Hibs instant analysis as Hearts snatch late derby victory

The Jambos captain escaped the attentions of the Hibs defence for a split second to fire high beyond David Marshall for the only goal of a contest that largely failed to fire. Shankland had earlier struck a first-half penalty against the post before Martin Boyle had a spot-kick of his own saved by Zander Clark up the other end.

Defeat for Hibs leaves them eight points behind third-placed Hearts as the winter break approaches, and means they have lost two Premiership matches in a row for the first time under Nick Montgomery.

Patrick McPartlin and Liam Bryce were in Leith to provide the instant analysis.

That will hurt

Make no mistake about it, Hibs fans will be hurt by this one for quite some time. A derby that was given the full bells and whistles treatment by Sky ahead of kick-off, at least until it emerged Nick Montgomery was not permitted to wear a microphone, looked set to fizzle out into a forgettable draw until Shankland sickened the majority of Easter Road. Missed penalty aside, Hibs had marshalled the Hearts captain well for much of the evening, and in doing so you can render the Tynecastle side largely toothless. Hibs had created the better second-half openings, with Dylan Vente and Elie Youan making Clark work, but the killer touch they lacked is what Shankland delivered in abundance at the very end. In the blink of an eye, this went from a derby no one would remember for any length of time to one that will really sting at Easter Road.

Liam Bryce

Occasion passes Hibs by

After a gritty win at Livingston and a dismal defeat by St Johnstone, a home derby with a capacity crowd seemed to be the ideal tonic for Hibs. But after an early let-off when Lawrence Shankland struck the post with his penalty, Martin Boyle was unable to take advantage for the hosts when his penalty was saved, and the game looked for all the world like a goalless draw until Shankland’s late, late winner. 

Hibs had more chances than Hearts, but couldn’t take any of their opportunities. Zander Clark had a couple of smart saves, including one from Dylan Vente, and was the busier of the two goalkeepers. But the real difference was that, when presented with an opportunity, Shankland took it whereas Hibs didn’t. 

It was a marginally improved performance from Hibs. But it matters little when you don’t get the result to go with it.

Patrick McPartlin

Horror injury for Campbell

There was a lengthy second-half stoppage when Campbell collided with Dylan Levitt as they both chased Beni Baningime across the halfway line. Campbell's left leg twisted horribly under him, and he was left in immediate distress. It didn't take long at all for the Hibs physio to signal that a stretcher would be required, and the visibly distraught midfielder was soon carried from the pitch. A full update will follow in due course, but initial impressions were that this could be a serious injury for the 23-year-old.

If so, his versatility and attacking threat will be a real miss for Hibs, who are not exactly peppering the opposition goal at the minute. And, of course, it would be a tremendous shame for Campbell himself, who had begun to prove his worth to Montgomery after a spell watching from the sidelines early in the manager's tenure. With Hibs already light in attacking areas, another long-term absentee is the last thing the manager needs at this moment in time.

Liam Bryce

Miller disappoints

It’s been a turbulent few weeks for Lewis Miller, starting with his winning goal and sending-off against Dundee, then his surprise absence from the squad at Livingston, and his 45 minutes against St Johnstone during which he picked up an avoidable yellow card and didn’t reappear for the second half, with Nick Montgomery putting his non-reappearance down to sickness. 

With the scheduled game against Ross County called off, it gave ample time for the Australian full-back - named in Graham Arnold’s squad for next month’s AFC Asian Cup - to recover. But to put it bluntly, Miller’s first-half performance was redolent of someone returning to fives after an indulgent festive period. Positionally he was poor, his passing more often than not didn’t reach its intended target, and he committed himself far too often putting pressure on his defensive colleagues. Then there was one sublime ball forward that in less breezy conditions might have been on a plate for Dylan Vente. He improved in the second half, but there was still one misplaced pass that resulted in Kenneth Vargas getting a shot away. Miller was rightly winning plaudits earlier in the season under Montgomery, and is a talented player. Perhaps avoiding injury ahead of the Asian Cup has been playing on his mind given it's his first senior tournament with the Socceroos, which is probably understandable, but Hibs need much, much more from him. 

Patrick McPartlin

Newell's return a positive

When Hibs lost to St Johnstone, what was particularly obvious in defeat was how the hosts controlled the midfield battle, with Jimmy Jeggo and Dylan Levitt not really able to lay a glove on their opponents. Montgomery jokingly suggested after the game that sometimes ‘players get better in their absence’, with reference to the suspended Joe Newell. But against Hearts the skipper showed his importance not just to the midfield but to the team overall. His individual battle with Beni Baningime was one of the more captivating sub-plots to the game and even with 90 minutes on the clock he was driving forward to press the Hearts defence although ultimately his endeavours were in vain.

It wasn’t a huge surprise when he was named the man of the match, after showing exactly what Hibs had missed in Perth, but he also can't do it all himself. 

Patrick McPartlin