Hibernian Dominates Dundee for Important Win

Hibernian shook off any hint of a European hangover and took charge from the first whistle, their midweek efforts leaving no visible mark on either legs or minds.

They owned the ball, camped high up the pitch, and kept Dundee pinned back. The only problem was the finish. Nathan Lowe failed to generate enough power on an early header, and Martin Boyle saw a couple of efforts come and go before he finally struck. When Grant Hanley threaded a pass in behind, Boyle timed his run, stayed onside and buried the chance to give Hibs the lead their dominance demanded.

He should have doubled it before the break. Clean through again, Boyle opted for a delicate chip instead of a driven finish, only to watch the ball skip wide. It was the kind of miss that can change the mood of a game. Hibs, though, refused to let the tempo drop.

The second goal did justice to their control. Hibernian tightened their grip after the interval, and when the pressure rose again Dundee buckled. The visitors’ attacking patterns flowed, and the cushion they had been threatening finally arrived, reflecting the gulf in control between the sides. Jamie McGrath and Felix Passlack kept driving at a stretched home defence, and for a spell it looked like David Gray’s team might run away with it completely before the late strike from Westley trimmed the scoreline.

Gray will want that same front-foot intent when Hearts arrive at Easter Road on Thursday night, but he will also know wastefulness cannot be repeated against last season’s Scottish Premiership runners-up. The chances were there to kill this contest long before stoppage time.

First Half

For Dundee, the first half was grim. Beyond Bradley Fink dragging a shot wide, Steven Pressley’s side offered next to nothing. They looked flat, disjointed and short of ideas in the final third.

Second Half

After the break, at least there was a pulse. Joe Bevan began to influence the game, his cross flashing right across the face of goal and forcing Passlack into a scrambling clearance. At 2-0 down, Hamilton finally forced Raphael Sallinger into action, hinting at a late rally that never quite arrived.

Bevan’s growing involvement gave Dundee a bit of life, but the verve that had carried them past Aberdeen and Dundee United recently never truly surfaced. The absence of injured captain Simon Murray, watching on from the stand, hung over the performance. His energy and edge in attack were badly missed, underlining exactly why Pressley had spoken before the match about the need to strengthen up front and at centre-back before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Another home test comes quickly, with Tayside rivals St Johnstone visiting on Wednesday night. The margin for error is shrinking.

Post-Match Reactions

Pressley did not sugar-coat what he had seen.

“Over the course, there's no doubt Hibernian deserved to win. 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,” the Dundee manager admitted. “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.”

On the opposite side, Gray could point to a response of his own after a bruising midweek.

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

Hibs leave with the win, the control, and a sharper sense of what still needs to improve. Hearts are next. The ruthlessness will have to follow.