It was all action in the Edinburgh rain as we played out a six-goal thriller.

Hibernian 3 (Kucherenko OG 26', Bowie 51', McGrath 86' pen)

Dundee United 3 (Stephenson 15', 47', Sapsford 44')

5.45pm Saturday 13 September 2025

Easter Road Stadium

William Hill Premiership

Attendance: 19,265

The Team Talk

We named the same side that claimed victory in the Dundee Derby derby a fortnight ago, with the only alteration to the matchday squad coming on the bench, as Calvin Beattie was drafted in to replace Lewis O’Donnell, who departed on a short-term loan to Cove Rangers.

An Early Lead

After a hustle and bustle opening, we found ourselves ahead with less than a quarter of an hour played.

It was Amar Fatah and Ivan Dolcek who combined in the box before the ball was hooked clear as far as Will Ferry. The Irishman's cross from deep was on the money and Luca Stephenson broke through a number of Hibs bodies to nod down and into the corner to give us the lead!

We weren't ahead long as Hibs responded within ten minutes. Misjudging a corner, Yevhenii Kucherenko got his punch all wrong as it slipped behind and found the net. 

Honours Even

United responded well after the setback and began to take control as the half wore on. Sapsford came close with a curling effort that looked destined for the bottom corner, only for Smith to get down sharply to his left. From the resulting corner, Stephenson found himself unmarked at the backpost but was again denied by the Hibs goalkeeper with a low drive.

The hosts threatened on the counter, but Kucherenko was equal to the danger - first beating away a powerful strike from Bowie before reacting superbly to block the striker’s header with a clawing hand a few moments later. 

Ahead Before The Half

We restored our advantage just before half-time through a well-worked move from the front three. Fatah drove forward and released Dolcek, who was sharp to skip around the Hibs goalkeeper before unselfishly squaring for Sapsford to finish

Back Out Swinging

Our advantage was doubled shortly after the restart.

Just moments earlier, a clever touch from Sapsford sent Dolcek racing through, but a last-ditch sliding challenge denied him the chance to get his shot away.

We didn’t have to wait long, though, as Fatah did well to drive wide and force a magnificent cross to the back post, where Stephenson arrived to finish smartly back across goal.

Action At Both Ends

Our two-goal advantage was short-lived, however, as Josh Mulligan forced a mistake as we looked to play out before clever footwork from Bowie opened up space and he fired beyond Kucherenko - goal awarded after a VAR check for offside.  

Hibs substitute Junior Hoilett almost made an immediate impact, forcing Kucherenko into a smart low stop before a Jamie McGrath effort also required stopping.

At the other end, Ševelj was denied by a strong hand from Jordan Smith!

A Breathless Finale

We almost made it four as Nikolaj Möller took to the field and was almost involved immediately as his clever reverse flick looked to find Sapsford, but Smith was out quickly to smother the danger!

With eight minutes to play, United were reduced to ten men as Ševelj was shown a red card and a penalty was awarded after a VAR review. It looked incredibly harsh, but referee Dan MacFarlane ruled that the United number five had handled Bowie’s overhead attempt inside the box. Kucherenko went the right way, but McGrath’s strike found the net to bring the game level at 3-3.

There were more chances deep into injury time as Hoilett's glancing header was tipped over into safety before Stephenson was denied a hat-trick by the outstretched boot of Smith!

Post-Match Reaction

Teamlines

Hibernian

Starting XI: Smith, Iredale, Bushiri, O’Hora, Cadden, Levitt, Mulligan, Cadden, McGrath, Boyle (c), Bowie

Substitutes: Sallinger, Barlaser, Campbell, Hanley, Hoilett, Klidje, Megwa, Obita, Youan

Dundee United

Starting XI: Kucherenko, Esselink, Iovu, Ševelj, Camara, Sapsford, Ferry (C), Amar Fatah, Dolcek, Stephenson, Keresztes

Substitutes: Richards, Eskesen, Sibbald, Naamo, Thomson, Cleall-Harding, Constable, Beattie, Möller

Next Up

It’s another free weekend on the horizon for Jim Goodwin's men, but the action returns in style with a Tannadice double-header. Aberdeen are first to make the journey to DD3, before Kilmarnock arrive hot on their heels as the fixture list ramps up.

Ticket information will be announced in due course. 

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