Hibernian 2 - 0 Motherwell: Hibees keep up the pressure

Published on Saturday 5 December 2009 20:51

Stokes 41, 56

UNBEATEN on the road this season before yesterday, Motherwell fared as badly against Hibs at Easter Road as they did when they were overwhelmed 3-1 on their own patch. The margin of victory may have comprised of just two Anthony Stokes goals either side of half-time, but this was an even more emphatic beating than that which Hibs administered at Fir Park. Motherwell played tidily at times and hung in manfully, but there was no disguising the gulf between the two sides and by the end the home side were in complete control and the visitors engaged in a full-scale damage-limitation exercise.

"It was a job well done," said Hibs boss John Hughes. "I think we merited the points and were very good in parts. We need to keep our feet on the ground, but there's a real work ethic and team spirit. We've only lost once at Easter Road this season and there won't be many teams looking forward to coming here."

Much of the credit for the scale of Hibs' victory must go to Liam Miller, who must rank as the best SPL signing since Hughes unveiled an unknown loan signing called Anthony Stokes at Falkirk. Motherwell must be sick of the sight of the diminutive midfielder because once again he scuttled around picking them apart at the seams, his metronomic movement and flawless distribution the key to Hibs' dominance. Not that he did it on his own: Sol Bamba was uncompromising at the back, Derek Riordan was in inspired and unusually energetic form, the ungainly Colin Nish put in one of his best displays in a Hibs jersey, and Stokes' movement up front made him a constant threat. Even keeper Yves Ma-Kalambay looked incapable of putting a glove out of place.

Not that it started particularly well for Hibs, who spent the first 20 minutes trying to build up a head of steam but faltered thanks to some horribly poor passing in their own half and the dogged attentions of a Motherwell side for whom Jamie Murphy and Giles Coke looked to be class acts. Yet when the home side hit their stride, the match turned into a relentless stream of one-way traffic heading in the direction of the Motherwell goal, where only some smart work from keeper John Ruddy kept Motherwell in the match.

From the moment Stokes fashioned Hibs' first serious strike at goal after 20 minutes, it became a matter of when, rather than if, the home side broke the deadlock. The breakthrough eventually came four minutes before half-time when a lofted pass from Riordan allowed Stokes, who looked offside, to muscle past Stevie Hammell and fire the ball low past Ruddy for the opener.

The result became a virtual certainty when Stokes' shot from the edge of the box took a huge deflection in off Saunders to give Hibs a two-goal cushion within ten-minutes of the re-start.

Although the vast majority of chances continued to fall to a super-confident Hibs side in full cry, Motherwell did manage to carve out a couple of chances, with Murphy very unlucky to get a yellow-card rather than a penalty when he was scythed down by Bamba, while Lukas Jutiewicz's misfire in front of goal in the 89th minute rounded off a miserable afternoon for the Lanarkshire outfit.

Afterwards, an upbeat Stokes spoke of the possibility of Hibs splitting the Old Firm. As for Motherwell, manager Jim Gannon has worked wonders this season and his team kept their shape admirably, but his reaction to this defeat (and, quite possibly, referee Iain Brines' more eccentric decisions) was, however, evident from the fact that he declined to attend the post-match press conference and wouldn't let his players front-up either. If he's a little hot under the collar it's not going to get any easier over the coming weeks, with Motherwell playing both of the Old Firm before Christmas.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Liam Miller was once again superb, the former Celtic, Manchester United and Sunderland star acting as both the brains and lungs of this Hibs side. His promptings have improved this team immeasurably.

QUICK FACT

Motherwell have lost only two matches this season in the Premier League, and both have been against Hibs. Manager Jim Gannon described the Steelmen's 3-1 home loss to the Leith team as their worst performance of the season.

TALKING POINT

It may have been well-deserved, but was the Anthony Stokes goal which broke the deadlock offside?