Kieron Bowie’s second-half equaliser earned Hibernian a valuable Scottish Premiership point as they drew with Motherwell in an entertaining contest at a sold-out Easter Road.
Motherwell, missing influential midfielder Elliot Watt, soaked up early pressure from the hosts and struck first when Tawanda Maswanhise produced a fine finish to put the visitors ahead and threaten a statement away win.
Hibs responded after the break and made their pressure count when Motherwell failed to deal with a dangerous attack.
Jordan Obita’s pass found Bowie, who recovered from a heavy first touch to steer the ball home and level the match.
Both teams had chances to claim all three points.
Ibrahim Said went agonisingly close for Motherwell when he headed wide at the near post, while Hibs were unable to fully capitalise on mistakes in the Well back line.
In the end, a draw felt a fair outcome to a gripping encounter.
The result keeps Motherwell fourth in the table, with Hibs two points behind in fifth as both sides remain firmly in the hunt for European qualification.
Motherwell again used a back three, a system that had worked well against Hibs earlier in the season, but this time they struggled to control the first half.
Hibs created several openings, with Grant Hanley and Elie Youan both going close, yet failed to take advantage.
The absence of Watt showed at times, with Motherwell lacking some composure in midfield, although they remained resilient and dangerous on the counter.
Goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger was kept busy, producing key saves to deny Tom Sparrow, Maswanhise and Emmanuel Longelo.
Hibs’ intensity and direct approach caused problems throughout, but their wastefulness in front of goal prevented them from taking full control.
After a match that swung from end to end, both managers will accept a point as their promising campaigns continue to take shape.
Hibernian head coach David Gray: "Because you lose the first goal in the game, you can't be disappointed with a point, especially against a good side.
"Our first half an hour was very good. We were more like ourselves. Really good, aggressive patterns of play.
"Frustrating thing from my point of view is the majority of chances we give up are through transitions. A draw is probably a fair result."
Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou: "We didn't outperform Hibs today, it was in many ways an even game. The amount of chances were quite even.
"At 1-1 we had a really big moment to decide the game, which I didn't feel they had. It was two teams who invested a lot in the game."
