Hibs instant analysis as Jair brilliance inspires gutsy win

Jair Tavares and Lewis Miller had put Nick Montgomery's side in control, only for Miller to then be sent off to offer the hosts a lifeline. They pulled a goal back via Owen Beck, but Hibs were able to withstand a late siege to claim a crucial three points.

It was an important result for Montgomery's side at the onset of a glut of away fixtures, doubly so given how they hung on with 10 men for much of the second period. Tavares' goal, meanwhile, was a thing of beauty, started and finished by the Portuguese, and Miller's headed finish from a corner eventually proved to be the winner.

Liam Bryce was at Dens Park to provide the instant analysis.

Two on the spin

A little consistency goes a long way in the Scottish Premiership, a league where only the top two put extended winning runs together with any great regularity. It’s something Hibs have lacked this season, often frustratingly so, after frequently finding themselves in positions of strength. But that’s now two matches in a row they have managed safely to a favourable conclusion. Even more impressive was how how they dug in after Miller's red card. By that point, Hibs had given themselves a two-goal cushion, and weren’t for giving it up. The Taysiders may be newly promoted this season, but they have been the division’s surprise package so far, and this was far from a simple assignment for Montgomery and his players. That they navigated it with such bravery bodes well for an upcoming run of five away fixtures from six. It could well be a period which determines the height of Hibs’ ambitions – will they force themselves into the mix for third place and Europe once more? The potential is there, clearly, but it’s all going to be about that aforementioned consistency.

Confidence man

Incredible what a bit of belief – internal and external – can do for a player, eh? When Montgomery brought Jair back into the fold a couple of weeks into his tenure, part of you did wonder whether it was partly influenced by a lack of other options for a system was heavy on attacking personnel. But Montgomery he had spotted something in a player who could not have been further out of the picture under the previous regime. It took the 22-year-old a little while to find his feet, but you can see coaching staff’s confidence in him beginning to register in his own mind. His goal, perhaps Hibs’ best of the season so far, does not happen without that belief. To take Dundee’s entire midfield out of the game with one touch was sublime, and his pass in behind for Dylan Vente was perfectly weighted. Even when the Dutchman rolled the ball brilliantly back into Jair’s path, helped by a clever dummy from Josh Campbell, it still demanded a cool, assured head to apply the finish.

Lesson for Miller

Miller has undoubtedly been among Hibs’ best players so far this season, and his second goal was crucial in securing the victory, but proceeding to get himself sent off shortly after scoring it made the latter stages of this match trickier for his team-mates than it needed to be. It was especially frustrating considering how needless the first of his two bookings were, clattering into Owen Beck in a nothing area of the pitch, when he had little chance of winning the ball anyway. That put the right-back on the proverbial tightrope with an awful long time left to play. Too much time, as it happened, and a cynical tug on Beck’s shirt after he’d been bested in a one v one at the edge of the box was enough for referee Don Robertson to produce a second yellow, followed by the inevitable red. Pre-match, Montgomery spoke of the need to keep Miller’s feet on the ground given his recent international successes with Australia, but this was more naivety than the 23-year-old getting carried away with himself. It’ll be a lesson for him, one that, thankfully for Hibs, didn’t come with a cost on the day.

Quicker off the mark

It didn’t happen every time, but when the moment was right, Hibs looked in a noticeably greater hurry to restart the play from goal kicks. It had become a point of some not inconsiderable ire at Easter Road across recent games that Hibs seemed to prefer taking a breath and setting up in their shape before Marshall made his first move, as opposed to gambling on a quick break. There were a couple of occasions before Jair’s goal that Marshall released the ball quickly after collecting, and it helped inject some tempo into Hibs’ play, without which they may not have scored. While I wouldn’t expect Hibs to start launching it long at every opportunity any time soon, there’s harm in a little variation in that respect. Teams have come to expect a certain approach from Hibs, and it did seem to catch Dundee a little by surprise when they opted to start the play more quickly.