Rangers slashed Celtic's lead at the summit of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League to a single point thanks to a double from Nacho Novo at Ibrox.

The striker netted with a header early on, before doubling the advantage with an impressive volley to heap the pressure on the defending champions ahead of their game against Hibernian tomorrow.

Mark de Vries did manage to pull a goal back for United but substitute Jean-Claude Darcheville helped himself to a goal late on to seal the win.

United were denied a penalty when David Weir looked to foul Noel Hunt. The visitors then had a goal disallowed when Danny Swanson's long-range shot was deflected in by Weir, with McCurry deciding United had a player in an offside position.

"I'm furious, honestly," said Levein. "Here today we had a blatant penalty and he bottled it, and I thought Mike McCurry was one of the guys who had the balls to stand up and give these decisions, but he bottled it."

Weir knocked Hunt over as the striker prepared to shoot but McCurry declined to blow his whistle, and Levein said: "Not only was it a penalty kick, it was a sending-off."

Levein confronted McCurry on the touchline after the Swanson strike was disallowed.

"I said, 'What's the point us turning up here, what's the point in us playing'?" Levein revealed.

"If there's not a level playing field and we don't get the blatant, important decisions, what's the point in us turning up?

"Anybody who is of a fair mind who watched that today would see that we had no chance of winning that. We had a perfectly good goal chalked off, we had a blatant penalty and it was a sending-off. I think he knew he'd have to send the player off and he didn't want to do it, because it meant so much, this game, to Rangers.

"Well I don't give a toss what it means to Rangers. This game meant more to us than any other game this season. The last important game was the cup final and we got cheated in that as well. This has been going on for years hasn't it? You don't get any decisions here.

"Normally they're not as blatant as that. If we'd have got a fair share of decisions we could have won that game."

Levein also claimed his players had been violently attacked during the game. "Hunt got punched in the face when Danny Swanson shot and Lee Wilkie got headbutted," he said.

The United boss called for foreign referees to be brought in for games of such significance.