After a rather stale opening, the home side
took the lead with the game's first attack of note in the seventh
minute.
Gary Smith's long free-kick found Luna on the
corner of the six-yard box and he knocked the ball down for Murray to
hook the ball over his shoulder and into the corner of the net.
Three minutes later Hibs doubled their
advantage and Luna was again the provider with a delightful lobbed pass
into the path of McManus who raced in on goal and poked the ball under
Gordon Marshall's body.
Luna was in sparkling form and the Killie
defence had no answer to his repertoire of clever touches. The Spaniard
even had time to help out his own defenders and won several important
headers in his own penalty box.
Luna tried his luck from 30 yards after a neat
lay-off from McManus but his effort screwed wide of the post.
McManus had a glimpse of goal in the 34th
minute but a sliding tackle from Alan Mahood denied the young striker
the chance for a second goal.
Kilmarnock managed to assert themselves in the
game for the final ten minutes of the first period but the visitors
could not muster much in the way of serious attacks.
Jarkko Wiss, making just his second start for
Hibs this season, warmed Marshall's fingers with a free kick early in
the second half and McManus went close with a neat shot on the turn.
Colgan proved his worth with two stunning
saves, firstly blocking a Freddie Dindeleux shot before denying Barry
McLaughlin's rebounded effort as Killie pushed forward.
Hibs were defending fiercely and often
frantically as the visitors increased the pressure but seldom got
through the tough tackling Easter Road rearguard.
Boyd did squirm through in the 82nd minute but
Colgan once again produced a great save to push away a fierce shot from
close range.
It was not to be Boyd's day and the youngster
saw his volley flash inches wide of the post in the final minute.
Kilmarnock: Marshall, Locke (Hay 73),
Dindeleux, Shields, McLaughlin, Quitongo, Canero, Mahood (Mitchell 72),
Fulton, Boyd, McSwegan (Fowler 36). Subs Not Used: Meldrum, Innes.
