St Johnstone went down to their fourth Premiership defeat of the season.
And the theme of their 2-0 defeat to Hibs was an all too familiar one.
The Perth side shot themselves in the foot yet again by allowing their opponents to score a soft first goal.
Given they’ve only found the net in one Premiership game this season, the odds were stacked against a comeback from that moment on.
Saints were actually growing into the game and had twice come close to opening the scoring before Lewis Miller’s goal.
David Marshall was rooted to the spot as Cammy MacPherson’s 20-yard shot flew just outside his left-hand post.
And Dan Phillips worked himself space in the box with a lovely bit of footwork but couldn’t keep his effort on target.
Hibs broke the deadlock with a goal similar to Amadou Bakayoko’s for Dundee a few weeks ago – a ball to the back post and an unchallenged header.
Saints started the second half well and Andy Considine came close to scoring with a header from a Graham Carey corner.
Minutes before that, though, Hibs substitute Elie Youan, had skied a shot over the bar when it looked like a certain goal.
Nick Montgomery’s men put the game to bed on the 69th minute when he gave Dimitar Mitov no chance with a low shot from just inside the box.
A Hibs third looked likelier than a Saints consolation late in the match, with Sam McClelland making a fantastic sliding block to keep the score at 2-0.
St Johnstone – Mitov 6, Brown 5, Considine 7, May 6 (Jephcott, 75), MacPherson 6 (Franczak, 75), Carey 6, Wright 5 (Kucheriavyi 66, 5), McClelland 6, Robinson 6, Sprangler 7.5, Phillips 7. Subs not used – Richards, Gallacher, Olufunwa, Smith, Turner-Cooke, Costelloe.
Saints’ star man – Sven Sprangler
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