St Mirren were defeated by Hearts in the cinch Premiership as a Lawrence Shankland double either side of half-time saw the Buddies beaten in Gorgie. 

Shankland opened the scoring not long after the half-hour mark when he headed home unmarked at the far post. He added a second quickly after the break with a stunning strike to give the hosts all the points.

Stephen Robinson made one change from the side that drew with Motherwell at The SMiSA Stadium last weekend. Alex Greive came in from the start in place of Stav Nahmani who dropped to the bench. Ryan Flynn returned to the squad after a hamstring injury and he took his place among the substitutes in place of Conor McMenamin who missed out due to illness. 

The hosts were presented a decent opportunity in the opening moments of the game after breaking forward immediately after kick-off and seeing Aidan Denholm fouled by Alex Gogic. The Cypriot international was booked and Hearts awarded a free-kick in a good area 20 yards from goal. Alex Cochrane took but fired his low effort well wide of the left-hand post. 

There was little between the sides in the opening exchanges and Saints look to profit from slack play in the Hearts defence on 12 minutes, Jonah Ayunga got a shot away but saw his deflected effort spin into the hands of Hearts goalkeeper Zander Clark. The forward won a free-kick 15 minutes later around 25 yards from the Hearts goal after being pulled back. Scott Tanser stepped up but sent his attempt wide. 

Hearts drew first blood on 33 minutes when Shankland headed home from close-range at the far post. Saints failed to clear their lines at a corner and that allowed Cochrane to swing the ball to the back stick where the unmarked Shankland was alone in plenty of space to meet it and force over the line despite Zach Hemming getting two hands on it. 

Shankland scored his and Hearts' second early into the second-half with a stunning effort from the edge of the box just four minutes after the restart. The forward picked the ball up just outside the area, spun round and sent a brilliant finish into the top corner to double the home side's advantage. He could have had his hat-trick on 57 minutes when Beni Baningime robbed Richard Taylor off the ball near the penalty area and threaded the ball through to the Hearts number nine. But Shankland poked at the effort and Hemming blocked. 

The Buddies came close to pulling a goal back twice within the space of a minute just after the hour mark. Gogic saw a header well saved by Clark who, at full-stretch, managed to claw the ball behind. A scramble from the resultant corner almost saw Thierry Small force home but his effort was cleared off the line by Kye Rowles. 

Saints made three changes soon after with Nahmani, Toyosi Olusanya and Lewis Jamieson introduced in place of Greg Kiltie, Ayunga and Greive. Mikael Mandron and Caolan Boyd-Munce were also brought on 10 minutes later as Small and Mark O'Hara made way. But the changes couldn't see the Buddies force a way back into the match and it was Hearts who almost rounded off their afternoon with a third when a rare Hemming mistake saw the goalkeeper pass the ball straight to Jambos substitute Macaulay Tait inside the box, but the Saints number one made amends with a good save to deny the youngster. 

Full-Time: Hearts 2-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Small (Mandron 73), O'Hara (c) (Boyd-Munce 74), Baccus, Tanser, Kiltie (Nahmani 63), Ayunga (Olusanya 63), Greive (Jamieson 63)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Bolton, Dunne, Flynn

Hearts: Clark, Kent, Halkett, Rowles, Atkinson (Sibbick 74), Cochrane, Denholm (Tait 84), Oda (Forrest 66), Baningime, McKay (Nieuwenhof 66), Shankland
Subs Not Used: Gordon, Kingsley, Haring, Tagawa, Vargas

Referee: Nick Walsh
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: Douglas Ross
Fourth Official: Calum Scott
VAR: Euan Anderson

Attendance: 18,717 

Saints and Motherwell played out a goalless draw in a wet and windy Paisley.

After a forgettable first half, Saints were given the perfect chance to take the lead early in the second when Stephen O'Donnell handled Jonah Ayunga's cross, but Liam Kelly saved Mark O'Hara's effort.

Kelly also did well to turn away Thierry Small's shot but it was the visitors who had the better chances, a combination of poor finishing and great goalkeeping from Zach Hemming meaning Blair Spittal, Mika Biereth and Theo Bair failed to get on the scoresheet.

The only change to the Saints side that had started against Ross County was little surprise, Keanu Baccus replacing the injured Caolan Boyd-Munce in midfield. The in-form Biereth started for the visitors, with former Buddies Jon Obika and Paul McGinn on the bench. 

Saints could have taken an early lead in slightly bizarre circumstances when skipper Mark O'Hara released Thierry Small down the right. His cross with his weaker foot was poor, Jonah Ayunga and Stav Nahmani effectively getting in each other's way as they came to meet it. Instead, it ran through to Greg Kiltie only for him to loose his balance as he took his shot – which still threatened to loop under the Motherwell bar. Small's next cross moments later was better, Ayunga sending a header towards goal that Liam Kelly tipped over. That proved to be the extent of the excitement in a first half played with the wind causing havoc for both sides.

