Derek Riordan fired in his first Hibernian hat-trick as Kilmarnock were demolished at Easter Road by Tony Mowbray's youthful side.

The result cemented Hibs' position as the best side in Scotland outside the Old Firm, and sealed their reputation for eye-catching play.

Riordan is the brightest talent in an absurdly young Hibernian team and it is a question of which he goes on to achieve first: a full Scotland debut or a move to a bigger stage.

Both will surely happen, barring injury or a loss of form, but for the meantime he appears more than happy to delight the green half of Edinburgh.

Goal number 15 for the season arrived on the half-hour mark with Stephen Glass, one of the few experienced professionals in the home side, having done the spadework down the left.

The former Scotland international pushed the ball past his man and just managed to cut it back into the danger zone before it went out of play.

Riordan was the man it reached and after a sublime shuffle of feet to set himself up and put would-be blockers off the scent, he fired past Killie goalkeeper Alan Combe. His effort had little power but was perfectly placed.

Goal number 16 arrived two minutes later and again Combe was given no chance as Riordan flicked the ball past him high into the net to convert Garry O'Connor's cross, with Dean Shiels having produced the defence-splitting ball in the first place.

Riordan could have had a hat-trick before half-time as he had earlier been denied by a goalline clearance from Garry Hay after Combe had blocked a shot by Steven Fletcher.

Annoyingly for Jim Jefferies, Killie striker Kris Boyd could also have laid claim to the match ball by the break but was denied three times by Hibs goalkeeper Simon Brown.

First Brown blocked with his legs with the score goalless after Boyd had been located in space on the left of the box and his second denial of Riordan's Scotland Under-21 colleague was a reflex tip-over of a shot on the turn from even closer range after Danny Invincibile headed on a throw-in.

Boyd will be aware that he should not have allowed Brown to make the third save, a point-blank block that would have put his side back in the game after Riordan's quicksilver double.

Jefferies made a tactical reshuffle for the second half, with defender David Lilley being replaced by playmaker Allan Johnston.

Boyd saw a header saved by Brown before Riordan once again showed him how it was done.

Again Glass was the architect with a run and pass to Fletcher on the right. Fletcher made a hash of his first attempt to find a colleague but was lucky with the bounce and could try again.

No Killie marker had picked up Riordan on the left of the box and that unforgivable error was punished by a low drive that was at Combe but too hot to block.

Riordan's only previous hat-trick had been while on loan at Cowdenbeath in a 7-5 win at Brechin City in September 2003.

Killie were still second-best and needed Combe to save them twice in the space of a few seconds.

First he made a close-range block to deny Shiels and, after a defender had hacked away Beuzelin's follow-up, he had to tip over a thumping drive from Gary Caldwell.

O'Connor was granted an early rest in the 67th minute, with Sam Morrow taking over.

Combe could not rest however and pulled off a fine save to deny Glass, who fired a 25-yard free-kick towards the goalkeeper's bottom left-hand corner.

Killie hustled for a consolation but despite a few close shaves had to depart without one.

Teams

Hibernian Simon Brown, Whittaker, Caldwell, Smith, Glass, Shiels, Antonio Murray (McCluskey 76), Ian Murray, Riordan, O'Connor (Morrow 64), Fletcher (Beuzelin 54).

Subs Not Used: Alistair Brown, Murphy, Murdock, Orman.

Booked: Whittaker.

Goals: Riordan 30, 34, 52.

Kilmarnock Combe, Fowler, Ford, Lilley (Johnston 46), Hay, Invincibile, Locke, McDonald, Naismith (Dodds 66), Boyd, Nish (Murray 56).

Subs Not Used: Smith, Wales, McGregor, Johnstone.

Booked: Naismith, Ford.

Att: 12,660

Ref: H Dallas (Scotland).