Tangerines can't stop Hibs' rise

Dundee United couldn't prevent Hibernian from returning to the top of the table despite substitute Gary Mackay-Steven being on target at Easter Road.

Hibs' Leigh Griffiths opened the scoring on nineteen minutes before Eoin Doyle added a second early in the second-half.

However, Mackay-Steven soon took advantage of a defensive mistake to reply, but that was about as good as it got for the visitors despite the best efforts of fellow substitute Rudi Skacel.

Griffiths drilled an early free-kick into the defensive wall after Radoslav Cierzniak had handled a backpass before the former Dundee striker volleyed his twelfth goal of the season from Doyle's cross.

Doyle soon had the ball in the net again as Griffiths repaid the compliment but this time celebrations were cut short by a raised offside flag. It still prompted an early change from the visitors with Mackay-Steven replacing midfielder Mark Millar.

But it was Hibs extending their lead six minutes into the second-half when Paul Cairney supplied Doyle to fire into the net.

The Tangerines were to receive a lifeline moments later, however, when goalkeeper Ben Williams miscleared a Paul Hanlon backpass to leave Mackay-Steven with an easy finish.

Former Hearts playmaker Skacel was brought on by the visitors and soon headed in Willo Flood's cross but another offside flag denied him a first goal for the club.

The Czech should have been celebrating it though when his left-footed volley from 25-yard crashed against the crossbar, while Gavin Gunning later nodded Flood's free-kick wide before Skacel missed with another attempt.

Hibernian: Williams, McGivern, Hanlon, Maybury, Taiwo, Claros, Cairney, Wotherspoon (Sproule 79), Stevenson, Griffiths (Kuqi 76), Doyle (Stanton 89)

subs (unused): Murdoch, Donaldson, Handling, Caldwell

Goals: Griffiths (19), Doyle (51)

Dundee United: Cierzniak, Dillon, McLean, Gunning, Watson, Flood, Rankin, Millar (Mackay-Steven 33), Armstrong (Skacel 58), Russell, Daly

subs (unused): Banks, Douglas, Ryan, Gardyne, Dow

Goals: Mackay-Steven (53)

Ref: C. Thomson

Att: 10,596

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