The good the bad and the ugly from Hibs' semi-final loss

Make no mistake, Saturday's Viaplay Cup semi-final defeat to the 10 men of Aberdeen was a huge opportunity missed. Already on top in the game, Hibs were further incentivised - or, should have been - by the red card to defender Jack MacKenzie, one that left the door to the final ajar.

One swift counter-attack later, though, and Bojan Miovski had raced clear of everyone in green and white to slot the winning goal past David Marshall. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Hibees, who will have reported on Monday morning to analyse where it all went wrong.

But what will they have concluded watching it back? Here, we take a look at the good (because there were still positive signs), the bad, and the ugly from Hampden.

The good - attacking patterns, chances created

With the hurt undoubtedly still raw, it might feel like clutching at straws, but Hibs are creating more than enough chances to win games. According to Wyscout, they fashioned 10 goalscoring opportunities compared to Aberdeen’s three, so it is clear that creativity was not the issue on Saturday – at least, not when it remained 11v11.

There were glimpses of a co-ordinated approach to attacking in wide areas, and there were clear attempts to create overloads with patient passing and well-timed runs, to varying degrees of success. Wingers Jair Tavares and Elie Youan tucking inside were a feature of Hibs’ attack on the day, with the full-backs Jordan Obita and Lewis Miller staying high and wide. With Joe Newell returning to the side after sitting out in midweek, he provided a greater forward thrust than the Jimmy Jeggo/Dylan Levitt pairing, who both tend to stay behind the ball more often than not.

In the example below, Newell takes possession near the final third with options for a pass offered by Obita, Youan, and Tavares.

Patient play moves the Aberdeen defence around as Hibs await an opening. It comes when Connor Barron switches off and allows Newell to dart forward and receive a pass from Tavares, who holds the ball up well.

Newell drives inside, and Youan's run drags red shirts away from the midfielder, opening up the space for a shot.

Much of Hibs’ better moments in build-up came down that left flank in the first period. With Newell again involved, the midfielder lofts a pass in behind for Obita, who has again gone high and wide.

With Tavares having moved away from his starting position on the wing, no Aberdeen player takes responsibility for picking him up, and after a late run into the box he is picked out by Obita, albeit the resulting shot is blocked.

Youan and Tavares drifting inwards to find space was a theme of Saturday’s performance (as pointed out by @9125analysis on Twitter), but they did not always maximise the opportunity when the ball found its way to them. There were occasions when Youan seemed eager to get rid of the ball with a man at his back, and surrendered possession. Tavares, meanwhile, picked up good areas but was then set upon by the Aberdeen midfield after turning.

The bad - reacting to Dons sending off, game management

It was starkly evident how Hibs struggled to seriously trouble Aberdeen after they had gone down to 10-men. MacKenzie’s moment of madness, and resulting dismissal, ought to have been the catalyst for victory in what had already been a largely dominant performance.

However, undoubtedly stunned by Miovski’s goal from nowhere, Hibs lacked the nous and ingenuity to break down a Dons side who dug in for a siege and refused to budge. What followed was a repeated pattern where Hibs would initially project a sense of patience and calm while probing for an opening, before deciding to try and force a cross into the box. It was an approach which suited Aberdeen’s three centre-backs, who were able to start flinging heads at everything which came their way.

READ MORE: Marshall questions VAR process after Hibs' Hampden defeat

With the clock ticking down, it is understandable that a degree of anxiety crept into Hibs' play, and with Christian Doidge having come on by that point, the temptation is always there to play more direct. It's where the experience of Le Fondre may have been of benefit, a cool head to try and unlock the Aberdeen backline. Instead, Montgomery could only turn to 16-year-old Josh Landers, a huge ask of such a young player, and a move that is telling of Hibs' current squad depth.

The ugly - messy Aberdeen goal

It hardly needs repeating that Aberdeen’s goal was decidedly messy from Hibs’ point of view. It tough approximately 10 seconds for the ball to make its way from the Dons’ defensive third to the back of the Hibs net, and a succession of errors to get it there.

After picking the ball up on the right, Youan plays a slack pass for Lewis Miller that Aberdeen intercept, with Graeme Shinnie then driving forward through midfield.

Despite doing well to recover and step across Shinnie, Miller takes his share of the blame by then going down too easily, which proves to be the crucial action that lets Aberdeen in behind.

Everything else follows from that moment, with Dante Polvara drifting past Newell and picking up the loose ball, Miovski catching Obita napping on his blindside, and Levitt finding himself caught in no man’s land. Seconds later, Hibs fans are watching through the cracks in their fingers as they are confronted with the scene below.

Such situations are perhaps where Hibs missed Jeggo on the day, who may have sensed the danger his replacement in midfield did not. Once the ball is played through, neither Obita nor Levitt are able to make up the ground and Miovski finishes past Marshall. It was the epitome of a ‘soft’ goal, especially considering the match circumstances, and points to a required improvement in this team’s game management.

With St Mirren up next on Wednesday, there's no time to waste in putting things right.