How Hearts dominated Hibs, Devlin dual role but a bad decision

It is a fixture that the club's supporters expect to win, especially at Tynecastle Park. Not doing so despite leading 2-0 after an hour means the result will linger and fester going into an international break.

There was so much to like about the Hearts performance but for supporters that doesn't mean too much when their city rivals have been let off the hook after what Cammy Devlin described as two minutes of "madness" to allow Elie Youan to score a double.

The following is a breakdown of what went right and what went wrong for Steven Naismith's men who had been put in a commanding position by goals from Alan Forrest and Alex Lowry either side of half-time.

READ MORE: Why a substitution hurt Hearts in derby draw - but not Lowry

The Hearts attacking game plan

In possession, the game plan was to target Hibs' left-hand side where Alan Forrest was going up against Jordan Obita. As can be seen from the pass network from the first half, Toby Sibbick is pushed high, while Forrest, Lawrence Shankland and Alex Lowry are all close to each other on the Hearts right. As for the visitors, look at how deep Obita is, compared to Lewis Miller on the other side, and with no one in front of him.

Wise to the fact Martin Boyle is not the most defensive-minded of forwards and, with the way Hibs play, he is keen to move central, there was always going to be space down their right for the home side. Obita got so little coverage from Boyle, Nick Montgomery ended up switching him with Elie Youan early in the first half.

As part of this focus on the right-hand side, Naismith was keen to push Sibbick high up in support of Forrest. On a number of occasions Cammy Devlin, who was excellent playing dual roles in the team, would drop into the right of defence making it a back three in possession. The first time it happened was 37 seconds into the match. He played a pass down the right to Sibbick who had already got in behind Boyle and in space.

It happened again in the 11th minute. This time Devlin played back inside and acknowledged the fact he hadn't passed the ball to Sibbick. But the defender's positioning had already stretched Hibs across the pitch. Within two passes Hearts had got Alex Lowry on the ball behind the Hibs midfield. The playmaker had an easy ball out wide to Sibbick who had got behind Boyle again, the Hibs winger desperately pointing for a team-mate to pick up. The move ended with Lowry hitting the post.

Lowry had gone close earlier in the game when a long ball bounced through to him on the right with Obita having followed Forrest high up the pitch.

The assault on the right continued. A moment in the 21st minute was a precursor to the goal which would follow seven minutes later. Frankie Kent played a really good, direct pass out to Forrest, bypassing Sibbick. The winger was one-on-one with Obita and Lowry again had got goal side of the Hibs midfield. This time Newell is desperately pointing for someone, anyone, to pick up the on-loan Rangers star. Something Hearts have been guilty of this season is taking two or three passes when one would do. This was a positive change.

Then the goal. Kent again skipped Sibbick and went straight to Forrest who was faced up by Obita. This allowed the Hearts defender to make an underlapping run with Youan attracted to the ball. Obita gestured for his team-mate to follow the ball but he kept with Sibbick with Jeggo also following. Forrest took advantage of the space opening up, thundering what will be the club's goal of the season into the top corner. Three David Marshalls would not have kept it out.

Throughout the first half there was lots of pointing from a Hibs team who lacked any sort of cohesion in and out of possession. That was down to the way Hearts moved the ball and the positions the home side's players took up, understanding their roles within the collective.

READ MORE: Hearts 2 - 2 Hibs instant analysis: Cheap goals disaster

High pressure

It wasn't just the movement from Hearts which caused Hibs issues in the first half. The pressure the team put on the ball or strategy without it made it very difficult for the visitors. So much so they didn't have an answer to it.

Montgomery wants his side to play out from the back in a way to clear space for his front four. Hearts didn't let them do that. Devlin, who covered almost every blade of grass, pushed high up alongside Lowry and Shankland when Marshall had the ball at his feet.

During his time on the pitch, the goalkeeper played just nine long balls but in the first half alone Hibs played more than 40. If he did manage to play it short, such was the Hearts pressure it would lead to a Hibs player then having to go long. Only Zander Clark (21) hit more long balls than Will Fish's 17. In the instance below, Hibs managed to get the ball to Fish but he ended up going long, straight to Stephen Kingsley.

The pressure map shows the intensity in the areas where the centre-backs would have the ball.

