Three goals in the first 48 minutes of the match from Josh Mullin, Jon Guthrie & Scott Robinson sealed a fantastic 3-0 away to Hibernian, sealing a first victory away to the Edinburgh side since 2005.

Manager David Martindale opted to make three changes to the team that won away to Kilmarnock with Ciaron Brown, Efe Ambrose and Scott Robinson all started in favour of Julien Serrano, Jack Fitzwater and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.

The hosts were dealt a blow in the warm-up as goalkeeper Ofir Marciano pulled out of the starting line-up with a calf complaint meaning that Dillon Barnes replaced him in the team with goalkeeping coach Craig Samson taking a place on the bench.

It would take just 9 minutes for Josh Mullin to have Barnes picking the ball out the net as the midfield man grabbed his 5^th goal of the season.

Marvin Bartley won back possession in the middle of the park, knocking the ball forward to Scott Robinson who clipped an excellent pass over the Hibs defence for Mullin who ran onto the ball and drilled a first-time effort into the far corner.

The hosts, who had gone down 2-0 to Ross County in midweek, didn’t react to the goal and it wasn’t long before the Lions made it too. A short corner between Mullin and Sibbald was whipped into the box and after Barnes failed to punch clear, Ciaron Brown challenged for the loose ball, heading towards Guthrie who slammed home from close range.

The two-goal lead by no means flattered Livingston at the break, with the on form Mullin curling another effort narrowly wide of the post, before forcing an excellent low stop from Barnes with a drive from the edge of the box.

Minutes into the second-half and the game was all but over as Robinson prodded home the third.

Guthrie’s clearance from the back started a foot race between Robinson, Porteous and Hanlon as all three raced into the penalty area. Robinson got there first, wriggling his way in front of Porteous and just as it looked like he’d been dispossessed, the inform striker hooked the ball back, side-stepped Porteous and poked the ball beyond Barnes.

Jason Holt then cut inside from the left wing as the Lions looked to counter-attack but his shot from just inside the box was well saved by Barnes.

Substitute Julien Serrano lashed a shot narrowly wide from a tight angle before a late header from Porteous deep into stoppage time flew wide of the target, the closest the hosts came to troubling Stryjek.

Another three points, a 7^th win in-a-row, a 5^th league win on the spin and a 4^th consecutive away victory away from home in the top flight too. Next up, John Hughes and his Ross County side visit the Tony Macaroni Arena.

Hibernian: Barnes, McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Stevenson (⇔ Doig 67), Gogic (⇔ Murphy 50), Boyle, Mallan, Nisbet, Newell ▊, Doidge (⇔ Gullan 67)
Subs not used: Gray, Wright, Hallberg, McGinn, McGregor, Samson

Livingston: Stryjek, Devlin, Ambrose, Guthrie, Brown, Bartley, Holt, Mullin (⇔ Lawson 74), Pittman, Sibbald (⇔ Serrano 75), Robinson ▊ (⇔ Emmanuel-Thomas 83)
Subs not used: McCrorie, Forrest, McMillan, Taylor-Sinclair, Pignatiello
Goals: Mullin (9), Guthrie (16), Robinson (47)

Referee: David Munro
HT: 2-0
Att: BCD
Match Report: Dave Black

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