An injury time goal denied St Johnstone a point in Inverness.
Richard Foster’s spectacular 80th minute equaliser looked to have secured a draw for Saints but they were sunk by a late, late Josh Meekings winner after a goalmouth scramble.
Ross Draper had given Caley Thistle the lead before Foster’s rocket levelled the scores.
Alan Mannus has been in fine form since returning from the European Championships and he had to be at his best to keep out Draper’s back post header early on.
After 20 minutes he was called upon again to tip an Alex Fisher header over the bar.
Seconds earlier Blair Alston was a fraction away from connecting with a David Wotherspoon inswinging cross.
It was an end-to-end first half and midway through it Chris Kane squandered a great chance.
Danny Swanson teed him up 10 yards out and the young striker’s technique let him down when he ballooned his shot over with nobody near him.
Caley Thistle weren’t looking like a bottom of the table side and Mannus came up with another superb save to prevent Billy King’s 20-yarder finding his bottom left corner.
Fisher had a miss to rival Kane’s when, unmarked six yards out, he mishit his first time shot straight at Mannus.
It wasn’t just the Saints keeper’s shot-stopping that impressed. On 33 minutes he was alert enough to rush off his line when Liam Polworth took a heavy touch as he burst into the box. Any hesitancy would probably have cost the visitors a goal.
With three minutes to go before the break Swanson’s run from midfield to the edge of the box was spotted by Alston. The former Dundee United man paid for not taking a first time shot though, and Inverness cleared.
The deadlock was broken just before the hour. Wotherspoon conceded a free-kick on the far side of the box, a few yards from the goal-line. Greg Tansey took it and picked out Draper at the back post, who headed home from close range.
Saints had been poor in the second half but, with all three substitutes on, one of them (Murray Davidson) just missed the target with a powerful header on 69 minutes.
It took until the 74th minute for Saints to win a corner. It wasn’t worth the wait.
There was a marked improvement from Tommy Wright’s men however, and they got their reward with a stunning equaliser.
Foster’s first time strike at the corner of the box gave keeper Owain Fon Williams no chance as it soared into his top corner.
Inverness took a while to get going again but in injury time they clinched the win with Meekings finishing off a goalmouth scramble.
