Hibernian Dominates Dundee in Strong Display Ahead of Hearts Clash
Hibernian brushed aside any hint of a European hangover with a controlled, often dominant display, but left just enough wastefulness in front of goal to keep David Gray honest before derby night.
They started like a side with a point to prove. The legs looked fresh, the heads clear. Hibs took charge of the ball and of the tempo, pinning Dundee back and working the ball into dangerous areas again and again. The only thing missing was the finish.
Nathan Lowe rose well but couldn’t generate the power to trouble the goalkeeper. Martin Boyle, buzzing on the shoulder of the last defender, saw a couple of early efforts come and go without reward. The patterns were good, the pressure constant, yet the net stayed stubbornly still.
Then Boyle timed it right.
Grant Hanley slid a pass in behind, Boyle held his run, burst clear and finally found the precision that had been missing. One touch to steady himself, one touch to score. Hibs had the lead their control demanded.
He should have doubled it before the break. Clean through again, Boyle chose to chip the keeper, watched the ball drift beyond the far post and knew immediately he had passed up a simple, ruthless finish. It was the kind of moment that will replay in his mind when Hearts arrive at Easter Road.
The second goal, when it came, felt like a truer reflection of the game. Hibs tightened their grip, moved Dundee around, and the pressure told. The hosts struggled to live with the movement, and once the lead was stretched, it looked like the contest might be over. Jamie McGrath and Felix Passlack both went hunting for a third, sensing the chance to turn dominance into a statement, before the late Westley strike gave the scoreline a gloss Dundee hadn’t really earned.
Gray will take the control, the aggression, the willingness to keep playing on the front foot. He will not be satisfied with the finishing. Against last season’s Scottish Premiership runners-up Hearts on Thursday night, this level of profligacy will not be so easily forgiven.
First Half
For Steven Pressley and Dundee, the first half was grim. Beyond Bradley Fink dragging a shot wide, there was almost nothing to cling to. The home side looked disjointed, exactly as their manager later admitted. The press didn’t bite, the build-up broke down, and Hibs passed through them with an ease that will worry the Dundee support.
Second Half
After the interval, Dundee at least found a pulse. Joe Bevan began to influence the game, his delivery flashing across the face of goal and forcing Passlack into an awkward clearance. At 2-0 down, Hamilton finally forced Raphael Sallinger into action, a reminder that Hibs’ grip could still be loosened if they switched off.
Bevan’s increased involvement gave Dundee a route up the pitch, but the sharp, confident attacking edge they had shown in recent wins over Aberdeen and Dundee United never truly reappeared. The absence of injured captain Simon Murray, watching on from the stand, hung over the performance. His energy, his movement, his presence in the box – all missing on the pitch and badly needed.
Pressley has already flagged the need to strengthen in attack and at centre-back before Thursday’s transfer deadline. This display underlined that concern. Another home game, against Tayside rivals St Johnstone on Wednesday night, now carries a little more weight.
“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.”
Gray, by contrast, could point to a response delivered almost exactly as he demanded.
“That’s certainly the right way to bounce back,” the Hibs 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.”
Control, chances, three points – and still room, and reason, to be far more ruthless when Hearts come to town.
