What an afternoon it was at Easter Road as Hibernian edged out Hearts 3-2 in a pulsating Edinburgh derby that will live long in the memory of both sets of supporters. The 150th anniversary of the first-ever meeting between these fierce city rivals could hardly have delivered more drama, with Hibs racing to a three-goal lead before a late Hearts fightback nearly snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat. The result dents Hearts’ ambitions at the top of the Scottish Premiership and hands Hibs a much-needed statement win as the season hits its halfway mark.
From the outset, the stakes were clear. Hearts arrived in Leith as league leaders, six points clear of Celtic (albeit having played a game more) and riding high after recent victories over both Celtic and Rangers. Derek McInnes’ men had lost just once all season in the league and were eager to maintain their momentum into the new year. Hibs, meanwhile, sat fifth—16 points adrift of their rivals—but with revenge on their minds after a painful last-minute defeat at Tynecastle in October.
The match exploded into life almost immediately. Jamie McGrath, who would prove to be one of the afternoon’s standout performers, opened the scoring with a beautifully cushioned finish from Nicky Cadden’s delivery—remarkably, the quickest goal in this fixture for 17 years. The home support, buoyed by the early breakthrough, roared their side on as Hibs pressed relentlessly.
Disaster struck for Hibs midway through the first half when Cadden was forced off with injury. Yet his replacement, Josh Campbell, made an instant impact. Just before the interval, McGrath—now operating on the left after Cadden’s exit—whipped in a cross that Campbell met with a deft glancing header, doubling Hibs’ advantage and sending Easter Road into raptures.
Hearts, for all their pre-match confidence, looked shell-shocked. The visitors failed to register a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, and their woes deepened just three minutes after the restart. Stuart Findlay’s poor clearance gifted Kieron Bowie the chance to drive forward and smash home Hibs’ third, leaving the league leaders with a mountain to climb.
“If you don’t do the basics well, it doesn’t matter how good you are or how good a run you’re on, you’re going to end up with a sore one,” admitted Hearts boss Derek McInnes after the match. “We nearly get the draw at the end, the keeper’s pulled off a brilliant save, but you can’t just play for half an hour and lose three goals and expect to get something from the game. It’s a sore one for us, but we’ve got to own that.”
For much of the second half, it looked as though Hibs would cruise to victory. The hosts were aggressive, disciplined, and—crucially—clinical when it mattered most. But Hearts, as befits a side leading the Premiership, were never likely to go quietly. With 15 minutes remaining, they finally found a way through as Alexandros Kyziridis, who had been lively throughout, delivered a wicked ball that Lawrence Shankland expertly headed into the far corner.
The goal changed the energy inside Easter Road. Hearts poured forward, and the nerves among the Hibs faithful were palpable. Just minutes later, Kyziridis again tested Raphael Sallinger in the Hibs goal, and while Sallinger could only parry the effort, Cammy Devlin was on hand to tap home the rebound and reduce the deficit to one.
Suddenly, the possibility of an improbable comeback was very real. Hearts threw everything forward in the dying moments—Sabah Kerjota and Elton Kabangu added fresh legs in attack, and Shankland, now with five goals in Edinburgh derbies since 2017, sniffed an equalizer. But Sallinger, who had been at fault for Devlin’s goal, redeemed himself with two sensational stops: first to deny Shankland from close range, and then to tip Kabangu’s goal-bound effort behind for a corner.
“I asked [the players] for a big statement win, we got that today. It’s now about kicking on and trying to be more consistent with our results,” said a relieved Hibs head coach David Gray. “They are a really good group, they work hard all the time. The dressing room is a very good dressing room. There’s a long way to go, a lot of football to be played. I’m sure the neutrals enjoyed it, I’m off for a lie down.”
The final whistle brought a wave of relief and jubilation for the home side. Hibs had not only secured the bragging rights in the capital but also moved to within one point of fourth-placed Rangers. For Hearts, the defeat marked just their second loss in the league this season and opened the door for Celtic—who face Livingston later in the day—to close the gap at the top to just three points, with two games in hand.
“We can definitely relight the season,” said Hibs’ Martin Boyle, a veteran of 22 Edinburgh derbies. “It’s a tough game, it doesn’t come any tougher and obviously the way they’re playing at the moment, but it comes down to us on the day. We need to be at it, we need to take our chances and we need to defend the box and we need to fight for our lives.”
Team news in the run-up to the match had seen Chris Cadden and Warren O’Hora return to the Hibs squad, while Rudi Molotnikov made his comeback after a lengthy injury layoff. For Hearts, Claudio Braga shrugged off a knock to feature, and Craig Halkett—fresh from signing a new contract—returned to the starting lineup. Hibs’ defensive resilience, particularly in the closing stages, owed much to these key players stepping up when it mattered most.
Statistically, the result was significant on several fronts. Hibs had not won back-to-back home Premiership derbies against Hearts since 2018, while Hearts missed the chance to claim consecutive league wins over their rivals for the first time since 2014. The defeat was also notable as Hearts’ first loss in their final Premiership fixture of a calendar year since 2016—a streak that had spanned seven seasons (W3 D4).
Looking ahead, Hearts will have a week to regroup before hosting Livingston at Tynecastle on January 3, while Hibs face Aberdeen on December 30 and Kilmarnock on January 4. With just two points separating third and fifth in the standings, the race for European places remains wide open—and, after this rollercoaster derby, both Edinburgh clubs know there’s plenty more drama to come.
As the dust settles on a classic capital clash, Hibs can savor the sweet taste of derby victory and the hope that this might just be the launchpad for a more consistent run in the second half of the campaign. For Hearts, the late rally showed their character, but the pain of this defeat may linger as the title race intensifies in the weeks ahead.
