Hibs returned to winning ways with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Livingston at Easter Road this afternoon.<\/p>\n
David Gray made three changes to his starting XI with record signing Thibault\u00a0Klidje\u00a0starting up\u00a0front for\u00a0for\u00a0just the second time in the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nicky Cadden and Jamie McGrath also started with\u00a0Martin Boyle dropping to the bench along with Josh Campbell and Jordan\u00a0Obita.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Livingston\u00a0make\u00a0two changes from their draw at Tannadice with\u00a0Macaulay Tait and Lewis Smith\u00a0making\u00a0way for Shane Blaney and Jeremy\u00a0Bokila.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Former Hibs striker Dirk Lehman delivered the match ball ahead of kick off\u00a0and players from both sides held up Show Racism the Red Card signs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a lively\u00a0start\u00a0Hibs opened the scoring in the 9th\u00a0minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dan\u00a0Barlaser\u00a0picked up the ball in midfield and found\u00a0Klidje\u00a0with his back to goal. The striker managed to hold\u00a0off Mo\u00a0Sylla\u00a0before\u00a0firing\u00a0the ball high into the roof of the net\u00a0from an acute angle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moments later\u00a0Klidje\u00a0tried his luck again but was crowded out by the victors\u2019\u00a0defence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieron Bowie almost added a second with a volley which flew inches past the post.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A long ball from\u00a0Raphael\u00a0Sallinger caught out the Livingston\u00a0defence\u00a0but\u00a0Klidje\u2019s\u00a0effort went wide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just before the break\u00a0Klidje\u2019s\u00a0wonderful pass split the Livingston\u00a0defence\u00a0finding Nicky\u00a0Cadden at the back\u00a0post\u00a0but his effort flew high over the bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
David Martindale has made a triple\u00a0substitution for the start of the second half.\u00a0Danny Wilson, Scott\u00a0Pittman\u00a0and Connor McLennan were replaced by\u00a0Cristian Montano, Macaulay Tait, and Robbie Muirhead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hibs started the second half on the front\u00a0foot\u00a0and the Livingston keeper\u00a0Jerome Prior\u00a0produced two great saves to deny Jamie\u00a0McGrath then Bowie.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seven minutes after the\u00a0restart\u00a0substitute\u00a0Montano\u00a0clearly pulled\u00a0Klidje\u2019s\u00a0jersey and referee Ryan Lee pointed\u00a0to the spot.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
McGrath\u00a0calmly rolled\u00a0the ball into the bottom corner as Prior dived the other way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Grant Hanley header from a corner\u00a0was cleared\u00a0off the line as\u00a0hbs\u00a0pressed for a third.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gray then replaced Bowie and\u00a0Klidje\u00a0with Boyle and Junior Hoilett. Both strikers left the field to a standing ovation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The substitutions paid immediate dividends when Hoilett headed home a Chris\u00a0cadden\u00a0cross from the right to wrap things up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the\u00a0last minute\u00a0Hoilett added his second\u00a0and once again Chris Cadden provided the assist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The victory meant\u00a0Hibs\u00a0moved\u00a0back up\u00a0to third place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the final whistle Gray told BBC Scotland:\u00a0\u201cEverything I asked\u00a0for\u00a0we saw. The\u00a0big thing\u00a0was the reaction to losing our first game of the\u00a0season\u00a0and we did it in the perfect way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFour goals, a clean sheet and we could have had more. The biggest thing I asked for was\u00a0intensity\u00a0and I got that from the start.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe subs came on and made us better, which is\u00a0the\u00a0challenge for them. It\u2019s a really good\u00a0day\u2019s\u00a0work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martindale\u00a0added\u00a0:\u00a0\u201cArchitects of our own downfall.\u00a0We\u00a0lose\u00a0a\u00a0goal on\u00a0eight minutes from poor decision-making. We had started the game ok, but\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0lucky to go in 1-0 down at half-time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHibs exploited our left-hand channel. We changed shape and the [enforced] substitutions\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0help to be fair. We had to put a patchwork\u00a0defence\u00a0together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen first five minutes [of the second half] we\u00a0make\u00a0a terrible decision. Cris [Montano] makes a really\u00a0really\u00a0poor decision [for the penalty]. And at that point the game is gone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hibernian:\u00a0Sallinger, O\u2019Hora, Hanley, Iredale, C Cadden, Mulligan,\u00a0Barlaser, McGrath, N Cadden, Bowie,\u00a0Klidje.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Substitutes: Smith, Levitt, Youan, Boyle,\u00a0Chaiwa,\u00a0Obita, Hoilett, Campbell, Bushiri.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Livingston:\u00a0Prior, Finlayson, Sylla, Wilson, Blaney, Montgomery, Pittman,\u00a0Susoho, McLennan, May,\u00a0Bokila.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Substitutes: Hamilton, Muirhead, Carey, Winter, Shinnie, Tait,\u00a0Yengi, Montano, Lawal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Attendance\u00a017,947\u00a0<\/p>\n
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