Things livened up early in the second half. Ayunga burst forward and then crossed, the ball hitting the arm of the sliding Stephen O'Donnell as he tried to block the delivery. For once, VAR wasn't needed to tell whether it was a penalty, ref Craig Napier pointing straight to the spot. 'Well goalie Kelly indulged in some gamesmanship before he parried away the penalty from the usually reliable O'Hara, the skipper unable to force home the rebound.

Unsurprisingly, the save gave Motherwell a boost and they finally managed their first effort of note when Harry Paton's shot from the edge of the box flashed wide. Georgie Gent then headed a free-kick straight at Zach Hemming before Keanu Baccus shot just wide at the other end. The Aussie midfielder curled his next effort from a short corner over the bar, with Small going close when he cut inside and sent a shot towards the bottom corner that Kelly tipped it away.  

When Motherwell countered from the Saints corner that followed, they should have been front. The ball found Blair Spittal in acres of space and he reacted quickly to avoid Alex Gogic's lunge but didn't even test Hemming as he somehow shot wide. The visitors were screaming for a penalty moments later when Callum Slattery got in behind Gogic and then went to ground in the box. Play raged on, with Mr Napier not even invited to look at the VAR monitor when the ball went out. 

There was another penalty appeal when the ball may have hit Richard Taylor's arm but that also fell on deaf ears before Biereth squandered a glorious chance, getting goalside of the Saints defence before scuffing his shot at Hemming. As the game entered the final few minutes, Motherwell had another chance to score when sub Theo Bair was sent through but Hemming pulled off a great save. Deep into stoppage time, the Motherwell defence left a Saints cross and it bounced through to Conor McMenamin, however it rose too high for the Saints sub and was only able to head over as the points were shared.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-0 Motherwell

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Small (McMenamin 68), O'Hara (c), Baccus, Kiltie (Greive 82), Tanser, Nahmani (Mandron 68), Ayunga (Olusanya 78)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Bolton, Dunne, Sutherland, Jamieson

Motherwell: Kelly (c), O'Donnell, Mugabi, Blayney, Spencer, Slattery (Shaw 87), Zdravkovski, Paton, Gent (McGinn 90), Spittal, Biereth (Bair 87)
Subs Not Used: Oxborough, Wells, L.Ross, M.Ross, Wilkinson, Obika

Referee: Craig Napier
Assistant Referee: Dougie Potter
Assistant Referee: John McCrossan
Fourth Official: Alastair Grieve
VAR: Alan Muir

Attendance: 5,837

Saints ended their three game losing streak with a comfortable win over Ross County in a rainy Paisley.

The Buddies should have been in front at the break, Greg Kiltie hitting the bar before Jonah Ayunga was denied by Ross Laidlaw. When the Buddies did take the lead shortly after the interval, it was after a lengthy wait as VAR checked to ensure the ball had indeed crossed the line following some penalty box pinball.

That pause was nothing like as long as Ayunga had waited for the moment that came a few minutes later. The forward had spent 300 days out injured before returning to first team action last month and thumped home his first goal since his comeback just before the hour mark to ensure the points stayed at Greenhill Road.

Saints boss Stephen Robinson made three changes to the side that lost in Perth midweek. Thierry Small made his first start of the season in place of the injured Ryan Flynn, with Richard Taylor replacing Charles Dunne and Stav Nahmani taking over from Lewis Jamieson up front. The visitors had hit good form since Derek Adams returned to the dugout and had two familiar faces in their squad, with Jay Henderson and Eamonn Brophy both on the bench.

Ayunga went close to opening the scoring early on, bustling forward before unleashing a shot that stung the palms of Ross Laidlaw. At the other end, a dangerous looking ball across the Saints goal was knocked behind by Marcus Fraser for a corner, which Jordan White – who scored the winner when the two sides met last month - headed narrowly wide. With little more than a quarter of an hour on the clock Caolan Boyd-Munce's afternoon was ended by injury, Keanu Baccus replacing him in midfield.

Saints should have been in front midway through the half after some terrific football. Greg Kiltie played the ball out wide to Nahmani before charging into the box to meet the return cross, lifting the ball over Laidlaw only for it to hit the bar and be cleared. County looked set to take advantage of that let-off as Simon Murray raced onto White's flick-on but his shot was beyond both Zach Hemming and the far post.

The Buddies were looking the more likely to open the scoring, Nahmani getting behind the County defence before being denied by Laidlaw. The Israeli then sent Ayunga through on goal but his low, hard shot was kept out by the Staggies goalie, Baccus volleying well over after the resultant corner was knocked out to the edge of the box.

