Hibernian Dominates Dundee Despite Late Nerve Test

Hibernian shook off any hint of a European hangover to dominate Dundee, but they made it far more anxious than it ever needed to be.

David Gray’s side controlled the tempo from the start, moving the ball with purpose and pinning Steven Pressley’s team deep. Possession wasn’t the problem. What nagged at them was the final act.

Nathan Lowe rose well but couldn’t get enough power on an early header. Martin Boyle buzzed around the Dundee back line, twice trying his luck before finally timing his run to perfection, staying onside to collect a Grant Hanley pass and finish. The breakthrough matched the pattern of the game: Hibs sharp, Dundee second best.

Boyle should have doubled the lead before the interval. Clean through again, he chose to chip the goalkeeper, only to watch the ball skip wide. It was the sort of miss that lingers in the mind if a game turns.

For a long spell after the break, it looked like it wouldn’t matter. Hibs tightened their grip. The second goal, when it came, felt like a truer reflection of their dominance, and as Jamie McGrath and Felix Passlack began to surge forward, the visitors threatened to run away with it. Dundee were hanging on, the contest close to slipping out of sight.

Then came the twist. A goal from Westley dragged Dundee back into it late on, punishing Hibs’ failure to be more ruthless. What had been a procession suddenly became a test of nerve.

Gray’s team survived, but the warning was clear. With Edinburgh rivals Hearts visiting on Thursday night, Hibs will need the same attacking intent – and far more clinical edge – against last season’s Scottish Premiership runners-up.

For Dundee, the first half was grim. Beyond a wayward effort from Bradley Fink, there was almost nothing to cheer. They looked disjointed, their press uncertain, their build-up fractured. Pressley’s description of his side as “not really cohesive” matched what the stands had already seen.

After the break, there was at least a flicker. Joe Bevan’s dangerous delivery flashed across the face of goal, forcing Passlack into a scrambling clearance. At 2-0 down, Hamilton finally forced Raphael Sallinger into action. Getting Bevan on the ball more often gave Dundee some life, but they never rediscovered the attacking intent that had fuelled recent wins over Aberdeen and Dundee United.

The absence of injured captain Simon Murray loomed large. His presence in the stand underlined exactly what Dundee are missing: energy, movement, and a focal point in attack. It is no surprise that Pressley, speaking before the match, highlighted the need to strengthen up front and at centre-back before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Another home test now looms on Wednesday against Tayside rivals St Johnstone. The margin for error is shrinking.

Pressley did not try to disguise the gulf on the day. “Over the course, there’s no doubt Hibernian deserved to win,” he admitted, accepting that Hibs had surprised his side and that he had not found the right solutions. “We have to take the medicine and respond.”

Gray, in contrast, saw a response already delivered. “That’s certainly the right way to bounce back,” he said, praising a performance he felt was “outstanding” and fully deserving of victory. For 80 minutes, Hibs had “complete control” and should have killed the game, he argued, before that late Dundee strike forced them to dig in one last time.

They found the answer. The question now is whether this version of Hibernian – assertive, front-foot, but still wasteful – can turn control into something more ruthless when the derby lights go on at Easter Road.