Hibs final word: This team showed different side to it at Dundee United - it doesn't always have to be beautiful

This was ugly and miserable conditions - but the three points are all the same

Ryan Porteous embraces Ofir Marciano as Hibs made it three wins out of three

Three games, three wins, top of the Premiership. Life is really good for Hibs right now.

We saw the classier side of Hibs at the weekend when they eviscerated Livingston in the sunshine. When the sleeves needed rolled up in the stormier surroundings of Tannadice, they rose to the challenge and picked up three crucial points on the road.

This 1-0 win means that Hibs will be, at worst, joint-top of the Premiership when this reduced round of matches comes to a head on Wednesday night. When the fixture list was released last month, it looked attractive on paper. But, as we know, football is never that straightforward. Dundee United away was the game that screamed problems, a trip to a promoted club brimming with confidence.

The visitors were given a pre-match boost with the news that United talisman Lawrence Shankland was ruled out by injury again. United don't carry quite the same X-Factor when he's on the sidelines. Hibs had their full armoury to choose from. They named the same starting XI as Saturday's triumph in West Lothian, with Christian Doidge and Kevin Nisbet leading the line and supported by Martin Boyle and Daryl Horgan.

Make no mistake though, despite the array of attacking riches in green-and-white, this was not a match for the football purists. The first-half was full of meaty tackles, full-throttle football but without any voluptuousness. Put it in a beauty contest and it would be told to leave before voting even began.

There wasn't even a shot on target and the half can be summed up by an ugly clash of heads between United's Jamie Robson and Hibs' Paul McGinn in the opening exchanges. Robson was taken off with suspected concussion, but McGinn survived. In a slugging match, it set the tone.

Joe Newell and Alex Gogic both picked up yellow cards for niggly fouls in the midfield. Newell, in particular, found it hard to add his recent sprinkling of stardust to proceedings. United lined up in a 3-5-2 formation and thus overloaded Hibs in the middle without ever really causing any serious danger. Hibs struggled to pass through the rock-solid Calum Butcher, who anchored United's midfield well, but on the flipside, Micky Mellon's men could've chiselled away at the coalface and not scored either until referee Don Robertson thankfully put the first 45 minutes to an end.

The match changed on 54 minutes when Hibs head coach Jack Ross, to his credit, blinked first in what was becoming an stiflingly stoic game of poker. Scott Allan was summoned from the bench and replaced Daryl Horgan, who had actually looked one of Hibs' more creative players. However, the change gave Hibs more control of the midfield and more oomph in attack as they mirrored United’s 3-5-2.

The defining moment came 11 minutes later and in keeping with the match, it wasn't a pretty goal. In fact, there was a whiff of offside about it. Gogic's cross was flicked on by Nisbet and the ball landed at Josh Doig's feet. The young left-back's shot was blocked, but the ball squirmed through to Doidge and the Welshman took a touch before lashing a shot high beyond Benjamin Siegrist in the United goal.

Now it was time for Hibs to do the dirty work. Unlike at Livingston when they pursued more goals, one was going to be enough to win this as long as the door stayed bolted at the back.

Dundee United, understandably, attacked with more fervour. Hibs goalkeeper Ofir Marciano looked dicey at crosses and Mark Connolly came closest with a header that went wide. Ian Harkes and Peter Pawlett also threatened, but neither effort hit the target. Ryan Porteous and Paul Hanlon batted away wave after wave of attack. Hanlon, in particular, deserves mention for a captain's performance and a strong clearance to deny a clear chance for Louis Appere.

Aside from his "assist", 18-year-old Doig was the picture of composure, a diamond in the rough. With every appearance, he gets better and better. Aided by advice by Hanlon, Horgan and Newell on the left-hand side, Hibs appear to have a real talent on their hands.

With Celtic and Aberdeen inactive for this gameweek and next, Hibs now have a grand opportunity to put some more early heat on the bigger fish in this league. By no means are we suggesting that Hibs are going to stop ten-in-a-row, but the side we saw from them at sodden Dundee suggests this season shouldn't end in a damp squib. This Easter Road team should already be thinking about what it can achieve.

Motherwell on Saturday, again under the cameras, comes next. It's a decent chance to put more points on the board. With goals flowing within a balanced, confident team, you wouldn't bet against another win.