Hibs 3 Dundee United 2

Ante Suto made it a debut to remember as he stepped off the bench to grab an injury-time winner as we edged out Dundee United in a five-goal thriller this evening.

Both sets of supporters were treated to a thoroughly entertaining contest in the capital, played with all the ferocity of a Scottish Cup clash.

Martin Boyle’s deflected strike had us ahead at the break before he was unlucky to strike the crossbar after the break with a header. As the game entered its final quarter-of-an-hour the visitors turned it on its head as goals from Ross Graham and Max Watters put them ahead.

Yet, our boys are full of resilience, character and never gave up. We deservedly levelled the game in the final minute of normal time through Elie Youan before Suto made himself an instant hero by grabbing a sensational winner in time added on.

David Gray made three changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Rangers at the weekend. He handed debuts to Munashe Garananga and Felix Passlack, whilst Dane Scarlett was given his first start after impressing from the bench on Sunday.

We made a lively start under the lights this evening with Scarlett a whisker away from connecting with an Youan delivery at the front post. 

The pair then combined moments later with Youan curling a terrific shot just wide of the far post.

The visitors were also looking to start quickly and went close on nine minutes when centre-back Sam Cleall-Harding pushed forward before his shot from distance took a big deflection and thankfully dropped just wide of Raphael Sallinger’s left-hand post.

The game was perhaps more open than either manager would’ve wanted and we were next to threaten with Rocky connecting with Dan Barlaser’s delivery, only to glance his header off target.

At the other end Sallinger was called into action to pull off a brilliant save at full-stretch to turn away Kristijan Trapanovksi's ambitious free-kick.

Chances continued to come thick and fast with Youan stinging the palms of Ashley Maynard-Brewer with a powerful, rising shot from the edge of the box.

Moments later, United should have scored. An overhit cross from the left was kept in by Zac Sapsford; his shot was blocked and the ball fell kindly to Craig Sibbald, who should’ve done better but shot straight at Rocky, who blocked with his chest.

It was like a basketball game at times as play raced from end-to-end. We were next to go close with Passlack almost notching a goal on his debut as his deflected shot flashed just wide from 20-yards.

From the resultant corner kick Scarlett met Jordan Obita’s delivery at the front post only to head just wide.

Ten minutes from the break United wasted a big chance to break the deadlock when Will Ferry’s corner kick found Sapsford just in front of goal and, from point-blank range, he headed past the post.

That profligacy was punished just two minutes later when Passlack and Scarlett combined brilliantly down the right before feeding the ball into Boyle; who only had one thought in his mind. His shot was deflected past Maynard-Brewer by the head of Cleall-Harding to give us the lead going into the break.

The second period started with as much intensity as the first and both teams wasted big opportunities in the opening moments.

First, Youan raced onto Scarlett’s through ball before slicing his shot wide under pressure, then Sapsford volleyed wide at the front post following a Trapanovski cross from the left.

On 48 minutes, Miguel Chaiwa almost sneaked a powerful daisy-cutter inside Maynard-Brewer’s right-hand post. The goalkeeper, scrambling across his goal, was relieved to see it flash just outside of the upright.

We would go even closer soon after when Passlack’s cross looped over Maynard-Brewer and was met by the stretching Boyle, only for his header to crash back off the crossbar and be scrambled clear.

Just after the hour, Gray looked to his bench and brought on Andrews and Suto before being forced into another change moments later when Obita limped off and Nicky Cadden took his place. 

Unfortunately, Passlack then pulled up too and had to be replaced by Megwa, which forced us into making our final change at the same time with Josh Campbell replacing Boyle.

Whether all those changes impacted it or not is unclear, however United would go on to enjoy their best period of game after this and it took a terrific last-gasp block from Jack Iredale to divert a Sapsford shot away from goal.

Iredale’s block merely delayed an equaliser momentarily as Ross Graham slammed his close-range strike into the net from the resultant corner-kick to level the game.

United would turn the game on its head with another corner-kick, again floated into the back post and this time substitute Max Watters was there to nod it in.

The boys, to their credit, never gave in, and with time running out the delivered a remarkable finish.

First, we levelled on 89 minutes when Nicky Cadden’s free-kick was floated into the back post and Cleall-Harding made a meal of clearing it, as he simply knocked it across goal to allow Youan to bundle it home.

Thereafter there was only one team going to win it - with Nicky Cadden going close with a dipping free-kick in the first of seven added minutes.

However, somethings are written in the stars, and deep into time added on, Nicky Cadden’s inch-perfect delivery was glanced into the top corner of the Dundee United net by debutant Suto to give Maynard-Brewer no chance.

Suto's sublime winner was an incredible, memorable finish to secure three massive points and set us up nicely for the Edinburgh derby next week.