The Championship title looks to be in the bag for Hibs after they beat 10-man Dundee United in the crunch clash at Tannadice.
United were right up against it when Lewis Toshney sold the jerseys, earning a second yellow card then a red for a tackle Andrew Shinnie – also the victim of his first booking offence – on just 31 minutes.
That handed Hibs all the encouragement they needed and Neil Lennon’s men went 1-0 up six minutes before the break when Jason Cummings slammed the ball home.
Cummings then made it 10 versus 10 on 76 minutes when he got sent off for using a hand to put the ball into United net just minutes after getting a first booking.
United huffed and puffed but, in the end, they blew their golden opportunity to close the gap.
That all means the Easter Road side are now 10 points ahead of third-placed United and nine clear of Falkirk in second spot.
Surely, Hibs won’t throw it away now, while Ray McKinnon’s players are, realistically, left battling it out with the Bairns and Morton to decide the play-off pecking order.
The Tangerines had made three changes from the team that started the 1-1 draw against Morton last time out.
Back from injury came Toshney, while also recalled were winger Alex Nicholls and striker Simon Murray.
That meant Charlie Telfer, Nick van der Velden and Thomas Mikkelsen all dropped down to the bench.
Darren McGregor started in central defence for the visitors after suspension, with Jordan Forster named as a substitute.
The atmosphere was electric as the team came out of the tunnel, United in their traditional tangerine and Hibs in fluorescent green.
With three minutes on the clock it was the Hibees who had the first shot at goal, albeit a never-going-in effort from 40 yards from Lewis Stevenson.
United’s Scott Fraser thought he had won a freekick just outside the Hibs box a minute later but instead was booked for diving by referee Don Robertson.
Cummings then broke clear for the visitors only to be flagged offside – much to the relief of the home fans.
With the match into its 11th minute, there was a rather muted demonstration against Tannadice chairman Stephen Thompson, with a small number of fans holding aloft yellow flags and banners in the Eddie Thompson Stand.
There was a bad mistake from United defender Mark Durnan a couple of minutes later as he was well short with a header back to keeper Cammy Bell, who did well to rescue the situation as Cummings tried to clip the ball over him.
Toshney became the second home player to be booked on 17 minutes for a challenge on Shinnie in the centre circle. That was to prove a costly one.
With 24 minutes gone, United broke forward when Scott Fraser played in Murray but the Tannadice frontman was clattered by David Gray at the edge of the box, a foul that earned the Hibs captain a caution. Nicholls took the freekick but it was blocked.
There was then a disaster for United on 31 minutes when Toshney was sent off for another booking, dished out for another rash tackle on Shinnie.
That was the last thing the Tangerines needed on such a big night for the club and Toshney would have to answer to his teammates for leaving them short-handed with an hour to play.
Predictably, that handed the psychological advantage to Hibs and they took the lead on 39 minutes.
Cummings was the scorer, taking a Shinnie pass on his chest before drilling a fine strike past Bell as the United defenders claimed in vain for offside.
United’s Dixon was booked after the restart for a foul on Martin Boyle then the yellows kept on coming as Shinnie was cautioned for bringing down Nicholls.
William Edjenguele of the home team and Grant Holt of the away side also had their names put in the book after a bit of a tussle on the floor.
The Tangerines took off Tony Andreu for Mikkelsen on 63 minutes before Hibs squandered a golden chance to make it 2-0 when Boyle blasted over when unmarked just outside the six-yard box.
On 76 minutes, though, United were given a chance to get back into it.
Cummings had picked up a booking for throwing the ball away after being given offside.
Just three minutes later, he used a hand to put the ball into United’s net, leaving ref Robertson with no option but to send him off.
That red card was as daft as Toshney’s and it was now 10 versus 10.
United, who by now had pushed defender Durnan up front, had keeper Bell to thank for a brilliant save off a vicious Shinnie shot on 81 minutes.
With four minutes to go, a Dixon freekick was deflected just wide of the post as the hosts tried to rescue a draw but it the three points and probably the title headed back to Easter Road.
Attendance: 9,532.
Dundee United: Bell, Dixon, Durnan, Toshney, Murray, Fraser (Van der Velden 84), Nicholls, Edjenguele, Flood, Andreu (Mikkelsen 63), Van der Struijk. Subs not used: Zwick, Dillon, Murdoch, Telfer, Robson.
Hibernian: Marciano, Gray, Bartley (Fyvie 68), McGinn, Holt (Graham 78), Stevenson, Boyle (Forster 87), Shinnie, McGregor, Ambrose, Cummings. Subs not used: Laidlaw, Keatings, Crane, Martin.
Referee: Don Robertson.
