Martin Boyle scored his second double in successive games as in-form Hibernian beat Motherwell 3-1 to move into the top six of the Scottish Premiership for the first time this season.
The Australian striker scored with a cross before Nectar Triantis doubled the hosts’ lead soon after.
Substitute Callum Slattery gave Well hope with a free-kick but it was quickly extinguished by a Boyle penalty before the visitors had Jack Vale sent off in stoppage time.
David Gray’s side, who have had a poor start to the season, are now unbeaten in seven games and have climbed from bottom of the table to sixth, just two points behind fifth-placed Pa, in the space of just four weeks.
Gray made two changes to his side following last Sunday’s 3-3 draw at home to Rangers as Warren O’Hora and Dylan Levitt replaced Lewis Miller and Kwon Hyeok-kyu.
There were six changes to the Well team that started with a 0-0 draw at Kilmarnock on Wednesday, the most notable in goal where Archie Mair was thrust straight into the side for his debut after finalizing a loan move from Norwich on the morning of the game following an injury to Aston Oxborough’s regular number one .
Stephen O’Donnell, Paul McGinn, Jacob Blaney, Tom Sparrow and Coventry teenager Kai Andrews on loan were the other additions to the XI.
After a slow start, Hibs were dealt a blow in the 19th minute when Nicky Cadden, this week’s Premiership player of the month for December, was forced off with a bloody face and replaced by Jordan Obita on the left wing.
The substitute was visibly involved in the hosts breaking the deadlock in the 27th minute when his inviting cross from the left was helped over the line by Boyle, who struck twice for Gers, from a few yards out.
Hibs were suddenly in complete control as they doubled their lead three minutes later when the alert Triantis brought down Ewan Wilson as he was flustered as he tried to receive a pass from his keeper and the Australian midfielder raced into the box to curl home from a low angle from the 12 . yards.
The Steelers suffered another setback when they lost McGinn to injury in the 33rd minute and manager Kettlewell, clearly frustrated with his side’s lackluster first half display, made a further two changes to start the second half replacing Wilson and Andy Halliday with Marvin Kalet and Tawanda Maswanhise.
After Josh Campbell’s header was disallowed for the hosts just a minute after the restart, Well began to ask a few questions without creating any clear-cut chances.
The visitors gave themselves hope in the 77th minute when Slattery scored from a free kick from the edge of the penalty area.
But Hibs restored their two-goal advantage three minutes later when Boyle slotted home a penalty after Miller was brought down by O’Donnell at the back post when a cross came into the box.
Well’s misery was compounded in stoppage time when Vale was shown a straight red for a cut down on Boyle.
What’s up in the Scottish Premiership?
