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Kilmarnock and Hibernian each took a point from a lively Scottish Premier League encounter at Rugby Park.

Paul Heffernan's lob put the hosts in charge with just six minutes on the clock after a Borja Perez free-kick had been deflected out.

Eoin Doyle restored the balance with a close-range strike in the 26th minute.

Impressive long-range efforts from Killie's Momo Sissoko and Hibs' Leigh Griffiths could have snatched the win, but the second half ended goal-free.

The point pushes Hibs into fourth place, one point ahead of Aberdeen, while Kilmarnock remain eighth.

Killie opened the scoring after Hibs had blocked Perez's free-kick, only to come under pressure again from a lofted ball.

Heffernan latched on to Michael Nelson's headed knock-down and lobbed Ben Williams from 12 yards out.

James Dayton then flighted an inch-perfect ball to the centre of the Hibs box that Heffernan rose to meet, but the Irishman's header inched past the post.

Hibs restored parity when Griffiths's cross from the right was missed by Killie goalkeeper Cammy Bell and his defence, allowing Doyle to stab home from six yards out.

Doyle forced a save from Bell after a neat one-two, but the Killie keeper was equal to the task, then Jeroen Tesselaar failed to reach the target at the other end with an angled shot.

With half-time approaching, Bell punched an in-swinging corner onto the head of Paul Hanlon, but the ball looped over the bar.

Immediately after the restart, Paul Cairney's close-range lob was cleared off the line by James Fowler.

Griffiths was unlucky not to snatch the lead when a 35-yard short bounced awkwardly before Bell palmed it wide.

On the hour mark, Sissoko almost netted a sensational goal with a curving long-range shot from 40 yards that edged past the Hibs post.

Cairney went down following Nelson's challenge in the box but the Hibs man received a booking for simulation.

Dayton's free-kick inside the last five minutes was smothered by keeper Williams as Hibs lived dangerously under pressure from their hosts.

And, in the final moments of the match, Griffiths tried to hook home a looping reverse ball from three yards out, but it ended up in the hands of Bell.