Best of the rest? Wright’s on the money against rivals for third
ACOMBINATION of dreadful defending and excellent finishing from Aberdeen pair Scott Wright and Sam Cosgrove meant Hibernian’s hopes of supplanting Celtic in second place evaporated in short order at Pittodrie.
Instead, two goals in the opening phase of play were enough for Derek McInnes’s side to move two points above the Easter Road club, into third place in the Premiership with a game in hand.
It was also the second win of the season against the side who are supposed to be their main rivals for the “best of the rest” title this season but on the evidence of this game and the previous meeting Aberdeen look well placed to clinch that particular accolade.
Just how impressive they can be this season will face its sternest test in the league so far when they travel to Ibrox for the first fixture after the international break where they will hope to play better than during last weekend’s trip to Glasgow.
Of course both teams came into the game on the back of predictable Scottish Cup semi- final defeats to opponents they always struggle to get the better of, and right from the start it was a theme Hibernian were destined to continue.
Craig Brown was still in charge of Aberdeen the last time the Easter Road side won at Pittodrie and within 12 minutes it was clear that miserable sequence would extend into a ninth year.
By then they already trailed by two goals and what made it all the more galling for Jack Ross was that the damage was largely self- inflicted as first Jamie Murphy, then
Ryan Porteous, were guilty of dreadful mistakes.
Murphy replaced the injured Kyle Magennis in the hope of adding an attacking threat, instead the former Rangers midfielder rashly attempted to play football in his own penalty area, only for Ryan Hedges to pinch possession.
A swift interchange that saw the ball ping on via Ross McCrorie and Lewis Ferguson before Wright’s intelligent run ended with an equally astute angled drive into the far corner for his second goal of the season.
If anything Cosgrove’s finish was even more impressive, steering a shot with the outside of his right foot into the top corner, proving none of his skills have been diminished by spending the first three months of the season sidelined with a knee injury.
It was how the opportunity presented itself that was most disturbing for Hibernian in general and Porteous in
particular, as the Scotland squad member smashed a pass under no pressure against Ferguson’s head and the ball spun into the striker’s pass.
Not that McInnes was worried about that as he said: “It was a great finish and it shows what we were missing when Sam was out injured for so long, but in general we get the reward for a very good team performance.
“We were up against a good Hibs side but that win means we’ve now made our second best start to a season in the last 20 years and it is just the start, but I am encouraged by what I’m seeing from my team.”
Aberdeen’s superior pace in attack and effective compression of space when the visitors moved forward saw them deal comfortably with nearly anything thrown at them.
Apart from when Ash Taylor nearly sliced a hopeful Christian Doidge cross so badly that Joe Lewis was forced to tip the net bound effort over his own bar.
Ironically, Taylor remained the Edinburgh club’s best hope of a way back into the game as the Dons centre back continued to be a rare weak link in an
otherwise solid side.
Three minutes after the interval the Englishman completely misjudged Joe Newell’s free kick from deep but his momentum when falling backwards was enough to distract Paul Hanlon’s attempt to take advantage without conceding a penalty.
Hibernian certainly enjoyed plenty of possession in the second period and did have a strong claim for a penalty when Martin Boyle crashed to the deck under a challenge from Matty Kennedy but it summed up their frustration that referee Euan Anderson wasn’t convinced.