It was from another corner that Saints took the lead in bizarre circumstances early in the second half. The ball bounced about the six yard box before there were claims from both the players and fans behind the goal that it had crossed the line. Play raged on and County got the ball clear before ref Calum Scott stopped play for a VAR check. After what seemed like an eternity, it was eventually agreed that the ball had indeed crossed the line – although who helped it get there is anyone's guess, County's Ryan Leak 'credited' with the goal.

If that goal was shrouded in mystery, there was no doubt who scored moments later. Seconds after Nahmani's effort from Ayunga's pass was blocked, the latter charged down the left before thumping in a shot that got the better of Laidlaw and flew into the net to double Saints' lead. It was a huge milestone in Jonah's recovery from injury as it was his first goal since he found the net against Rangers in the final game before last year's World Cup. 

Jonah Ayunga celebrates his first goal since returning from injury (Image: Allan Picken)

The Buddies looked rampant, penalty claims waved away when Nahmani appeared to have been barged over in the box, but the visitors weren't finished with Hemming having to stretch to gather Murray's header. Nahmani then tried his luck from the edge of the box, Laidlaw needing two attempts to hold it in the slippy conditions. Alex Gogic was close to finishing things off 15 minutes from the end, heading wide as he met Kiltie's corner at the front post.

Hemming had had a fairly quiet afternoon but produced a brilliant save to turn County sub Alex Samuel's header over the bar as the visitors looked for a way back into the match. Mark O'Hara then had an effort deflected behind off Mikael Mandron after some uncertain Staggies defending, the sub then heading wide from the skipper's fine cross. As the clock ticked down, Kyle Turner was allowed to run forward from midfield but his shot from the edge of the D was always trickling wide before Toyosi Olusanya sent an inviting ball across the face of goal with none of his team-mates able to add the final touch that really would have been the icing on the cake.

Full-Time: St Mirren 2-0 Ross County

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor (Dunne 64), Small (Bolton 78), O'Hara (c), Boyd-Munce (Baccus 18), Tanser, Kiltie, Nahmani (Olusanya 77), Ayunga (Mandron 77)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, McMenamin, Jamieson, Greive

Ross County: Laidlaw, Randall (Sims 71), Purrington, Brown, Baldwin, Allardice, Dhanda (Harmon 60), Murray, White (Samuel 71), Smith (Turner 50), Leak
Subs Not Used: Munro, Sheaf, Loturi, Henderson, Brophy

Referee: Calum Scott
Assistant Referee: Ross Macleod
Assistant Referee: Alastair Mather
Fourth Official: Steven McLean
VAR: John Beaton

Attendance: 5402

An injury-time Chris Kane goal saw St Mirren lose in Perth. Stephen Robinson's men created a host of chances throughout the 90 minutes, but couldn't find the net before Kane - who saw his penalty saved but scored on the follow-up - consigned Saints to defeat. 

Lewis Jamieson made his first start of the season in place of Conor McMenamin, while Charles Dunne replaced the injured Richard Taylor in the only changes from the side that lost 2-0 to Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday. 

The hosts were forced into an early change with Max Kucheriavyi having to be replaced by Sven Sprangler with just 10 minutes of the clock after failing to shake off the effects of a clash of heads with Scott Tanser in the opening minutes. 

Saints should have taken the lead on 24 minutes when St Johnstone's Daniel Phillips gave the ball away on the edge of his box. The ball was worked through to Jonah Ayunga who was challenged just before he could slot into the net. It did fall to Jamieson whose effort was knocked over the bar by Dimitar Mitov in the St Johnstone goal. 

The home side then had their best chance of the match on the half-hour mark when Matt Smith met a dangerous ball swung in by Graham Carey. The St Johnstone midfielder got his foot on it but sent his side-foot volley straight into the arms of Zach Hemming. Carey had a go from distance a few minutes later but didn't get enough on it to trouble the Saints goalkeeper with Hemming collecting with ease. 

Saints were forced into a first-half change of their own when Ryan Flynn pulled up with an injury and was replaced by McMenamin. Stephen Robinson was forced into another change at the break when Tanser had to come off. He was replaced by James Bolton.

The Buddies should have taken an early second-half lead when Mark O'Hara found Greg Kiltie unmarked in the St Johnstone box. The forward headed into the ground which allowed Mitov to gather comfortably. The hosts then went up the park moments later with Hemming doing well to touch Carey's cross-cum-shot away from the danger area. 

Jamieson did well to pick out a super cross-field ball from McMenamin on the hour mark. The St Mirren Youth Academy graduate brought the ball under control before getting his strike away, but it was straight at Mitov. 

