| Date | Sunday, 19 August 2018 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Hibernian 3:2 Ross County |
| Venue | Easter Road |
| Attendance | 7,252 |
| Referee | Kevin Clancy |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Alasdair Lamont for the BBC. Hibernian 3 Ross County 2 Daryl Horgan's 91st-minute goal ensured Hibernian edged a five-goal thriller against Ross County to set-up a League Cup quarter final with Aberdeen. Premiership side Hibs twice trailed their Championship visitors. Michael Gardyne's deflected effort was cancelled out by Hibs captain David Gray's header, and Stevie Mallan rifled in after Josh Mullin scored a penalty following Efe Ambrose's foul. And, as extra-time loomed, Horgan scored his first Hibs goal to seal it. This was a really good contest and it quickly became apparent that Hibs would not have things all their own way. They were slow out of the traps, perhaps as a consequence of the half-dozen changes made to the team after Thursday night's Europa League loss in Molde and the disappointment that defeat caused. And Neil Lennon's side were made to pay as Gardyne deservedly put County in front, taking aim from distance and benefitting from a deflection as the ball fizzed into the net. The Championship could easily have fallen out of the game after Hibs levelled first time around - Gray rising highest to head home Horgan's cross. But they dug in and belied their status with some composed passing to carve their hosts open again, this time Declan McManus forcing Efe Ambrose into a foul and Mullin converting the subsequent penalty. Once more Hibs, though, got themselves level. This time, Stevie Mallan's powerful effort from outside the box - his sixth of the season - beat goalkeeper Scott Fox. And Lennon's side won it when the County defence gave Horgan too much time to pick his spot from the edge of the box. It might be something of a concern to Lennon that it took the shock of going behind to spark his side into life. But signings Horgan, Mallan and Emerson Hyndman all played key creative roles as Hibs' class told. Horgan, especially, looks like he will be a big player, with his ability to shoot and cross with either foot. Hibs will have far easier games against Premiership opposition this season and, in many respects, County remain a top-flight club in all but name. Their squad still consists of largely top-flight players and if they can reproduce this level of performance consistently, they will be back there before long. Hibs manager Neil Lennon: "We made hard work of it. I changed the team and the formation, so I took a bit of a calculated risk, but we changed it back and it paid off." County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell: "It is a difficult one to take. We can't criticise the players and we feel they proved a point after the disappointment of relegation last season." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Steven Ferguson Stuart Kettlewell |
| Starting 11 | 1: Scott Fox, 2: Marcus Fraser, 3: Sean Kelly, 5: Callum Morris 1, 6: Ross Draper 1, 7: Michael Gardyne 1, 8: Jamie Lindsay, 10: Declan Mcmanus, 11: Iain Vigurs 1, 14: Joshua Mullin 1 (1 pen), 15: Keith Watson |
| Bench | 21: Ross Munro, 9: Billy Mckay, 12: Stelios Demetriou, 17: Davis Keillor-Dunn, 19: Brian Graham, 22: Tony Dingwall, 26: Don Cowie (SNR) 1 |
| Hibernian | |
| Manager | Neil Lennon |
| Starting 11 | Ross Laidlaw, David Gray 1, Lewis Stevenson, Emerson Hyndman, Efe Ambrose, Ryan Porteous 1, Daryl Horgan 1, Stephen Mallan 1, Scott Martin, Martin Boyle, Oliver Shaw |
| Bench | Kevin Dabrowski, Steven Whittaker 1, Paul Hanlon, Vykintas Slivka, Danny Swanson, Thomas Agyepong, Jamie Maclaren |