Dundee United's Luca Stephenson celebrates after scoring to make it 3-1Image source, SNS
Image caption,

Dundee United's Luca Stephenson celebrates after scoring to make it 3-1

Hibernian and 10-man Dundee United played out a pulsating and incident-packed Scottish Premiership draw at Easter Road in a breathless 97 minutes.

Goodwin spoke pre-match about the feeling of stability around the club after he signed a new contract midweek, but the game was anything but stable.

Hibs spent most of the game trailing United, with Jamie McGrath's well-struck 85th-minute penalty completing what was a remarkable second half.

Vicko Sevelj was sent off after a video assistant referee (VAR) intervention for handball that led to Hibs' late penalty kick.

Neither side were satisfied with a single point, however, as both dugouts were left disappointed.

"From our perspective, it's two points dropped," United boss Jim Goodwin told Premier Sports post-match.

"I thought it was a brilliant game of football and I felt we should have won. All three goals we scored were really well-worked."

Hibs head coach David Gray was similarly dismayed with his team's defensive performance but full of praise for their work ethic.

He said: "Our defence was poor. The positive I can take is that we came back after finding ourselves 3-1 down.

"I credit the players with their desire to go and get back into the game, but it feels like we're chasing too much."

The hosts were dominant in the early stages, cheered on by a packed home crowd celebrating the club's 150th anniversary, but they were soon silenced when Luca Stephenson ghosted in at the back post to nod the visitors into the lead.

Determined to make amends for their earlier profligacy, the hosts found an equaliser through an unlikely route.

United goalkeeper Yevhen Kucherenko flapped at an in-swinging corner and inexplicably punched the set-piece into his own net off the back of his clenched fist, undoing the good work of his outfield colleagues.

The sides seemed destined for deadlock at the interval before the in-form Ivan Dolcek burst past the onrushing Jordan Smith, rounding the Hibs goalie and squaring it to Zac Sapsford to side-foot into an empty net.

United extended their lead through Stephenson's second, again nipping in at the backpost to stun the home support.

David Gray rejuvenated his side with a triple substitution that soon paid dividends as Kieron Bowie showed great composure inside the area to sidestep his man and rifle low into the bottom corner.

The pre-match celebratory mood in Leith continued after full-time thanks to McGrath's late and low spot-kick.

Sportscene highlights: Hibernian v Dundee United

13/09/2025

Analysis: A game that had it all, except a winner

It's a tough task to hone in on what actually happened at Easter Road.

Were Hibs too wasteful in front of goal in the first half? Did United surrender a commanding lead too easily? Were individual errors to blame for both sides? All are the case to some extent.

Both goalkeepers were questionable, too, which contributed to the manic nature of the game.

United's Kucherenko scored an own goal and Hibs' Jordan Smith was easily beaten for the visitors' second, but both undoubtedly kept their sides in it throughout a frenetic second 45.

Kucherenko was jittery on crosses and that led to the chaos from which Hibs earned a penalty and Sevelj got his marching orders.

In Bowie and Sapsford both sides boasted in-form strikers, in Dolcek and Martin Boyle they could call on dynamic attackers, and in Nicky Cadden and Stephenson they have creative wide players - they all made their mark on the game but failed to find the crucial goal.

There were 12 minutes after McGrath's equaliser for either side to find a winner with Hibs looking the most likely but a touch more composure was necessary in such a frantic game.

What they said

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin tells Premier Sports: "Firstly, I thought it was a fantastic game, a fantastic advert for the Scottish Premiership, two teams going at it, a lot of goalmouth action, and two keepers making great saves.

"We've made a couple of mistakes and a really difficult penalty [is given against us], and Sevelj gets a red card, and will now miss the next game for us. He's a really important player for us.

"I don't know what Sevelj is meant to do. I think it's harsh.

"I thought it was a brilliant game of football, and I felt we should have won. All three goals we scored were really well-worked."

Hibs head coach David Gray tells Premier Sports: "We got a point out of a game where our character was tested.

"Our defence was poor. The positive I can take is that we came back after finding ourselves 3-1 down.

"I told the players we gave them far too many chances and that we were miles off it today.

"For us, being at home, we weren't good enough defensively, and a lot of that was down to Dundee United being good too, but we need to be better defensively.

"I credit the players with their desire to go and get back into the game, but it feels like we're chasing too much."

What's next for these teams?

Hibernian: Gray's side are away to Rangers next Saturday 20 September, in the League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox (17:45 BST)

Dundee United: Goodwin's men host Aberdeen on Tuesday 23 September (19:45 BST).

Where next?

Player of the match

Number: 21 L. Stephenson
Average rating 8.83
Number: 17 J. McGrath
Average Rating: 6.75
Number: 33 R. Bushiri
Average Rating: 6.63
Number: 9 K. Bowie
Average Rating: 6.63
Number: 19 N. Cadden
Average Rating: 6.25
Number: 15 J. Iredale
Average Rating: 6.00
Number: 5 W. O'Hora
Average Rating: 6.00
Number: 6 D. Levitt
Average Rating: 6.00
Number: 20 J. Mulligan
Average Rating: 6.00
Number: 22 D. Barlaser
Average Rating: 5.75
Number: 18 T. Klidje
Average Rating: 5.75
Number: 12 C. Cadden
Average Rating: 5.63
Number: 13 J. Smith
Average Rating: 5.50
Number: 10 M. Boyle
Average Rating: 5.50
Number: 23 J. Hoilett
Average Rating: 5.50
Number: 21 J. Obita
Average Rating: 5.13
Number: 32 J. Campbell
Average Rating: 5.00

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.