That would be Jamieson's last contribution as he was replaced as part of a double change on 66 minutes. He was replaced by Toyosi Olusanya while Mikael Mandron came on in place of Ayunga. 

The substitutes can agonisingly close to putting us ahead on 72 minutes when Olusanya stole the ball in the St Johnstone half and race forward towards the box. He slid the ball across the face of the area where Mandron was sliding in, but his touch came off the post. That chance had come two minutes after Dunne had almost given us a stunning lead with his effort from 25 yards touched over the bar by Mitov. 

The home side had the best chance on 78 minutes when substitute Kane pounced on a defensive mistake from Alex Gogic to race clear on goal. But the St Johnstone forward couldn't make it count as he dragged his attempt wide. 

It appeared that it would be a share of the spoils for both sides until the hosts were awarded a penalty in the final seconds of the game. Kane saw his spot-kick saved by Hemming, but he followed up to win it for the home side. 

Full-Time: St Johnstone 1-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Dunne, Flynn (McMenamin 45), O'Hara (c), Boyd-Munce, Tanser (Bolton 46), Jamieson (Olusanya 66), Kiltie (Baccus 76), Ayunga (Mandron 66)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Small, Nahmani, Greive

St Johnstone: Mitov, Gordon, McGowan, Robinson, Brown, Phillips, Smith, Gallacher, Kucheriavyi (Sprangler 10), Carey, Jaiyesimi (Kane 62)
Subs Not Used: Richards, Costelloe, Olufunwa, Jephcott, May, Turner-Cooke

Referee: Kevin Clancy
Assistant Referee: Drew Kirkland
Assistant Referee: Stuart Stevenson
Fourth Official: Ross Hardie
VAR: Alan Muir

Attendance: 2449 

Match report image: PPA

Saints were beaten at Ibrox as an Aballdah Sima double gave Rangers a 2-0 win in the cinch Premiership.  

The Buddies had their chances in the first-half, but fell behind to a Sima on the final minute of normal time at the end of the half. And the Rangers forward added his and Rangers' second with 20 minutes remaining to ensure Saints left Govan empty-handed. 

There were four changes from the side that lost at Ross County on Tuesday night. Richard Taylor, Ryan Flynn, Caolan Boyd-Munce and Jonah Ayunga came in for Charles Dunne, Keanu Baccus, Alex Greive and Mikael Mandron. 

The Buddies started fairly brightly with Conor McMenamin curling a dangerous low ball in from the right. Ayunga couldn't get the touch on it that would have surely taken it beyond Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland who managed to gather in the end. 

The hosts had a good opportunity on 19 minutes when a ball swung to the back post met James Tavernier who nodded back across goal for Todd Cantwell. The Rangers midfielder had space but sclaffed his shot. Sima came close five minutes later when he headed a Tavernier cross over the bar. 

Saints' best chance of the half came on 37 minutes when Boyd-Munce was within a whisker of putting the Buddies ahead. The midfielder's low curling effort from the edge of the box looked destined for the bottom left-hand corner but was tipped wide in what was a terrific save from Butland. 

Caolan Boyd-Munce came close to an opener for Saints but was denied by a great save from Jack Butland (Image: Allan Picken)

The home side took the lead in the final minute of normal time at the end of the first-half. Sima lashed beyond Zach Hemming, who could do nothing to prevent it, from 12 yards to put the hosts ahead as we headed into the break.  

Saints started brightly at the second-half in search of an equaliser and Butland made another good save to deny Saints a few minutes after the restart. This time it was Ayunga who had a go from range and the Rangers goalkeeper had to scurry across at full-stretch to turn the effort behind. 

It was then Hemming's turn to be called into action on 53 minutes when he had to beat away a strike from Rangers captain Tavernier on the edge of the area. The Saints stopper got two strong hands behind it to push away. 

Saints were still probing and got another opportunity on the hour mark when a Greg Kiltie pass got through the legs of Leon Balogun and fell for Ayunga on the edge of the area. The forward wasn't expecting it but managed to compose himself before getting a tame shot away that was gathered with relative ease by Butland. 

Rangers doubled their advantage with 20 minutes of the match remaining. Cantwell's through pass found Sima in the clear and he used his pace to race through before slotting beyond Hemming to make it 2-0 and secure all the points for the home side. 

