Hibernian Win 2-1 at Dens Park as Dundee Pay for Slow Start

The Basics Were Not Good Enough

Dundee lost this one before they found any kind of rhythm. Hibernian came to Dens Park with a plan and the desire to execute it. Dundee did not match them. That is the simplest way to say it, and simple is how I prefer to say it.

The final score was Dundee 1-2 Hibernian. The scoreline was fair. In fact, it was generous to the home side.

Boyle Sets the Tone Early

Martin Boyle put Hibernian in front on 25 minutes with a right foot shot. It was the kind of goal that tells you everything about where the two teams were at that point in the match. Hibernian were moving. Dundee were not competing at the level this fixture demands.

Hibernian had 61 per cent of possession by the final whistle. They registered 25 shots in total to Dundee's 11. They had 18 shots inside the box to Dundee's seven. They created four big chances. Dundee created one. Listen, you can argue about anything in football. You cannot argue with those numbers. That is not a game of two halves. That is one team showing up and one team hoping for the best.

The Second Goal Killed the Contest

Callum Wright made it 2-0 on 61 minutes, again from a right foot shot. Felix Passlack picked up a yellow card for Hibernian in the 58th minute, just before Wright's goal. Credit where it is due to Hibernian. They were disciplined enough that even going a man light for three minutes did not disrupt them. That tells you something about their attitude in this match.

Dundee's response to going two down was to throw on substitutes. Alan Forrest and Finlay Robertson came on in the 61st and 62nd minutes. Zan Besir and Bobby Wales followed at 75. Four changes in the space of fifteen minutes. That is a manager scrambling. You should not need to scramble like that at home.

Westley Gives Dundee a Lifeline That Comes Too Late

Joe Westley headed one back for Dundee in the 83rd minute to make it 1-2. Credit to the lad for keeping competing when the game looked done. But that is all it was. A consolation. Dundee had not earned the right to take anything from this match by that point, and they did not.

The thing is, Dundee's goalkeeper made five saves on the afternoon. Hibernian's keeper made two. That tells the whole story of the defensive pressure Dundee were under. Hibernian had 17 key passes. Dundee had six. Hibernian had 72 dangerous attacks to Dundee's 39. Dundee were chasing shadows for long stretches.

Where Did Dundee's Recent Form Go?

Against Aberdeen and Dundee United, Dundee kept clean sheets. Here they conceded twice and could not keep Hibernian's attackers quiet. The Dundee defence that looked solid in those previous games looked short of ideas when Hibernian moved the ball quickly and with purpose.

Dundee also had a major injury concern coming into this match, with one player listed as out until around 6 September. You deal with absences. Every team does. Absences do not explain a 25-shot-to-11 deficit. Attitude and desire explain that.

Hibernian's Travelling Form Was Patchy. They Fixed That Here.

Hibernian came into this match with three wins and two losses from their five most recent completed Scottish Premiership outings, with a form string of WLLWW. Their away record over ten completed matches showed four wins, one draw and five losses. So this was not a Hibernian side cruising through everything. They had wobbles.

But on this occasion they were the better team from start to finish and they deserved the three points without any serious debate. Boyle was their dangerman in the first half before being replaced by Ante Suto on 78 minutes. Wright was excellent for an hour before making way for Miguel Chaiwa on 81. The one previous meeting between these two sides in this competition also ended in a Hibernian win, with Hibernian winning 2-1 on that occasion as well. Dundee have not found an answer to them yet.

Dundee's Goalkeeper Kept the Score Respectable

Five saves from the Dundee goalkeeper is not a bad afternoon's work in isolation. The problem is that your goalkeeper should not have to make five saves at home when you are trying to win a match. That is not a criticism of the goalkeeper. That is accountability for the outfield players who were not protecting him well enough or giving him the ball back quickly enough when Hibernian had it.

Dundee also hit the woodwork once. There were moments. But moments are not enough when the basics around them are not right.

The Verdict

Hibernian were better in possession, better in their attacking intent, better in the moments that mattered. They had four big chances created, converted two, and could easily have won by more. Dundee competed in patches and showed some desire late on when Westley headed in the consolation. But competing in the last ten minutes when you are two down is not the standard. The standard is competing for ninety.

Dundee's manager has questions to answer about how his side allowed Hibernian this level of dominance at home. The next fixture cannot look like this. End of.