Hibs midfielder Dylan Levitt, who scored his second goal of the season for Hibs in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Ross County, has revealed that head coach Nick Montgomery pinpointed where Hibs could improve in the second half.
The Welsh internationalist was a half-time introduction for Nathan Moriah-Welsh, who was struggling with a knock, and he made a noticeable difference as the game turned in Hibs' favour before making the points safe with a late strike.
READ MORE - His key stats have nosedived, so how can Hibs get Dylan Levitt back to his best?
StatsBomb data backed up Levitt's influence as he completed more passes than any other Hibs player during the second half with 32. And while his passes weren't of the highest on-ball value (OBV), the fact that so much went through the Welshman displays how effective he was at carrying out the task set by Montgomery.
Six of Levitt's completed passes were him picking out Martin Boyle on the right flank. Another five were passes to Jordan Obita on the left wing, while a further three picked out Élie Youan and Lewis Miller. Two apiece found their way to Emiliano Marcondes and Adam Le Fondre as Hibs attempted to do what they hadn't managed in the first half and score a goal. It was clear that Levitt was trying to funnel the ball to Hibs' attacking players to create more chances.
Speaking afterwards, he relayed the message from the manager as he took to the field.
"The game was a bit slow at times; the second half was a bit more open and suited us well. We moved the ball really quickly and created a lot of chances and overall, a good three points to finish off the week.
"He told me to get on the ball, play forward, and switch it to Millsy [Lewis Miller] because he had a lot of space in the first half and we didn't really find him as much as we wanted to. So the gaffer told us to keep moving the ball and the gaps will appear."
Levitt had already had one audacious attempt from distance saved after entering the game and a filthy little pirouette to get himself away from the attentions of Eamonn Brophy led to the opener. All in all, it was a tidy 45 minutes from a player who has had his detractors this season.
"I think I picked up a second hall from a header, I saw Élie [Youan] out wide, so I played it to him and carried on my run. He dragged two players across which created space for me in the middle of the goal so when he played it back to me I took a touch and it sort of opened up," he said, reliving his goal.
"I could hear Alfie at the side of me but then the defender came over a bit and I saw an opening for the bottom corner and put it in there. I really enjoyed the goal; it was the type of game where 1-0 can be a dangerous scoreline and you need another goal to seal it. And I think my goal set the tone for the rest of the game; at 2-0 they tried to come out more and we could have had more goals after that."
Levitt was a second-half substitute against Hearts in midweek having missed the 2-1 victory over Dundee through illness, but recognised that seven points from nine was a decent return given the form Hibs had been on previously.
"We've taken a lot of confidence from the past week. I missed the game last weekend but it was a great result and then Hearts away, we played really well and I think deserved the three points, but it helped us build momentum and finish the week strongly with another win," he added.
Read the rules here