Anticipating pressure from the home side, this is probably why Doidge was selected ahead of Adam Le Fondre. The Welshman won as many aerial duels as Kye Rowles and Kent combined but Hearts defended the knock-ons or knockdowns very well. The defence made sure not to push too high, negating any space for Boyle and Youan to run in behind. While they swarmed the middle of the pitch. 

Devlin and Nieuwenhof tackled, battled and intercepted effectively. They had 11 tackles and interceptions between them compared to the six of Hibs' midfield two Newell and James Jeggo. They put more and better pressure on the ball as well. There was a moment three minutes into the second half when a long ball from Clark was knocked down by Obita. Despite Newell being closer to the ball it was Devlin who snapped in to win it. Hibs regained it but couldn't make two passes before Nieuwenhof stepped in to take it off Newell. 

READ MORE: Alan Forrest on Hearts derby disappointment - full Q&A

Where it went wrong

Much of the focus was on Steven Naismith's substitutions. Was Odel Offiah coming on for Stephen Kingsley, moving everyone in the backline over one correct? Was taking Alex Lowry off at 2-0 correct? Was bringing Beni Baningime on as his replacement correct?

Putting yourself in Naismith's shoes you can see the thinking behind each decision. Moving Rowles to left-back he offers more pace than Andy Halliday would against Boyle and Youan. Lowry was starting to tire. Baningime would in theory allow more control in the midfield.

Yet, there were signs before it had gone 2-0 that Hibs were coming into the game with Hearts' pressure out of possession on the wane. Between the 51st and 60th minute the visitors were able to play out in a manner they wouldn't have been able to in the first half. Having exerted a lot of energy in the first half this may well have been a consequence of that. And goes back to Naismith's decision to bring Baningime on for Lowry.

Will Fish advanced into the Hearts and was able to find Dylan Vente who clipped a ball in behind for Boyle.

Again, Fish was able to play another pass into Doidge's feet. Kent did well to win it off him and start a dangerous counter-attack.

Newell was able to turn on his own box and play forward with ease.

Below, you can see Hibs escaping a press. But notice, it is only Lowry and Shankland. The midfield is much further behind. The Hearts captain looked to the sky when he realised the massive gap.

And then there is Youan dropping deep, getting easy possession to clip a ball over to Boyle who is supported by Obita. The first time Hibs had an overload down that side.

In the build-up to the first Hibs goal, Rocky Bushiri was able to come to the half-way line and find Vente with an easy pass. Hibs had brought on Adam Le Fondre, giving them two strikers adept at dropping and linking.

However, the way in which both goals were conceded is hard to take. There was a general lack of composure, or too much composure in one case, when dealing with balls around the box. Baningime slashed at a ball at the edge of the box for the first. Sibbick attempted a back heel for the second. It wasn't the first time the team had been panicky in trying to clear the ball. 

However, there was something Hearts did prior to the second goal which was needless. At kick-off, Sibbick, who had a really good game at right-back, thumped it straight out of play giving Hibs the ball back. Naismith in the dugout turned around in disbelief. The team weren't set up for such a kick-off. Keep it and take the sting out of the game. Such a decision prompted a huge roar of approval from the away end. It didn't even take 20 seconds for the ball to land at Youan's feet for the second.

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Response

The rest of the game was played out in a more frantic fashion, at times as if it was the last five minutes of an encounter where both teams needed a goal to survive relegation. Liam Boyce and Jorge Grant would come on for Hearts and they would end up in a 4-1-2-3 shape with Nieuwenhof at the base. Forrest, the best player on the park, remained the biggest threat.

The first-half plan didn't continue, Offiah not offering the same runs and support as Sibbick did. Instead Forrest moved in field to contribute. It was his run in behind the Hibs midfield which led to the corner that brought the second goal. He continued to make such runs and put the ball in a very dangerous area from one such situation at 2-2.

Hearts continued to push and got into good areas. They were the more positive team and finished with the highest number of shots they have recorded in the league so far this campaign.

However, they couldn't create clear-cut chances. In the shot map below, which shows the 14 shots after Hibs had equalised, see the big grouping of efforts from around the edge of the box. It will frustrate Hearts that they didn't truly test Boruc who replaced Marshall.

In the end, Naismith will take plenty of positives from the performance, both in and out of possession. There will also be learnings for him and his team with regards to decision making. For fans, at the moment, it will likely still sting too much to take anything but frustration from Saturday afternoon.