Falkirk registered a stunning Edinburgh double as they put Hibs to the sword with a 2-1 win in an entertaining Scottish Premiership clash at Easter Road.
The Bairns’ only other league victory this term was against Hearts in September.
In a game that went from end to end in the cold Edinburgh sunshine, Jacob Murrell had Falkirk 2-0 ahead inside 37 minutes, before Hibs struck back with an Owen Elding goal. Hibs dominated the second half, but couldn’t bag an equaliser.
Hibs boss Marink Reedijk made three changes from their 1-0 defeat at Dundee United last weekend, with Azeem Abdulai, Adam Mayor and Martin Boyle replacing Jack Iredale, Callum Wright and Ante Suto.
John McGlynn made a single change from Falkirk’s defeat at home to Dundee, with Scott Tanser in for Leon McCann.
Hibs created a chance after four minutes when Tanser’s corner from the right fell to Felix Passlack and when his shot was blocked, the rebound was sliced wide of the right post by Thibault Klidje.
But Falkirk took the lead after 13 minutes when Ryan Strain played a superb ball forward for Murrell to latch on to and thunder a shot past goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger into the right corner.
Strain’s low shot was then comfortably saved by Sallinger after 23 minutes before Hibs’ best chance fell to Boyle on the half-hour, but he was denied by the feet of Scott Bain.
Klidje fired high and wide of the left post 60 seconds later, and Mayor let fly with a shot from distance that cleared the bar 36 minutes in.
But more slack play by Hibs let Falkirk in for their second goal after 37 minutes.
Klidje’s back-heel pass in the right corner let in Ethan Ross, and his cross was whipped past Sallinger by Murrell for his fourth goal of the season.
Hibs pulled a goal back on 41 minutes when Passlack’s cross from the right was chested in by Elding, with VAR clearing a hand-ball check.
Hibernian’s Owen Elding scored to make it 2-1
Falkirk thought they had scored a third on the stroke of half-time, but Finley Barbrook was flagged offside before his header hit the net.
Abdulai was sent through on the right on 47 minutes, but sliced high and wide of the left post. Elding was through on goal two minutes later, but Bain slid out superbly to whip the ball off his toes.
Hibs were awarded a penalty on 53 minutes when Liam Henderson was adjudged to have pulled down Klidje, which VAR reduced to a free-kick just outside the box, which was fired over by Boyle.
Barbrook nearly set up a third on 80 minutes, but Owen Eames’ shot was cleared off the line. At the other end, Jamie McGrath forced a terrific save from Bain to keep Falkirk ahead.
