Barry Robson insisted the 24 shots Aberdeen had on goal proved they were the better team on the park, despite the Dons going down 2-0 to Hibs at Easter Road on Sunday.

An 18th-minute goal by Dylan Vente gave the hosts a first-half lead, with Will Fish doubling the advantage with a header from Martin Boyle's corner before David Marshall saved Bojan Miovski's penalty with 13 minutes of regulation time remaining. The Dons recorded an xG of 3.33 to Hibs' 1.77 but found Marshall in inspired form whenever they breached the Hibs rearguard. 

Speaking afterwards, Robson bemoaned the way the game had panned out - but curiously claimed Marshall's long ball forwards to Boyle in the lead-up to the opener had been a 'mistake'.

"I am disappointed.  I think the first goal, we've made a mistake. It's a mistake from their goalkeeper - he has shanked it and Rubezic has got a bit close," the Pittodrie boss sighed.

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"Boyle has ended up getting through, and then we lost a set play in the second half, which we have been strong at recently. It's the first we've lost in a while."

Aberdeen have developed something of a habit of putting in below-par performances in the cinch Premiership matches immediately following their Europa Conference League games but they dominated large parts of this fixture despite their snowy 2-2 draw with HJK Helsinki in Finland on Thursday night. 

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 “That's the best we’ve played since I have been in the job," Robson continued. "I know people will say we lost the game, I get that, but if we are going to come to Hibs away and have 24 shots and dominate the whole game then I think we are doing something right. 

"I have to give my players credit for that but I know we need to win games. If you watch our games we haven’t got what we have deserved this season.  We all saw that we were by far the better team in the game today.  Everybody knows that, but Hibs come away with the points.  

“That is the important thing; coming away with the points.  We can sit here and talk about all the chances, missing penalties and goals to sucker punches but that is it.  Football is about winning matches and we need to win some matches.  If we perform like that, we will win matches."