Never mind the wind – Dons goal never left the deck

On windy nights such as this, it is always a strong possibility that a defensive mistake will decide the match.

But Hibs will be furious that the passage of play through which they carelessly allowed Aberdeen to take control of proceedings was one in which the ball never left the ground from start to finish

Perhaps Ryan Porteous and Lewis Stevenson were so aware of the hazards overhead that they switched to complacency mode with the ball at their feet. Still, there are very few players in the league who would have punished their slackness so swiftly and with so few touches.

Gary Mackay-Steven in full flow is a dream to watch and a nightmare to stop. This season he is playing with extreme confidence, and while it was his bold early shot which paid the dividends here there were also plenty of the trademark flicks and feints which he pulls out so frequently when he feels good about his game.

Mackay-Steven continued his quest to replicate his assist for Scotland against Portugal in an Ab- erdeen shirt, looking to play in colleagues with his heel at every opportunity, and though it has yet to pay off it is a great sign that he is so keen to try it.

A confidence player whose best and worst form is further apart than most and depends on his frame of mind, he is choosing to be the star of this season’s show and rarely fails to deliver.

And so Mackay-Steven hauled the Dons into the top six – at Hibs’ expense – and temporarily at least level on points with third spot, despite having barely looked themselves all season. Growing more solid by the week, and with four wins in a fortnight, Aberdeen are quietly building themselves an excellent platform from which to launch, and it is MackaySteven preparing to light the fuse.

“He has chosen to be star of this season’s show”