St Mirren Continues Winning Streak with Victory Over Livingston
League Cup winners St Mirren maintained their positive momentum this festive season with a narrow Scottish Premiership victory over Livingston, marking their third consecutive win.
This result leaves Livingston at the bottom of the table, still searching for their first win since matchday two in early August.
After missing several opportunities and having a goal controversially disallowed following a VAR review, the deadlock was finally broken late in the match when substitute Mikael Mandron directed Declan John's excellent cross into the net.
Mandron had a chance to secure a second goal right at the end, but Jerome Prior made a brilliant save to deny his powerful shot and later produced another crucial save.
The victory was well-deserved for St Mirren, especially after Jonah Ayunga thought he had scored a superb team goal, only for VAR to intervene. Referee Chris Graham reviewed the play and reversed his on-field decision, ruling that Danny Finlayson had been fouled by Dan Nlundulu's arm before the cross.
This marked another frustrating moment for Ayunga, who had previously scored two goals at Hampden and arguably could have completed a first-half hat-trick. His initial shot was cleared off the line, and he was thwarted one-on-one by Prior. Additionally, he headed over from a favorable position.
Livingston displayed promising signs in a fluid 3-4-3 formation before halftime but struggled to maintain their performance as the match progressed, failing to test St Mirren's goalkeeper Shamal George significantly.
David Martindale's team will need to find a sharper edge in their attacking play if they hope to escape the bottom of the table.
For St Mirren's manager, Stephen Robinson, the prospect of a joyful Christmas is bright if his team can sustain this winning momentum.
Analysis: St Mirren Impresses While Livingston Struggles
The League Cup hangover appears to be nonexistent for St Mirren, who created numerous chances and could have won by a more significant margin. Ayunga was notably wasteful but remains a fan favorite following his heroics against Celtic.
St Mirren displayed commendable energy and determination, especially considering the celebrations following their cup victory.
In contrast, Livingston is still in search of their first win since August 9. Another away game resulted in yet another defeat. Their 3-4-3 formation looked promising until halftime, but they failed to pose a serious threat to St Mirren's goal.
They fell out of contention after the break and were fortunate to remain level until Mandron broke their resistance.
If they cannot quickly find a way to secure points, it could be a long and challenging season ahead.
What does Martindale wish for this Christmas? Ideally, a new striker, but he would settle for improved finishing from his current squad.
What They Said
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "It was crucial for us to finish the week with a victory. It was a very good performance, and we should have won by a larger margin. We showed excellent composure, kept moving the ball well, and scored a great goal to secure the win. I believe the disallowed goal should have stood; it’s hard to find fault with it."
Livingston manager David Martindale: "A significant moment in the game where we failed to defend properly led to our 1-0 loss. This has been a recurring theme this season. While we defended our box well for most of the match, we allowed them to get behind us at a crucial moment, resulting in the goal."
What's Next?
St Mirren will host Kilmarnock in Paisley next Saturday at 15:00, while Livingston will face Celtic in their penultimate match of 2025.