Rampant Lions ease past Hibs for seventh straight win
Two early goals sees Livingston start 2021 in style
Livingston picked up a fifth straight top flight victory for the first time in their history thanks to an emphatic display at Easter Road.
Goals from Josh Mullin and Jon Guthrie inside the opening 16 minutes were added to by Scott Robinson two minutes after the interval.
But the scoreline flattered the hosts, who were second best all afternoon and produced what must be their worst performance of an otherwise impressive campaign.
Livi boss David Martindale made three changes to the side that sealed a dramatic late winner on Boxing Day at Kilmarnock. Match- winner Robinson replaced Jay Emmanuel-Thomas up front while former Hibee Efe Ambrose and Ciaron Brown were recalled at the back. Jack Fitzwater and Julien Serrano were the ones to miss out.
Hibs, meanwhile, were dealt a blow before kick-off with Ofir Marciano picking up an injury and needing to be replaced in goal by Dillon Barnes. Goalkeeping coach Craig Samson took up a place on the bench.
The Lions got off to the perfect start as they got themselves in front on nine minutes. Robinson - who had already been booked for a dive in the box - teed up Mullin down the right flank with the winger fizzing a first
time effort beyond the outstretched arm of Barnes.
Seven minutes later, Mullin turned from finisher to provider. His cross was flapped at by Barnes with Guthrie on hand to smash home his fifth league goal of the campaign from close range.
It was no less than the visitors deserved as they dominated the dismal Hibees in every aspect of the game.
They went close to netting a third midway through the first half when Scott Pittman teed up Mullin following a surging run into the box. The former Ross County man couldn’t add to his tally, though, with a curling effort from 20 yards going
narrowly wide.
The only pressure that the Lions were under during the first half was of their own doing when Max Stryjek’s woeful clearance bounced off Christian Doidge - but the striker would be denied by a tremendous last ditch tackle from Guthrie.
Mullin’s return to the starting line-up has been a key catalyst for Livi’s upturn in results under Martindale and he went close once more just before the break.
His wonderful strike from 14 yards looked set to nestle inside the post only for Barnes to somehow get the faintest of fingertips to divert it wide.
Any hope Hibs had of turning the game
around were dashed within 90 seconds of the restart. It was a goal that summed up their afternoon as calamitous defending allowed Robinson to poke the ball home.
The striker raced onto a ball over the top, outmuscled Ryan Porteous but slipped inside the box. The defender - with keeper Barnes and team-mate Paul Hanlon in the vicinity too - failed to make the clearance with Robinson somehow being afforded the time to regain his footing before firing through the keeper’s legs.
The away side continued to dominate and Jason Holt should have made it four on the hour mark after a rapid counter-attack from the Lions. Pittman teed up the former
Hearts man but his strike was tame with Barnes saving comfortably.
Hibs’ first attempt on target didn’t arrive until the 72nd minute when a Jamie Gullan header did little to worry Stryjek as Livi eased to three points.
A delighted Martindale commented: “Momentum is massive. It makes my job that much easier and I was a wee bit worried the postponement against Aberdeen in midweek might affect that – but the boys carried on where they left off.
“All my time at Livingston we have always been big on clean sheets. We lost that a bit at the start of the season.
“The back four are now putting demands on the midfield who are putting demands on the strikers. We’ve lost one goal from open play in seven games. They should be proud of that.”