Hibs forward John Rankin blocked Jon Daly's first-half diving header on the line but spurned his opportunity for further heroics as his 65th-minute penalty was saved by Dusan Pernis. And Hibs' misery was compounded when Goodwillie latched onto a loose ball and visiting goalkeeper Mark Brown was caught in no-man's land as the United striker tucked in after 87 minutes for his seventh goal in nine games.
"I'm absolutely delighted with the three points," said Houston. "I said before the game if we could grind out a 1-0 win result and get this three-game losing run over, get a clean sheet, I'd be delighted. And I'm so pleased with them because it emphasises the character of the team."
Houston believes Pernis' penalty save and Goodwillie's effort, which punished the one mistake Hibs' defence made on Saturday, epitomised the spirit of his United side after the controversial loss to Celtic and two defeats in four days to Motherwell.
"When you lose a penalty kick you feel you're going to have to chase things again but it shows the quality of our big goalkeeper - he's fantastic," added the manager.
"And the other side when we get a wee break, typical David Goodwillie doesn't give up on anything, fights for everything and he's got his just rewards."
Houston believes his side were worthy winners, particularly after a first 45 minutes in which they came closest to scoring through Daly's header.
He said: "We created enough chances to win the match, a tough, tough match."
Source: PA
Source: PA