Lee Johnson lapped up a 4-0 demolition of 10-man Livingston as Hibs brought a four game run of defeats to a halt in style.
The Easter Road boss watched Jason Holt's first half red card help open the floodgates for his side who had Kyle Magennis firing a double as Kevin Nisbet and Chris Cadden were also on target. An emphatic victory eases the pressure on Johnson who will now go into next Wednesday's clash with Celtic on a high and then get ready for the Edinburgh derby five days later.
Nisbet should have sent Hibs into a third minute lead when he raced clear on goal but his finish was straight into the body of Lions keeper Ivan Konovalov. It was the type of opportunity which is normally maximised by a player still fine tuning after his lengthy injury layoff. Then VAR refused to intervene after Bruce Anderson superbly controlled a high ball before trying to get a shot away but despite appearing to be clipped by Paul Hanlon, referee Craig Napier was having none of it.
The whistler was at the heart of the game's flashpoint in the 14th minute when Livi were reduced to ten men after he deemed Holt's late challenge on Nisbet as a red card offence.
It appeared harsh in the extreme but it was also a cue for Ryan Porteous to get involved as he was involved in a barging match with Holt to earn a caution as did Andrew Shinnie who joined in the altercation.
Nisbet then tapped in a Cadden cross only for the linesman's offside flag bringing a halt to his celebrations. The striker wouldn't have long to wait long as the striker reacted first after Konovalov spilled a Porteous free-kick and slammed home via a post from a tight angle in the 33rd minute.
74 seconds later it was two for the hosts as Cadden collected the ball wide on the right and drifted inside to crack a stunning shot which screamed past Konovalov from 25 yards. Number three arrived five minutes before the break as Livi's backline parted to allow Magennis to nod an Elie Youan cross in from a few yards out and the visitors were on the verge of a hiding.
Magennis rattled in his second just after the restart as Hibs made it four and it was one-way traffic for the remainder of a contest where Hibs should have been a couple of goals more to the good against Livi who had become increasingly demoralised.
it was all to end in a bit of farce as Esmael Goncalves and Jack Fitzwater both had penalty kick saved by David Marshall who laid claim to a late man of the match award. Here are our three talking points.
Back with a bang
It's been a stunning festive return from a nine month absence by Kevin Nisbet who's now bagged two goals from his first two games since coming back from an ACL injury.
The Scotland striker could have helped himself to more but his first half finish was typically instinctive and his general play was a major part of an impressive Hibs display after Livingston went a man down. It's the best news possible for his manager that Nisbet is now back and scoring goals.
Varcical
An entertaining and evenly contested match swung in the favour of Hibs after Holt's challenge on Nisbet was deemed to have carried excessive force by referee Napier but it was a call which was perplexing. The Lions midfielder may overstretched but the challenge which was a touch high didn't carry the malice which merited such severe punishment.
It would prove to be the game's decisive moment and altered the course of the contest but a check by VAR by Napier may have shown a caution was more befitting the crime for a challenge which didn't appear out of control.
Johnson's joy
After a run of just one win from their previous eight games, this was a rare chance for the Easter Road manager to relax and enjoy the game from the touchline. Make no mistake, anything less than three points and the Englishman would be teetering into Jack Ross territory.
His side made the most of the extra man advantage and set about dismantling Livi by keeping the pitch big and being ruthless when opportunities arose.
