When Danny Swanson appeared at the post-match press conference after starring in Dundee United’s draw at Easter Road on Saturday, he looked like he had been on a losing side.
But after Hibs snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat with two goals inside a minute, it is little wonder the United midfielder looked so shell-shocked as he faced the media.
“The boys are gutted,” he admitted. “At 3-1 up we looked comfortable enough, but we just chucked two points away.”
The midfielder was at a loss to explain the Tangerines’ collapse from seemingly having three points in the bag.
“The goal that got them back in the game shouldn’t have stood. Sean Dillon, who was doing the commentary for ArabZone, told us that Osbourne handled it before he shot. Making matters worse, it wasn’t going in but Scott Robertson wasn’t to know that.
“But having lost it we should have just centred it and kept the ball. Instead, we decided to launch it. They won the ball and scored from it and that was them right back in the game.
“Anyone could have won it from there but it all became a bit aimless with everyone just kicking the ball as far as they could and the game died a death.”
That was all very different from how the game started, with United taking early command.
Indeed, Swanson could easily have given them the lead after seven minutes when United’s man of the match John Rankin cleverly hoisted the ball into his path, but Swanson’s effort bobbled wide of the target.
Another great chance was passed up after 20 minutes when Rankin pounced on Ian Murray’s misdirected headed back pass and but his attempted lob landed on the roof of the net.
A minute later, and totally against the run of play, Hibs were in front. Easter Road talisman Garry O’Connor ran on to a through ball from Junior Agogo and evaded the diving Dusan Pernis to net with a composed angled finish.
If Peter Houston’s side had been punished for their earlier profligacy, they soon made amends.
Paul Dixon was the architect for the equaliser, playing the ball into Rankin who drilled in an angled effort which Graham Stack could only parry. Jon Daly only had to knock the ball into an empty net.
Then Rankin dispossessed home defender Paul Hanlon and advanced to play Swanson in, and this time the self-confessed Hibbie fan made no mistake with a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner from 15 yards.
With United seemingly never in trouble, Daly’s second of the match and seventh of the season appeared to seal three points. Defensively, Hibs, were at sixes and sevens when the Irishman was on the end of a Dixon cross to score with a diving header.
However, Hibs were thrown an unexpected lifeline when Isa Osbourne’s shot was deflected into his own net by the unwitting Robertson.
And the contingent of Arabs behind that goal were stunned into silence less than a minute later when Agogo found space in the inside left channel to bury a shot into the bottom corner.
Watching from the stand was Scotland boss Craig Levein. The former United boss praised Swanson last week, and the midfielder didn’t do his chances of international inclusion any harm.