Aberdeen vs Hibernian: Post-match analysis
Right. I've seen some chaotic football in my time. I've watched non-league Sunday morning kickabouts that were better officiated than this. But Aberdeen 2-0 Hibernian? Mate. This was absolute **scenes
Right. I've seen some chaotic football in my time. I've watched non-league Sunday morning kickabouts that were better officiated than this. But Aberdeen 2-0 Hibernian? Mate. This was absolute scenes. Cards flying everywhere, players getting dismissed left, right and centre, and somehow, somehow, K. Nisbet just quietly going about his business and putting the game to bed. What a day. What an unhinged, brilliant, baffling day of Scottish football.
The First Twenty Minutes Were Pure Madness
Look, let's just go through what happened early on because I still can't quite believe it. Sixteen minutes in, Hibernian's G. Hanley is off for violent conduct. Gone. Seventeen minutes in, Aberdeen get a penalty and K. Nisbet steps up and slots it. 1-0. Then eighteen minutes in, R. Bushiri picks up a second yellow and Hibs are down to nine men before the game has even properly started. Nine men! Before the twentieth minute! The vibes in that ground must have been something else. Aberdeen fans probably thought Christmas had come early. Hibs fans probably needed to sit down.
| G. Hanley sent off (Hibs) | 16' |
| R. Bushiri sent off (Hibs) | 18' |
| A. Šuto sent off (Hibs) | 46' |
| G. Shinnie sent off (Aberdeen) | 71' |
| T. Keskinen sent off (Aberdeen) | 71' |
| J. Newell, K. Andrews, M. Boyle sent off (Hibs) | 80' |
| A. Palaversa sent off (Aberdeen) | 80' |
| K. Már Kjartansson sent off (Aberdeen) | 85' |
| E. Bwomono sent off (Aberdeen) | 85' |
The article should state eleven red cards across the full ninety minutes, not nine. I've genuinely had nightmares that were more orderly than this football match. Someone check on the referee because that is a shift and a half.
Nisbet. That's It. That's the Section.
K. Nisbet got the penalty in the 17th minute. Fine. Job done. But then he comes back out in the second half, with the game still somehow unsettled because chaos has a way of keeping things interesting, and he buries a right foot shot in the 75th minute to make it 2-0. Two goals. In a match that looked like a war zone. Coolest man on the pitch by an absolute mile. Aberdeen are eighth in the table with 33 points from 33 games and they've had a rough season, let's be honest about that. Nine wins from 33 matches, a goal difference of -15.. this is a team that has struggled. So a clean sheet and two goals from one man? You take that every single time.
K. Nisbet
The Numbers Don't Lie.. But They Do Confuse Me
Honestly, I looked at the stats for this one and my brain started melting a little bit. Aberdeen had 17% possession. Seventeen. You're thinking wait, they won 2-0, how does that work? And yet they fired off 53 shots total with 18 inside the box. Hibs had 4% possession which is.. I mean that's barely touching the ball. But they still managed 47 shots themselves somehow. This game was basically chaos with a football attached to it. Look, normally I'd have a go at the xG lot here but even xG, which I do not understand and will die not understanding, had Aberdeen at 5 and Hibs at 1. You can make numbers say anything but sometimes they're just telling you the truth.
Expected Goals: Aberdeen: 5, Hibernian: 1
| Possession (Aberdeen) | 17% |
| Possession (Hibernian) | 4% |
| Shots Total (Aberdeen) | 53 |
| Shots Total (Hibernian) | 47 |
| Shots Inside Box (Aberdeen) | 18 |
| Goalkeeper Saves (Aberdeen) | 13 |
| Goalkeeper Saves (Hibernian) | 8 |
| Fouls (Aberdeen) | 30 |
| Fouls (Hibernian) | 10 |
Half-Time and the Cards Just Kept Coming
Right so Hibs go into half-time already with nine men and you think, surely it calms down now. It does not calm down. Forty-six minutes in, A. Šuto gets a second yellow. Hibs are now down to eight men. Eight! Then in the 52nd minute D. Barlaser gets booked for arguing. Mate, what are you arguing about, you've got eight players on the pitch, just keep your head down. By The article should note that two cards were issued at 66' for Hibernian: one to an unidentified player and one to O. Elding for a foul. Then at 71 minutes Aberdeen's own discipline falls apart completely. G. Shinnie and T. Keskinen both get second yellows in the same minute. The same minute! Aberdeen are suddenly in it too, numbers dropping on both sides. Nisbet still goes and scores at 75 though because he is apparently immune to the madness around him. The article should also mention that at 85 minutes, K. Már Kjartansson and E. Bwomono were both dismissed (second yellows) for Aberdeen, bringing the total dismissals to eleven. This is not football, this is a documentary.
What Does This Mean for Both Sides?
Aberdeen needed this. They are eighth in the table, 33 points, a record of 9 wins, 6 draws and 18 losses from 33 games. A goal difference of -15 tells you this has been a really tough season. But a 2-0 win and a clean sheet, even against ten.. then nine.. then eight opponents, still counts. Three points is three points. You heard it here first, a win like this can do wonders for confidence even if the circumstances were completely unhinged.
Hibernian though.. this is a disaster. They came into this sitting fifth in the league, 51 points from 33 games, a record of 13 wins, 12 draws and 8 losses. Goal difference of +14. They are a genuinely good side this season and this result will sting because of how it unravelled. Multiple players facing bans after that red card count. They will have players missing for games coming up and that could seriously dent their push for whatever they are chasing. Look at the fixtures they have ahead.. they cannot afford to go into those short-handed.
| Position | 8th |
| Points | 33 from 33 games |
| Record | W9 D6 L18 |
| Goals Scored | 33 |
| Goals Conceded | 48 |
| Goal Difference | -15 |
| Position | 5th |
| Points | 51 from 33 games |
| Record | W13 D12 L8 |
| Goals Scored | 51 |
| Goals Conceded | 37 |
| Goal Difference | +14 |
The Signal That Didn't Land
Look, I have to hold my hands up here.. all sounds lovely until someone gets sent off for violent conduct in the sixteenth minute. The model did not account for the absolute carnage that was coming. Back to the drawing board. This is why football is brilliant and infuriating in equal measure. Should read: 'No model on the planet saw eleven red cards coming, don't @ me.'
Should read: 'Eleven red cards between the two sides.' Approximately zero minutes of normal football. Scottish Premiership, you absolute beauty. Never change.