was forced in to two changes before the match with Madjid Bougherra on international duty with Algeria and Kenny Miller suspended.
And a further enforced change in the first fifteen minutes saw Nacho Novo unable to continue and Rangers struggling to find a rhythm.
Smith had suggested in the build up that no visiting team could be considered favourites in an Old Firm clash and despite his side’s fantastic form coming in to the game it was the home side that enjoyed the better of a scrappy first half.
The loss of Miller and Bougherra meant returns to the starting line up for Steven Whittaker and Danny Wilson.
And the young defender had plenty to do in the opening half hour as Celtic aimed to use the wide areas to hurt the visitors.
And that almost paid dividends in the 18th minute when Aiden McGeady’s cross found Marc Antoine Fortune and the striker headed beyond McGregor.
However the former West Brom man was judged to have fouled the keeper before he made contact with the ball and the Rangers fans behind McGregor’s goal breathed a huge sigh of relief when ref Steve Conroy blew for the foul.
Lafferty when the big forward, partnering Kris Boyd in Miller’s absence, saw yellow for a foul on Hinkel.
The home fans were baying for a straight red, but Lafferty escaped with a caution.
And it was the Light Blues who were relieved again with ten minutes of the opening half remaining when the woodwork was all that kept the scores level.
Barry Robson was the man on the end of Hinkel’s cross and his header crashed against McGregor’s crossbar and looped behind for a goal kick.
However the best chance of the opening 45 minutes came just two minutes before the interval when Samaras broke through a ruck of Gers players and rolled his left foot shot past McGregor’s upright.
Rangers were far brighter in the early stages of the second half but they were almost punished for an error just seven minutes in to the second period.
Edu, struggling with his footing, lost possession deep in midfield and when the ball was fed to McGeady he looked odds on to give the home side the lead.
But as he broke in to the box and McGregor advanced, the Ireland international leant back and blazed his effort well over the top.
It was a let off for Edu and Rangers but they recovered quickly and began edging their way in to a game that had seen them largely on the back foot.
With Steven Davis pushing ever further forward he was starting to have more of an influence and when he combined with Edu it allowed Lafferty to break on the right.
Davis picked out his international colleague but the Ulsterman made the wrong choice as he ambitiously went for goal when a cross was the better option.
He was quickly punished for the decision when Celtic broke to the other end to earn a corner from which Rangers couldn’t properly clear.
The ball eventually dropped to McGeady on the right hand side of the box and his teasing delivery was nodded past McGregor by substitute Scott McDonald.
It gave Rangers only 11 minutes to get themselves back on level terms, but they needed just two of those minutes.
Lafferty this time did well on the right to force a corner and Davis produced his best delivery of the afternoon to find McCulloch, who bulleted his header past Boruc.
Both sides were clearly seeking a winner and it took a magnificent bit of goalkeeping from McGregor to deny the home side with a few minutes left.
When Samaras stepped inside from the left of the box he arrowed a fine strike toward the top corner of McGregor’s goal, but the Gers No.1 was equal to it, tipping it over the top high to his left.
It preserved a hard earned point for Rangers that left them the happier of the two sides and continued an unbeaten run in Old Firm SPL games that now stretches back to December 2008, setting Walter Smith’s side up nicely for 2010.