Full-Time: Rangers 2-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor (Dunne 72), Flynn, Boyd-Munce (Baccus 78), Tanser, McMenamin (Jamieson 78), Ayunga (Olusanya 72), Kiltie (Greive 78)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Bolton, Small, Mandron

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier (Tavernier 85), Goldson, Balogun, Barisic (Yilmaz 80), Lundstram, McCausland (Matondo 80), Cantwell (Lammers 85), Lawrence, Sima, Dessers (Danilo 62)
Subs Not Used: McCrorie, Souttar, Cifuentes, Davies

Referee: Matthew MacDermid
Assistant Referee: Graeme Stewart
Assistant Referee: David Dunne
Fourth Official: Peter Stuart
VAR: John Beaton

Attendance: 47,835

St Mirren left Dingwall empty-handed after a late Jordan White header consigned Saints to a 1-0 defeat. 

Stephen Robinson made three changes to the starting eleven that defeated Livingston 1-0 at The SMiSA Stadium on Saturday. Richard Taylor missed out after coming off with an ankle injury and was replaced by Charles Dunne. Keanu Baccus returned from suspension in place of Caolan Boyd-Munce, while Alex Greive started ahead of Jonah Ayunga who played 60 minutes on his return at the weekend. 

White had the game's first opportunity with a strike from the edge of the area into the arms of Zach Hemming on four minutes. The goalkeeper started a quick counter that saw Greg Kiltie deliver a dangerous looking low ball across from the left, but the County defence managed to clear. 

After a scrappy opening half-hour, Saints started to assert themselves more before the break. A terrific ball in from Scott Tanser looked like it might fall for Greive, but he was quickly challenged by a County defender as he looked to pull the trigger.

The Buddies best chance of the half came on 38 minutes when Alex Gogic rose the highest to meet a Kiltie corner at the back post. The Cypriot international wasn't far away from the opener but sent the header into the side net with the first-half ending goalless. 

There was a VAR check for a St Mirren penalty five minutes after the restart when Conor McMenamin went down under a challenge inside the box. But nothing was awarded. 

The hosts came close to opening the scoring on 55 minutes with their best effort of the match. White teed the ball off for Connor Randall who took a touch before cracking an effort off the post from the edge of the area. The County man should have opened the scoring on the hour mark when he was the recipient of a fortunate break of the ball that allowed him to run clear on goal. He got the effort all wrong though as he fired well over. 

Saints made their first change of the game immediately after with Ayunga coming on to replace Mandron while Stav Nahmani was introduced 12 minutes later in place of Greive. 

The home side were denied by a brilliant Zach Hemming save with 12 minutes remaining. White's flick-on saw Simon Murray race into the box. The forward pulled the ball across the area to Ben Purrington who looked to tuck it into the corner of the net but saw his attempt beaten away by the Saints stopper. McMenamin had Saints' best chance of the second-half a few moments when his curling effort from the edge of the box was pushed away by Ross Laidlaw. 

Ross County took the lead with a little over five minutes of the match remaining. White rose the highest to bullet home a header from a corner which would ultimately prove enough for the home side to take the points. 

Full-Time: Ross County 1-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Dunne, McMenamin, Baccus (Boyd-Munce 82), O'Hara (c), Kiltie (Flynn 82), Tanser, Mandron (Ayunga 60), Greive (Nahmani 72)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Bolton, Small, Jamieson, Olusanya

Ross County: Laidlaw, Nightingale, Baldwin, Leak, Brown, Allardice, Randall, Purrington, Dhanda (Turner 74), Murray (Samuel 83), White
Subs Not Used: Munro, Sheaf, Loturi, Harmon, Smith, Reid

Referee: William Collum
Assistant Referee: Gordon McCabe
Assistant Referee: Graham McNeillie
Fourth Official: George Calder
VAR: Kevin Clancy

Attendance: 3758 (265 saints)

Saints returned to action and to winning ways with a hard-fought victory over Livingston.

The Buddies led after an unspectacular first half, the combined efforts of Mikael Mandron and unfortunate Livingston defender Sean Kelly resulting in the bull trundling into the away net as the opening 45 minutes drew to a close.

It looked as if Saints had sealed the win late on when Tom Parkes put the ball into his own net while trying to clear a free-kick, however his blushes were spared when VAR ruled it out for offside. In stoppage time a tremendous save from Zach Hemming kept out Joel Nouble and ensured the points stayed in Paisley.

Jonah Ayunga made his much anticipated return to the first team squad after 11 months away, the forward coming straight into the team to join Mandron up front. Mark O'Hara also returned, with the suspended Keanu Baccus and the injured Ryan Strain the pair dropping out as Conor McMenamin started at wingback. Former Buddie Sean Kelly started for Livingston, with Bruce Anderson leading the visiting attack alongside Nouble.

O'Hara headed Scott Tanser's cross past the post before Anderson smashed a shot well over from the edge of the box as the two sides tried to suss each other out early on. It was a drab first half, Richard Taylor scooping a shot wide after a neat turn following a Saints corner proving to be the last moment of note for the best part of 20 minutes until Livi's Michael Nottingham headed against the bar. Anderson then fizzed a ball across goal with no takers as the visitors threatened again but just as they were gaining some impetus they fell behind.

