There’s no denying that our defence hasn’t looked as good this season but against Hibs – even before they went down to ten men – it looked a lot more robust.
Admittedly, the goal we conceded could have been defended better but sometimes you have to give credit, albeit grudgingly, to the opposition. It was a great cross by Chris Cadden, and Kevin Nisbet’s movement was very clever to find space after Martin Boyle had drawn Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun to the front post.
Other than this moment though, Allan McGregor was rarely tested, our centre-halves pressing higher than they have done for most of the season rather than allowing time and space for Hibs to build an attack, it was an area I was worried about before the game but we had obviously made adjustments to our game plan.
Of course, it isn’t just the back four that are responsible for defending.
Ianis Hagi and Scott Wright worked hard out of possession with John Lundstram covering every blade of grass, in the first two minutes alone he won the ball back on opposite touchlines, there was a noticeable increase in tempo and intensity of our defending – Hibs players weren’t allowed to sit back and pick passes that could hurt us, instead, they were harried and forced into making mistakes.
It’s an accusation that has been thrown at Steven Gerrard’s side for most of the season, a distinct drop in intensity, yes, Michael Beale has explained why there has been a tactical shift, but we have still been too passive, it was though, good to see us looking more like the team we fell in love with on the way to 55.