Elie Youan's late goal moved Hibernian up to third place in the Scottish Premiership as David Gray's side ended their poor run of away form and consigned struggling Aberdeen to another defeat.

Thibault Klidje scored the opener in the first half after several Aberdeen players stopped when they thought Stuart Armstrong had been fouled, holding off pressure from Nicky Devlin to slot home.

Hibs passed up numerous opportunities before substitute Youan picked the ball up on the halfway line and ghosted past two players before slotting past the keeper.

It almost got even better when Josh Campbell tucked in a Martin Boyle cross late in added time, but the goal was deemed to be offside.

Aberdeen went up the other end and scored a scrappy consolation through Marko Lazetic, but it was too late to create any real tension.

And Jimmy Thelin's side were left to reflect on a four-day spell in which they have conceded eight goals after Thursday's record European defeat by AEK Athens.

Klidje picked up plenty of plaudits for his performance against Livingston last weekend, but it was his partnership with Kieron Bowie that caught the eye here.

Little and large, they caused havoc among a shaky Aberdeen rearguard, who looked bereft of confidence after shipping six in Athens on Thursday.

That said, Hibs passed up plenty of opportunities. Klidje and Bowie should have scored early in the second half; Campbell hit a post; and Boyle blazed over when he should have hit the target. The signs are encouraging, though.

At the other end, goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger bailed them out twice, saving a Leighton Clarkson pot-shot and a one-on-one effort against Lazetic.

But whenever Aberdeen got into good positions, they didn't look like they knew what to do.

Adil Aouchiche passed up a glorious chance early on, and Lazetic passed up that one-on-one before scoring a goal that came through hard work rather than skill.

Jesper Karlsson looked exasperated with his team-mates on more than one occasion, the Dane seemingly tasked with sharpening Aberdeen's cutting edge single-handedly.

The win against Dundee should have given them belief but the loss in Athens has rocked them - just like the 6-0 thrashing by Celtic at Hampden did last season.

Thelin needs time on the training pitch to protect his players from the storm, to rebuild their faith and trust in each other.

They've got more European games on the horizon though, as well as a midweek Premiership game. At least they've got next weekend off...

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "The performance was not good enough. How we balance the team is not at the right level. We are not strong enough in the competitive side of the game. It was too easy for them to get into our box.

"I can control my job and focus on that, I can't focus on the noise. We know we need to win games, that's the only thing I focus on.

"To see the table, it's not a nice feeling right now. We feel we are going in the right direction. I am still convinced we can turn this round, we have to."

Hibs manager David Gray: "I'm delighted with the result because it's a difficult place to come. The players were fantastic and deserved the three points.

"We can only control our level. We selected a team to be on the front foot aggressive and I thought that worked well. History tells you this is a hard place to come and win."

Hibs host Rangers at Easter Road on Wednesday, while Aberdeen make the long trip to Kilmarnock (both 19:45 GMT).