Greg Kiltie latched onto a ball behind the visiting defence and raced into the box before taking a shot that Shamal George was unable to hold, Mandron and Kelly both sliding in to help the ball trickle across the line. It was hard to tell who got the final touch, although the striker was more than happy to claim the credit, but the main thing was Saints were in front.

An own goal from ex-Saint Sean Kelly gave us the points (Image: Allan Picken)

Saints looked to add a quick second, George watching as Ayunga's header hit the bar and bounced behind after Livingston failed to deal with a corner. Alex Gogic headed well over from another corner in stoppage time before, at the other end, James Penrice sent in a teasing ball that Scott Pitman slid in to meet at the front post, only to send it spinning up into the air for Zach Hemming to catch.

Taylor seemed to fancy his chances of a goal as early in the second half he strolled forward before playing the ball out wide, being ready to collect the it when the Livingston defence tried to clear the resultant cross, however his shot was well off target. There were a few half-hearted penalty appeals after the Saints attack felt stymied in their efforts to reach Kiltie's inviting cross before Caolan Boyd-Munce's low effort from 20 yards had a worried George scrambling across his goal as it went narrowly wide.

Ayunga's first appearance for 300 days was brought to an end after a productive hour when he was replaced by Alex Greive, Taylor then having to hook a goal-bound Kurtis Guthrie effort clear as a Livi corner caused a bit of panic in the Saints box. Taylor's day came to a premature end when he seemed to land badly and eventually needed the help of a stretcher, Charles Dunne taking his place. The frost had never properly left the final third that Saints were attacking and some slipping and sliding eventually saw the ball trundle past after Mandron had tried to get onto the end of a cross. From the following corner, Boyd-Munce's delivery found Tanser, who turned and shot well wide.

A few moments later it looked as if Saints had wrapped up the three points. Boyd-Munce's free-kick caused chaos in the box and when Parkes tried to clear it he could only smash the ball into the roof of the net. The Saints players and fans celebrated and everyone was ready to resume before the dreaded letters VAR were mentioned. A lengthy wait ensued as the officials checked for offside, eventually ruling it out.

The delay, combined with previous injuries, meant eight minutes were added on and they started with Gogic picking up the game's first booking. Kiltie was alert to pressure George when he tried to deal with a passback, the goalie whacking the ball off the onrushing Saints player before it spun safely behind. With three minutes left Hemming produced a great save to keep out Nouble's shot after great work from Anderson. From the corner, McMenamin broke down the right and charged into the box, his shot being blocked and the ball breaking for O'Hara who fired just over. After that, the Buddies were able to see out the remaining few minutes relatively comfortable to take all three points.

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-0 Livingston

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor (Dunne 72), McMenamin, Boyd-Munce (Bolton 87), O'Hara (c), Kiltie, Tanser, Mandron (Nahmani 87), Ayunga (Greive 60)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Small, Lennon, Flynn, Jamieson

Livingston: George, Devlin, Nottingham, Kelly (Parkes 64), Nouble, Holt, Pittman (Kelly 82), Shinnie (Sangare 64), Penrice (Brandon 90), Guthrie, Anderson
Subs Not Used: Hamilton, Welch-Hayes, Bradley, de Lucas, Lloyd

Referee: David Munro
Assistant Referee: Jonathan Bell
Assistant Referee: Craig Ferguson
Fourth Official: Matthew MacDermid
VAR: Greg Aitken

Attendance: 5,632

St Mirren suffered just a third league defeat of the cinch Premiership season as the Buddies fell to a 4-0 loss at Dens Park.

First-half goals from Amadou Bakayoko and Zak Rudden had the hosts 2-0 in-front at the interval. Bakayoko scored his second and Dundee's third early into the second-half before susbstitute Zach Robinson to cap off a disappointing afternoon for Saints.

Stephen Robinson was forced into one change from the side that drew 2-2 with Hibernian on Wednesday night. Mark O'Hara missed out with illness and was replaced by Keanu Baccus. Marcus Fraser took the captain's armband. 

The hosts had a big opportunity to take an early lead when Zak Rudden beat Richard Taylor to the ball and raced one-on-one with Zach Hemming. But the Dundee forward cracked his effort off the post. 

Dundee would go in front when they opened the scoring on 16 minutes. Taylor's attempted clearance from a corner fell straight to the feet of Bakayoko who fired into the net. 

Saints' first decent chance came on 22 minutes after a good passage of play saw the ball worked to Conor McMenamin on the right-hand side. The forward cut inside and got his shot away but he didn't get enough on it as it drifted harmlessly wide. 

