Jason Cummings scored his first professional hat-trick helped as Hibernian and Falkirk played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in snowy conditions at Easter Road.
The home side made a positive start with skipper Liam Craig firing wide in the game’s early stages before a Cummings shot from the edge of the box was easily gathered by Jamie MacDonald.
But Cummings needed only 11 minutes to get off the mark and notch his fourth goal in as many appearances. The ball broke to the striker in the area and his deflected shot trickled past MacDonald who had managed to get a hand to the ball.
But Falkirk got back on level terms six minutes later when John Baird headed past Hibernian goalkeeper Mark Oxley. Baird thought he had made it 2-1 to Falkirk after 25 minutes only to see his effort ruled out after assistant referee Lorraine Clark spotted an infringement.
Cummings re-instated Hibernian’s lead after guiding Liam Fontaine’s header from a Scott Allan corner past MacDonald on 38 minutes. And the youngster completed his hat-trick four minutes later when Martin Boyle rounded MacDonald and crossed for Cummings to head home and take his goal tally to six in the last four games.
Cummings and Boyle continued to give Falkirk’s defence problems after the break with both going close within 10 minutes of the restart.
But it was Falkirk who opened the scoring in the second half. Peter Grant got on the end of a Craig Sibbald cross to head home just shy of the hour mark.
The goal gave Falkirk a lift and they drew level on 63 minutes when Grant found himself in space at the back post and fired home Oxley.
The away side almost took the lead eight minutes later when Sibbald unleashed a shot which Oxley managed to tip on to the post. And Hibernian had their keeper to thank when he tipped Blair Alston's 30-yard free-kick over the bar in added time to ensure Hibernian stretched their unbeaten run to five matches.