Hibernian Controls Game Against Dundee

Hibernian shook off any trace of their midweek ordeal almost from the first whistle, taking a grip of the game and refusing to let Dundee breathe.

They owned the ball in the final third. The only thing missing was the finish.

Nathan Lowe glanced a header without the power it needed. Martin Boyle darted into pockets of space, twice seeing efforts come to nothing before finally timing his run to perfection, staying onside to collect a clever Grant Hanley pass and slide Hibs in front.

He should have doubled it before the break. Clean through again, Boyle went for the deft chip, watched it float past the stranded goalkeeper – and then watched it bounce wide. A huge chance, wasted.

Hibs didn’t dwell on it. The second goal felt inevitable and, when it came, it better matched the pattern of a game David Gray’s side had controlled almost entirely. Jamie McGrath and Felix Passlack drove at Dundee, threatening to put the contest out of sight as the visitors tightened their grip and pushed for a third before the late strike from Malachi Boateng Westley gave the scoreline a touch of anxiety it barely deserved.

Gray will want the same front-foot intent when Hibs host Edinburgh rivals Hearts on Thursday night. He will also know they cannot afford to be so forgiving in front of goal against last season’s Scottish Premiership runners-up.

First Half

For Dundee and Steven Pressley, the first half was grim. Beyond Bradley Fink dragging a shot wide, they offered almost nothing. The press was loose, the build-up ragged, the team shape out of sync with the plan.

“Over the course, there's no doubt Hibernian deserved to win,” Pressley admitted. “We looked a little bit disjointed. We weren't really cohesive in the way we wanted to press the game or cohesive in our build-up play.

“Hibernian came, they surprised us with a few things that they did. I didn't manage to find the right solutions. We have to take the medicine and respond.”

They did at least stir after the interval. Joe Bevan began to influence the game, his cross flashing right across the face of goal and forcing Passlack into a desperate clearance. At 2-0 down, Lewis Hamilton finally made Raphael Sallinger work with a testing effort.

Getting Bevan on the ball more often helped Dundee’s rhythm, but the sharp, fearless attacking they showed in recent wins over Aberdeen and Dundee United never truly reappeared. The absence of injured captain Simon Murray, watching from the stand, underlined what they are missing at the top end of the pitch.

Pressley has already made it clear he wants attacking reinforcements, as well as help at centre-back, before Thursday’s transfer deadline. On this evidence, he needs them quickly, with another home test against Tayside rivals St Johnstone looming on Wednesday night.

Conclusion

For Hibs, this was about response and control. Gray had demanded a reaction and got one.

“That's certainly the right way to bounce back,” the head coach said. “As a group, I thought we were outstanding and fully deserved the win.

“For 80 minutes, complete control, probably should've scored another goal to kill the game out completely. They get the goal right at the very end. The players found the answer to make sure we seen it out.”

They did see it out, just. Now comes Hearts, Tynecastle fury in reverse, and a sharper stage on which Hibs must prove this was not just a one-off release, but the start of something harder, colder and more clinical.