The Buddies were moving the ball about well enough in the first 45 but hadn't done enough to trouble Dundee goalkeeper Trevor Carson and in the final minute of the half, the home side were awarded a penalty with Fraser penalised for a handball. Rudden took and sent Hemming the wrong way to double the home side's advantage. 

The manager made four changes at the interval with Charles Dunne, Lewis Jamieson, Toyosi Olusanya and Alex Greive introduced in place of Taylor, McMenamin, Greg Kiltie and Mikael Mandron. 

Dundee added a third a little over 10 minutes into the second-half. A quick break saw Bakayoko feed the ball wide to Rudden who charged down the right. His shot was saved by Hemming but fell to the feet of Bakayoko who knocked into an empty net. 

Thierry Small came on for Caolan Boyd-Munce with a little under 20 minutes remaining and he had a massive chance to pull a goal back within a minute of his introduction. It was a brilliant ball in from Jamieson which met the loanee at the far post but he crashed his effort off the bar. Two minutes later, the roles were reversed when Small turned provider for Jamieson, but the Youth Academy graduate sent his strike over the bar. 

Dundee added a fourth with five minutes of normal time remaining after hitting Saints on the counter. Luke McCowan broke clear and shuffled the ball across to substitute Robinson who knocked beyond Hemming to round off a poor afternoon for the Buddies. 

Full-Time: Dundee 4-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser (c), Gogic, Taylor (Dunne 46), Strain, Baccus, Boyd-Munce (Small 71), Tanser, McMenamin (Jamieson 46), Mandron (Olusanya 46), Kiltie (Greive 46)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Bolton, Flynn, Nahmani

Dundee: Carson, Portales, Shaughnessy (c), Lamie, McGhee (Kerr 89), Cameron, Boateng, McCowan, Beck, Bakayoko (Pineda 90), Rudden (Robinson 81)
Subs Not Used: Legzdins, Reilly, Robertson, Howley, Donnelly, Sylla

Referee: Matthew MacDermid
Assistant Referee: Daniel McFarlane
Assistant Referee: Andy Milne
Fourth Official: Graham Grainger
VAR: Andrew Dallas

Attendance: 5,496 (772 away fans)

Lewis Jamieson's first St Mirren goal grabbed Saints a share of the spoils against Hibernian. The 21-year-old netted in injury-time to give the Buddies a point

Saints boss Stephen Robinson made one change to the side that lost narrowly at Celtic Park last Wednesday with Mikael Mandron starting up top in place of Toyosi Olusanya. Keanu Baccus returned to the squad after missing the trip to Celtic, but he had to settle for a place on the bench. 

It was Hibernian who struck first with Josh Campbell firing the visitors in front on 12 minutes. A Jordan Obita pass slipped under the legs of Alex Gogic allowing Dylan Vente to run on to it. The Dutch striker laid the ball back to the edge of the area to meet Campbell who slotted low into the bottom left corner. 

10 minutes later Vente got himself in behind the Saints defence but the angle was too tight as he blasted wide of the target. 

The visitors had two big opportunities in the space of two minutes to double their advantage. A goal-mouth scramble saw Zach Hemming push away a strike from Elie Youan and the Hibees forward was close to making it 2-0 on 35 minutes when he was found in space by a Campbell cross, but he smashed well wide. 

The Buddies best chance of the first-half came in the final minutes of normal time when Greg Kiltie found himself on the end of a Mandron knock down. He smashed towards goal but saw it turned away by Obita.

Marcus Fraser came close to levelling seconds after the restart when he picked the ball out of the air and sent a volley just wide of the target. 

Hemming had to be alert and his quick thinking denied the visitors a second less than five minutes into the second-half. Hibs goalscorer Campbell looked to pounce on a loose back pass from Gogic but the Saints goalkeeper was quick to charge out and smother the ball. How important that would prove to be just two minutes later when Saints were awarded a penalty after a VAR check. Richard Taylor was hauled down in the box and referee Steven McLean was advised to check the monitor. The referee pointed to the spot and captain Mark O'Hara smashed home to draw us level. 

Mark O'Hara scored from the penalty spot to draw us level (Image: Allan Picken) 

Hemming made a good save on the hour mark after Youan jinxed his way through and fired a low effort towards the left-hand post.  

Hibernian re-took the lead with just over 20 minutes of the game remaining. Youan burst forward at speed and slipped in Vente who made his way into the box and rolled across the six yard area where it met Joe Newell who knocked into the net from close range. 

The manager introduced Alex Greive and Jamieson as the Buddies searched for a leveller. And they both came close to making an instant impact with a brilliant delivery from Jamieson begging to be touched home by Toyosi Olusanya, before Greive turned a shot just behind the post two minutes later. 

