The sun shone at McDiarmid Park for the start of the post-split phase of the Premiership season.
But it was an afternoon that made St Johnstone’s prospects of staying in the top-flight feel increasingly gloomy.
Ross County losing at Livingston was a bit of unexpected good news from elsewhere.
However, Saints are a team completely out of form and, with the way things are going, it’s hard to see where a win is coming from.
Hibs, with far less at stake, left Perth with all three points and cruised to this victory.
It made for grim viewing and it was no surprise that it provoked sporadic booing from the end of the first half onwards.
Saints couldn’t have got off to a worse start.
With only six minutes on the clock, Hibs had broken the deadlock.
Dan Phillips was penalised for fouling Martin Boyle around 25 yards from goal and Emiliano Marcondes’ free-kick gave Dimitar Mitov no chance as it arrowed into the top corner of the net.
Saints should have been back on level terms three minutes later.
Adama Sidibeh had a one v one with David Marshall after an attempted clearance fell perfectly for him but he shot straight at David Marshall.
It was a glorious chance passed up.
Instead of being the start of a sustained push to play their way back into the game for the hosts, though, it turned out to be the only save Marshall had to make in the first half.
Crosses were aimless, tackles were lost and passes were failing to find a team-mate.
When one attempted attack broke down, Boyle was allowed to run virtually the length of the pitch unchallenged before he tried to be too clever with his finish.
That was a 43rd minute let-off for Saints.
But seconds later Hibs were 2-0 up after a Joe Newell long-throw exposed the Perth team’s persistent inability to clear their box effectively and Paul Hanlon scored.
Two becomes three in the second half
Saints had most of the ball in the first 10 minutes of the second period but were cut wide open by a counter-attack at the end of which Dan Phillips made a goal-line clearance to deny Myziane Maolida.
Craig Levein, who had to swap Benji Kimpioka for an injured Sidibeh just before half-time, made a triple change with 30 minutes left in the game.
One of the subs, Connor Smith, had an appeal for a penalty when he claimed to have been pushed while trying to get his head to a Graham Carey cross.
But it wasn’t given on the pitch or by the VAR official.
It was all over on 76 minutes when Dylan Vente lashed home Hibs’ third.
KImpioka grabbed a late consolation from close range but this game had long since reached its bleak outcome.
St Johnstone player ratings
Mitov 7, Franczak 5.5 (Wright, 61), Considine 5, McGowan 5, Gordon 5, Phillips 4.5 (MacPherson, 84), M Smith 5 (C Smith, 61), Carey 5.5, Clark 4.5 (May, 61), Robinson 5, Sidibeh 5.5 (Kimpioka, 45). Subs not used – Richards, Kucheriavyi, Olufunwa, Keltjens.
Star man – Dimitar Mitov
That Mitov (again) was able to hold his head up highest speaks volumes.
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