Hibs ratings and report from mad night in Motherwell as Scotland World Cup hero turns red-card villain

Ten-man Hibs crashed to just their third league defeat of the season on a freezing night at Fir Park, as David Gray’s men paid the price for a crazy half hour of sloppy defending, poor decision making and two huge VAR interventions that left them two goals and a player down. And, seven days on from the highlight of his international career, Scotland World Cup hero Grant Hanley came hurtling back down to earth as he conceded a penalty AND picked up a red card to leave his team virtually without hope.

The 2-0 loss sees the Easter Road side remain in third place in the Scottish Premiership. But they’re joined on 21 points by Motherwell – and now can’t overtake second-placed Celtic even with a home win over the reigning champions on Sunday. That’s how costly this defeat was.

Hibs found themselves two down with just over 20 minutes on the clock, as a Tawanda Maswanhise penalty and an Elijah Just strike put the home side in control. If the visitors could complain about the VAR intervention that saw Hanley punished for a handball, they were masters of their own downfall in conceding the second in a truly chaotic passage of play inside the penalty box.

And Hanley’s red card just after the half-hour mark, a clear denial of a goal-scoring opportunity for Maswanhise, effectively put the contest beyond Hibs. Who had gone into this game with lofty ambitions and high hopes of building on their recent winning run.

Against a home side showing five changes from their weekend win over Kilmarnock, Hibs went with the same starting XI for the third straight game. If it ain’t broke, etc, right?

The best laid plans were torn to shreds when a Just shot hit Hanley’s hand with just over a quarter of an hour gone. It might not have been deliberate. The ball could even have been going off target. And it looked very similar to the penalty that Rangers DIDN’T concede at the weekend.

But referee Duncan Nicholson, invited to take a second look by VAR Greg Aitken, clearly saw enough to award the penalty; Maswanhise beat Raphael Sallinger from 12 yards, sending the keeper the wrong way. Not a great start.

The opener hit the back of the net with 19 minutes on the clock. Two minutes later, Hibs were two down, as failure to clear a ball into the box – they had at least two cracks at it – presented Just with a sitter. Gratefully accepted.

Maswanhise then found himself subject to a VAR check for potential violent play, the striker cleared of throwing an elbow. Motherwell’s star man then forced the moment that resulted in Hanley being sent off, with VAR again prompting ref Nicholson to review the original offside call that had – temporarily – nullified the Scotland World Cup hero’s pretty clear foul on the striker as he ran through on goal.

Hibs might have pulled themselves back into the contest just moments after being reduced in number, only for Martin Boyle’s goal-bound effort to be cleared off the line after he’d rounded Motherwell goalkeeper Calum Ward. But it was always going to be tough for the visitors to gain a foothold, even as Gray threw on subs and switched formation – first to a 4-4-1 and then, after half-time, to a more adventurous 4-3-2.