Saints pressed for an equaliser and it would finally come in the second minute of added on time when Jamieson fired home from just inside the area. His initial shot was blocked but it fell to the academy graduate again and he slammed into the net to score his first for St Mirren and earn us a point. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 2-2 Hibernian

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Strain, Boyd-Munce (Baccus 63), O'Hara (c), Tanser, Kiltie (Greive 77), Mandron (Olusanya 63), McMenamin (Jamieson 77)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Bolton, Dunne, Small, Flynn

Hibernian: Marshall, Whittaker (Miller 67), Fish, Rocky, Obita, Jair, Levitt (Jeggo 83), Newell, Youan, Campbell, Vente (Landers 85)
Subs Not Used: Wollacott, Hanlon, Boyle, Stevenson, Delferrière, Molotnikov

Referee: Steven McLean
Assistant Referee: Graham McNeillie
Assistant Referee: John McCrossan
Fourth Official: Duncan Williams
VAR: Sean Carr

St Mirren were edged out at Celtic Park as a late goal from substitute Hyeongyu Oh gave the hosts the points despite a battling performance from Stephen Robinson's men.

Conor McMenamin's first goal for Saints gave us an early lead in the East End of Glasgow, but David Turnbull levelled for the Hoops 11 minutes later. The Celtic midfielder missed a penalty on the half-hour mark and it looked like the Buddies may have been taking a point back to Paisley thanks to an inspired goalkeeping performance from Zach Hemming. But with only seven minutes of normal time remaining, Oh popped up with a winner for Brendan Rodgers' side. 

The manager made three changes to the side that defeated St Johnstone 4-0 on Saturday. Ryan Strain returned from suspension in place of Ryan Flynn, Caolan Boyd-Munce came in for the injured Keanu Baccus and Toyosi Olusanya replaced Mikael Mandron.

The Buddies started brightly and shocked a packed Celtic Park when McMenamin netted his first St Mirren goal. The forward got his head on the end of a beautiful cross from Greg Kiltie who notched up another assist following on his goal and assist against St Johnstone on Saturday. 

Conor McMenamin scored his first St Mirren goal to give us an early lead (Image: Allan Picken)

But Celtic equalised 11 minutes later when Turnbull scored on 18 minutes. The midfielder was teed up by O'Riley and, from the edge of the area, he curled into the top right corner to draw the league leaders level. 

Celtic were gifted an opportunity to take the lead just before the half hour mark when referee John Beaton awarded the Hoops a penalty for an Alex Gogic handball after a VAR check. Turnbull stepped up to take but crashed his effort off the post. Palma was first on to the rebound, but Zach Hemming got two strong hands to push away.  

The Saints goalkeeper made another big stop at the end of the half as he turned behind a sliced clearance from birthday boy Gogic as the sides went into the break level. 

Hemming was forced into action 10 minutes into the second-half when he knocked behind a James Forrest effort after patient build-up play from the hosts. 

The manager made two changes on 65 minutes as he looked to freshen things up. Goalscorer McMenamin and Olusanya were replaced by Alex Greive and Mikael Mandron.  But Celtic were still dominated possession and playing most of the match in Saints' half. Hemming was again forced into another good stop when he pushed away Hyunjun Yang's curling effort from the edge of the area with less than 20 minutes remaining. The Celtic substitute sent another effort just by the post from similar range five minutes later. 

Celtic eventually found a way through the Saints rearguard with substitute Hyeongyu Oh scoring with seven minutes of normal time remaining. The forward was slipped in by Odin Thiago Holm and finished with aplomb. 

The Buddies went right up the park in search of a leveller and had a good opportunity when the ball fell to Kiltie inside the box, but his effort was blocked. The ball was swung back in where it met the head of Mark O'Hara but it was gathered by Joe Hart. Despite Saints pressure in the final minutes, we couldn't fashion an opportunity for an equaliser as we left Celtic Park empty-handed. 

Full-Time: Celtic 2-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, R.Taylor, Strain (Dunne 81), Boyd-Munce (Flynn 88), O'Hara, Tanser, Kiltie (Nahmani 88), Olusanya (Mandron 65), McMenamin (Greive 65)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Bolton, Small, Flynn, Jamieson

Celtic: Hart, Johnston, Phillips, Scales, G.Taylor, McGregor (c), O'Riley (Holm 68), Turnbull (Oh 74), Palma (Maeda 56), Kyogo, Forrest (Yang 56)
Subs Not Used: Bain, Ralston, Nawrocki, Iwata, Bernardo

Referee: John Beaton
Assistant Referee: Graeme Stewart 
Assistant Referee: Gordon Crawford
Fourth Official: Stewart Luke
VAR: Nick Walsh