Hibs analysis: Marcondes impact, poor goals, Marshall injury

The on-loan Bournemouth playermaker's second-half strike, initially ruled out for offside before VAR intervened, levelled matters after goals from Nicky Devlin and Jamie McGrath flipped the script on Martin Boyle's opener. Hibs felt they were denied a clear penalty at 1-1 when Devlin handled in the box, but left the north east still without a win in the Premiership since December 9.

A win for Dundee at home to Ross County pushes Nick Montgomery's side five points away from the league's top six, and level with the eight-placed Dons. Patrick McPartlin and Liam Bryce provide the instant analysis from Pittodrie.

Premiership victory remains elusive

This was a huge game for both teams, but especially so for Hibs, who had earned a bit of respite from a wretched run with a battling performance and an unfortunate defeat against Celtic, and a comfortable win against Inverness CT in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup. But the league is their bread and butter, and three points from 24 is not the sort of form that gets teams into the top six, never mind the European spots, and you would imagine there is a bit of pressure growing on Montgomery as well. He may well get that rare thing for modern-day managers - time - and be allowed a second transfer window to bring in more of his players and continue his rebuild. But if results don’t improve, and with an in-form Dundee and a trip to Hearts on the horizon, that pressure could grow even more. 

Patrick McPartlin

Defensive woes refuse to ease

The jitters coursing through the Hibs defence were evident even within a few minutes of this game, and did not dissipate as it progressed. He didn't find the net today, ironically, but the source of those nerves was still Bojan Miovski, the archetypal centre-back's nightmare. He's quick in behind, can come short, links the play, works his socks off, and is a lethal finisher. A degree of trepidation in dealing with him is only natural, but Hibs let his mere presence get the better of them here. There was nothing particularly complicated about how Aberdeen attacked the visitors, looking to go long early and play off their talisman, who simply thrives on indecision. He will have been quickly emboldened by how shakily Hibs responded to the ball being launched in his direction, with several clearances snatched at and miscued. Miovski ghosted in behind to force a save from David Marshall before the rebound was tapped into the empty net by Devlin, and from that point there seemed a reluctance to be brave and squeeze the game, with Hibs opting, at times, to sit too deep. The second phase set-piece has become their achilles heel, and it was Triantis' failure to push up that played Miovski onside, then the Australian was too slow in reacting to the rebound. The Dons' decisive second was a mess from Hibs' perspective, with multiple chances to either clear the ball or, at least, put pressure on it squandered.

Liam Bryce

Emiliano off the mark

It was clear from his first few minutes in a Hibs shirt that Emiliano Marcondes would raise things a notch in the final third - his English Premier League experience showed straight away. Before his arrival, Hibs lacked a player who could link things between the midfield and the attack.

Much has been made of Nick Montgomery’s squad depth and how it is looking a lot stronger now. Given his pedigree there may be an argument that Marcondes deserves to be in from the start, and he may well get that chance when his fitness is better. He describe himself as a ‘cold pasta dish’ early in his Hibs tenure, suggesting that he needed to warm up and be more appealing. On today’s performance give him another couple of minutes on a high heat and he should be good to go.

Hibs had started the game strongly, before conceding immediately after scoring, and looking very much under the cosh as Aberdeen turned up the pressure and scored a second. The introduction of Marcondes freshened up the attack and he took his goal so well, and could have added to his tally with a couple of efforts that Kelle Roos saved. His vision and use of the ball is something Hibs have been badly missing. There are still plenty of issues with this Hibs team, and it’s far too early to decide if the January transfer window was a success in terms of performances on the pitch.  But there is little doubt over Marcondes and his influence, and he felt like one of the few players capable of earning Hibs a point when they looked somewhat dead and buried. 

Patrick McPartlin

VAR again a factor

VAR giveth, and VAR taketh away, albeit the other way around for Hibs. Not too many of those big, video-assisted calls have gone Montgomery's way since he arrived in Scotland, with the most painful being against Saturday's opponent at Hampden last year. And when referee David Munro stopped the game for VAR David Dickinson to check a potential handball against Devlin, it looked for all the world that the outcome would be a Hibs penalty. A Jordan Obita cross struck the defender on his left arm which - and this felt like the crux of the matter - he moved towards the ball to stop it travelling any further into the Aberdeen box. There was considerable surprise, then, that the incident was dismissed relatively quickly and play resumed. In this day and age, it looked a fairly cut and dry call. It was some consolation then that Emiliano's equaliser was allowed to stand after initially being flagged offside. VAR appeared to analyse moments when both Obita and Joe Newell were stood on the last line, and eventually ruled that neither had strayed beyond. Still, though, the penalty non-award was a strange one.

Liam Bryce

Marshall limps off

Not for the first time this season, David Marshall suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Jojo Wollacott for the last few minutes. With the first-choice goalkeeper’s contract up in the summer, and question marks over Wollacott’s suitability for the role after a less-than-convincing performance against Ross County in the 2-2 draw at Easter Road in October, the ‘keeper situation was likely up for discussion anyway, but with the Hibs defence looking ropey and in need of a convincing pair of hands behind them, the onus is now on Wollacott - assuming Marshall is out for a while - to prove that he is not only a short-term fix, but the long-term answer too. 

Patrick McPartlin