Three points in the Premiership, what a concept.

It was a long time coming for Hibs, but Saturday's 2-1 victory over Dundee - a first league success since December 9 - lifted the mood around Easter Road heading into Wednesday night's Edinburgh derby. There were several positive displays, but none more so than from match-winner Myziane Maolida.

The 24-year-old provided the winner after Luke McCowan's equaliser cancelled out Dylan Vente's first-half penalty but his goal capped off an excellent display, and Myziane's showing was the high point of an improved performance all round from Montgomery's side.

Here, we delve into the numbers behind the win and analyse Myziane's importance to it.

Dominance laid bare

The immediate feeling when reflecting on Saturday's fixture was that it was as dominant as Hibs have looked for some time. Aside from a brief spell when Dundee rallied and snatched an equaliser, Montgomery's side was in control and maintained pressure on the visitors' goal for extended periods.

StatsBomb's xG race chart paints a convincing picture. The teams cancelled each other out in the early stages, but once Vente converted his penalty Hibs kicked up a gear. 

Hibs' overall xG of 2.17 was the highest they've registered in a Premiership match since September and Montgomery's home debut - a 2-1 win over St Johnstone. The StatsBomb algorithm predicts that based on the xG trend, Hibs would win 84 times out of 100.

READ MORE: Every word from Nick Montgomery Hibs Q&A after Dundee win

The trendline shows clearly how Hibs kicked on after the opening goal and then responded strongly to Dundee levelling the scores. The above is a marked improvement on recent weeks, with Hibs' rolling xG average for the season having dropped to 0.85 pre-match. 

In other positive news, Hibs are taking more shots again. They registered 16 overall (15 from open play) - the highest since December's Edinburgh derby defeat - and 12 of those were from inside the box. It's also a marked uptick on the 10-game rolling average of 6.9. 

Myziane's masterclass

Myziane Maolida has shown flashes of his talent and eye for goal since arriving on loan from Hertha BSC in January, but Saturday was his most complete performance yet in a Hibs shirt. Not only did he notch the winner with a finish that exuded class and composure, he was a persistent problem for Dundee with his positioning, neat link-up play, and running power.

Shifted to the left side of a front three with Dylan Vente playing through the middle, Myziane sought to drift towards inside pockets, which allowed Jordan Obita to hold width nearer the touchline. Dundee struggled to deal with him, and their manager Tony Docherty echoed Montgomery's post-match sentiment that the Comoros international was 'top class'.

Much of Hibs' first-half build-up flowed down that side, with the visitors never quite figuring out how best to deal with the spaces Myziane was occupying. Below, he drops into the pocket to receive from Obita, and they consistently sought to exploit space in behind right-back Jordan McGhee.

McGhee is reluctant to follow Myziane too far in-field, and when he belatedly tries to close him down, the Hibs forward jinks away to fashion a yard of space. By this point, Obita is on his bike into the area McGhee has vacated, and Vente occupies centre-back Joe Shaughnessy to prevent him moving across to cover. Myziane slides a pass into the space for Obita and Hibs win one of several first-half corners.

That link-up was a promising avenue for Hibs throughout, and they could have exploited it further. Rocky Bushiri's return to central defence gave Montgomery's side a more solid feel than in recent weeks, but there were moments where, if he'd taken the riskier option in possession, he could have found Obita with acres of space to run into. In the example below, Myziane's movement inside drags a defender in with him, leaving the left flank open for a clipped ball into Obita's path. Rocky, though, plays into Myziane's feet and he's forced to recycle the ball under pressure. 

Dara Costelloe and Scott Tiffoney were hooked at half-time as Dundee switched to a back three, but they remained unable to get a grip on Myziane after the interval. In the example below, he drops deep again, and this time it's holding midfielder Mohamed Sylla who follows him all the way out. That creates space for Emiliano Marcondes, and Shaughnessy is forced to follow him almost to the halfway line, and he plays a quick one-two with Myziane to take the two Dundee players out of the game.

Myziane excels when he has space to drive into, and with seconds he had carried the ball into the final third, laying off for the advancing Lewis Miller to deliver a cross which Dundee recovered to cut out.

In the next example, it's Shaugnessy who is forced all the way out to track Myziane, leaving a huge gap. There is nothing inherently wrong, when playing with a back three as Dundee were, with the extra centre-back stepping out and being aggressive, but the visitors did not get close enough to green and white jerseys and Shaughnessy in particular, struggled to lay a glove on Myziane. This time, the forward lays off to Obita and makes for the space in behind Shaughnessy and McGhee. Obita sets the ball for Joe Newell who simply lofts the ball in behind for Myziane's run, and his cross just evades Vente at the back post.

These instances show clearly why Dundee found Myziane so tricky to stifle. He is adept at picking the ball up in deeper areas and looking to link with players around him, while he can also make direct runs in behind. Like all good players, his mere presence drags the opposition towards him, and that inevitably creates space for his team-mates. There were clear patterns in how Hibs sought to involve him in the game, which is a promising sign that Montgomery's attack is beginning to gel.

Newell quietly effective

Elsewhere, Newell appears to be benefiting from the switch to a midfield three, and turned in an impressive display that flew under the radar somewhat. StatsBomb rated the captain as providing the most On-Ball Value (OBV), a measure of how a player's actions on the pitch increase the likelihood of a goal being scored. Newell registered 0.4 OBV, and made 45 passes through the 90 minutes - more than anyone else in a Hibs jersey. He was involved in three of Hibs' five most valuable passing combinations, regularly feeding the ball to Myziane and Emiliano, as well as bringing Miller into play down the right.

READ MORE: Every word from Dylan Vente Hibs Q&A after win over Dundee

The presence of Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Emiliano in midfield created a better balance, and it has felt at times this season that Newell is overstretched in the 4-4-2 to the detriment of his overall game. His positioning on the left of the trio creates a triangle with Myziane and Obita, similar to what we saw with Moriah-Welsh, Miller, and Martin Boyle on the opposite side against Aberdeen. It's another example of on-pitch relationships being built since the January window, aided significantly by Montgomery adding quality and being afforded greater consistency in selection.

Saturday's victory was merely a start for this Hibs team, but there was enough within it to suggest there are green shoots of recovery beginning to appear.