Dundee United fell four points behind Championship leaders Hibs as they were well beaten in the big match at Easter Road.
The Tangerines had travelled to Edinburgh looking to regain the top spot they surrendered at Dumbarton on Hogmanay but instead they were second best as Neil Lennon’s side widened the gap on their promotion rivals with a comfortable 3-0 victory.
The home team attacked right from kick-off and took the lead after just six minutes thanks to the first of Jason Cummings’ goals.
Cummings was on target again on 26 minutes, firing home at the near post to give the Hibees what was a deserved two-goal advantage.
With nine minutes remaining, sub John McGinn waltzed towards the United goal before scoring number three.
It was a tough night for the Tangerines, who now must regroup for next Saturday’s home game against Queen of the South.
The major selection news for United fans ahead of this Friday night fixture was that new Danish striker Thomas Mikkelsen, who joined on loan from Odense, was on the bench.
Out of the line-up that began the defeat at Dumbarton went Sean Dillon, Blair Spittal and Simon Murray. That meant starts for Lewis Toshney, Charlie Telfer and star man Tony Andreu.
Hibs handed a debut to their new recruit Chris Humphrey, while on-loan Celtic man Kris Commons also started.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was tremendous as Cummings kicked things off for the home team. The United supporters were there in numbers behind the goal, all 2,304 of them.
The Hibees grabbed the initiative and Humphrey, in particular, was causing the Tangerines serious problems.
United were on the back foot and they fell behind with just six minutes on the clock.
Cummings was the scorer, drilling the ball low past keeper Cammy Bell after it fell to him unmarked and onside 12 yards out.
Form a United perspective, it was a terrible goal to lose.
Commons’ corner wasn’t properly cleared by the head of Nick van der Velden then Willo Flood didn’t do any better. Humphrey then mishit his shot at goal, the stray ball landed at Cummings’ feet and he fired the hosts ahead.
The visitors’ defence was looking rattled and they had a scare when Stewart Murdoch’s passback fell way short and defender William Edjenguele had to slide in to concede a corner.
United then had Hibs player Lewis Stevenson to thank for getting in the way of a strike from Commons as the visitors continued to be put under the cosh.
The Tannadice men finally got up the park on 17 minutes but Van der Velden’s head-flick off a Paul Dixon cross didn’t trouble home goalie Ross Laidlaw.
On 25 minutes, a Telfer cross from the right was an inch or two away from being nodded in by Van der Velden but, just a minute later, Hibs were two up.
They had seized control of the game and it was hard to grudge them the advantage but United were cut open too easily.
Dixon was well beaten by Humphrey on the right and the new man’s cutback to the near post was swept into the net by Cummings.
Telfer picked up a booking for a foul on Martin Boyle as United continued to struggle, with Flood’s poor pass inside his own box to Commons a prime example of their jitters.
Just before the break, Dixon blasted wide from outside the box then Murdoch was booked for a rash challenge on Marvin Bartley.
The Tangerines had to improve after the interval but the only action in the early stages of the second period was a caution apiece for Bartley of Hibs and United’s Van der Velden.
United brought on Tope Obadeyi for Van der Velden on 56 minutes as they tried to stretch the Hibees a bit more. They then introduced Cammy Smith for Telfer on 67 minutes.
With 75 minutes gone, Mikkelsen made his appearance as a replacement for Murdoch but it was a tough ask for him to change the direction of the match at that late stage.
Just a minute later, though, United almost scored when Toshney’s cross from the right was headed powerfully goalwards by sub Obadeyi only for Laidlaw to push the ball away.
It was Hibs’ turn to make a change on 78 minutes, with McGinn on for Commons, then United defender Durnan was booked for a challenge on Bartley.
It was game over for the visitors on 81 minutes, though, when McGinn ghosted past Fraser and slid the ball past Bell from a tight angle. The Scotland man had been on the pitch for just three minutes.
It was just damage limitation from the Tangerines now but all they could manage were a couple of crosses from Obadeyi.
Andreu got yet another booking for the Tannadice team just to pile on the agony before, thankfully, the final whistle put United and their fans out of their misery.
Attendance: 18,746.
Hibernian: Laidlaw, Gray, Hanlon, Bartley, McGeouch, Commons (McGinn 78), Stevenson, Boyle, McGregor, Humphrey (Keatings 83), Cummings (Graham 87). Subs not used: Virtanen, Fontaine, Holt, Shinnie.
Dundee United: Bell, Toshney, Dixon, Durnan, Murdoch (Mikkelsen 75), Fraser, Telfer (Smith 67), Flood, Andreu, Van der Velden (Obadeyi 56). Subs not used: Zwick, Dillon, Spittal, Robson.
Referee: Willie Collum.
