Three late goals turn a tight Pittodrie game into 4-0 for Hibernian

Hibernian were a goal up for 22 minutes at Pittodrie, then scored three times in the final eleven.

For twenty-two minutes at Pittodrie, Hibernian held a single goal, Jamie McGrath's strike in the 57th minute, and the game looked set to stay that way. It did not. Callum Wright scored at 79, Nicky Cadden at 87 and Thibault Klidjé at 90, and a side that had been one goal up with eleven minutes left finished four clear.

Hibernian had 58% of the ball, above their away average of 50.9%, while Aberdeen had 42%, below their home average of 47%. Possession only measures how much time each side spends with the ball at its feet, so it cannot decide a match alone. What it does show is that Hibernian were on the ball more than usual, and they used that to take 20 shots, against an away average of 15 and a league average of 14 per side.

Expected goals is a way of rating each chance by how likely it was to go in, and it sharpens the picture. Hibernian's chances came to 1.8, against their away average of 1.55, while Aberdeen's came to 1, below their home average of 1.46. Hibernian also had 13 shots from inside the box to Aberdeen's eight, and five of their efforts were on target to Aberdeen's two.

McGrath's opening goal was laid on by Joe Newell, and McGrath had a busy evening, with five shots and a rating of 7.9. Wright's goal at 79 changed the feel of the match, and he then set up Klidjé for the fourth, which means he was involved in two of the last three goals. Cadden's strike at 87 came between them, and it was the goal that made the late burst look like a collapse rather than a slow fade.

Aberdeen did not lose a player to a red card, and their only booking of the match was Daniel Happe's yellow card at 17. Their numbers were not the story. Aberdeen conceded four goals, where their home average is 1.3 conceded per game, and four goals is well above a league that averages 2.8 per match. Hibernian's own away average of 1.0 goal per game also makes four a sharp break from their usual scoring.

Hibernian sit twelfth in the table, two places below Aberdeen, who are tenth.

Player of the matchJ. McGrath1 goal7.9

C. Wright1 goal · 1 assist7.7

J. Newell1 assist7.7

T. Klidje1 goal7.6