Wasteful Hibs found themselves punished for missed chances as Motherwell claimed victory at Easter Road.

David Gray watched his side fail to convert a host of opportunities, and goals from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Andy Halliday either side of Junior Hoilett's equaliser consigned them to defeat, with Hibs' misery compounded by Nectar Triantis being sent off for two bookable offences. Gray's team have now won just one of their opening seven Scottish Premiership matches, losing four. 

Set-pieces proved their undoing, with Motherwell's goals coming from a sharply-taken free-kick and a long throw. The final whistle, one that confirmed Hibs dropping to 10th in the table, was met with a smattering of boos around Easter Road as a stuttering campaign took another costly stumble.

Hibs pay for profigacy

This was a classic example of what happens when you don't take your chances. Hibs had several opportunities to pull away from Motherwell here, and despite being the better team for long spells, spurned too many of them. Mykola Kukharevych will have headed home wondering just how he didn't get his name on the scoresheet. The Ukrainian striker was denied twice at close range by Oxborough, and then had a third header cleared off the line. It was a mix of misfortune for Kukharevych, good goalkeeping, and some luck on the part of the visitors. Kwon then had a goalbound effort clawed away by Oxborough as half-time approached and Hibs pressed. A Chris Cadden chance in the second-half, though, proved to be a significant 'what if' moment. Played in by Kukharevych, the winger looked a little hesitant, and his shot from around 12 yards cannoned off the onrushing Oxborough. Having squandered opportunities to take something at Ibrox last week, doing so again just a week later is a concern for Hibs. His team are creating chances, and that will offer Gray encouragement, but he will not want this to become a recurring issue.

Set-piece frustration

Motherwell have scored more set-piece goals than any other Premiership side, and that threat will have been a theme of preparations at HTC through the week. It'll have especially frustrated Gray then, that it was from a dead ball situation that his side switched off and allowed their visitors, who had barely threatened otherwise, to snatch the lead. It was a certainly a minute or two that Josh Campbell will want to forget. The midfielder conceded the initial foul, hauling back the impressive Lennon Miller in the middle of the park. Sometimes those fouls are necessary, but Hibs had plenty of bodies behind the ball. Stamatelopoulos then got the run on Campbell for a well-worked routine, slamming the ball high into Josef Bursik's net. Another set-piece, specifically the well noted long throw from Kofi Balmer, was Hibs' undoing, the home side failing to get first contact and that allowed Halliday to volley home the winner from close range. It was dreadfully poor from Hibs' perspective, and extremely costly.

Learning curve for Triantis

The on-loan Sunderland midfielder has earned some very deserved praise since his deadline day return to Easter Road, but this was a bad day for him, and a reminder that despite his undoubted potential, he's still a young player with plenty to learn. His red card 13 minutes from time was followed by Motherwell's set-piece winner just three minutes later, and Hibs are obviously down one significantly imposing presence when Triantis isn't on the pitch. Two yellow cards were his undoing, the first for an apparent dive and the second for a reckless challenge. His first booking, you could argue, was one of those incidents where it was neither a penalty nor outright simulation. Being booked so early in the game, though, left the 21-year-old walking the proverbial tightrope for a significant period of time. He can have no complaints about the second booking, going to ground and timing it badly, leaving referee Matthew McDermid with no choice. With Triantis now facing a suspension, Gray may just be grateful for the upcoming break, as it'll allow him time to get Joe Newell, absent again despite being 'in contention', back up to speed. 

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Hoilett's touch of class

At 34, Hibs' summer signing is the definition of 'still got it'. All those years of experience accumulate to the point where there's not going to be a pitch in Scotland upon which he is not the calmest man. Hoilett always looked the most likely source of inspiration for Hibs. He's all deft touches and clever movement, never rushed but never lingering too long on the ball, either. His equalising goal was as nonchalant as it gets, coasting in off the left after winning possession back before passing the ball into Oxborough's far corner, the Motherwell keeper throwing a despairing left arm at it. It was a deserved leveller for Hibs, who had otherwise been the dominant side before Motherwell's set-piece threat caught them out. There was some suggestion when Hoilett arrived that he would, perhaps, primarily be used as an impact player but, at the moment, there's no one you'd pick ahead of him on that left flank. A bright spark on an otherwise bad day.