Promoted Dundee United maintained their spectacular begin to the Scottish Premiership season as they secured a 1-0 win over St Mirren courtesy of Emmanuel Adegboyega’s profitable objective.
It was removed from a basic in Paisley as each side lacked high quality in an arduous affair and it appeared destined to complete goalless earlier than Adegboyega grew to become the hero on 75 minutes to depart United fifth within the desk with 12 factors from seven video games heading into the worldwide break.
The Norwich loanee was responsible of lacking a superb likelihood to open the scoring within the first half however the centre-back atoned for his error along with his first objective for United since his summer season transfer.
A nook fell invitingly to Ross Docherty on the sting of the field and his highly effective effort was parried by Ellery Balcombe into the trail of Adegboyega to move residence to ship the noisy travelling assist into raptures.
The profitable objective arguably got here towards the run of play with St Mirren creating the higher possibilities all through with Jack Walton pulling off a surprise save to disclaim Caolan Boyd-Munce however the Saints lacked a innovative to frustrate the house assist.
St Mirren raced out the traps from the primary whistle and Richard Taylor executed a powerful acrobatic effort that sailed narrowly over the bar after simply three minutes.
However the sport descended right into a scrappy affair with each side nicely matched and there wasn’t one other notable likelihood within the opening 20 minutes.
After Killian Phillips did not get sufficient buy on a cross for St Mirren, United ought to have taken the lead by Adegboyega on 23 minutes.
The defender discovered himself on the top of a flick-on from a free-kick however lacked composure and scuffed his effort into Balcombe’s fingers.
United boss Jim Goodwin was clearly unimpressed with their first-half show as he hauled off striker Jort van der Sande for Glenn Middleton after 37 minutes to be able to swap formation.
Goodwin’s tactical change to 4-3-3 made a distinction as United began the second half within the ascendancy and so they had a penalty declare for handball denied by referee Ross Hardie.
Regardless of United having fun with extra possession and territory after the break, St Mirren compelled the primary significant save of the afternoon on the hour mark.
Boyd-Munce unleashed a rasping strike from 25 yards that appeared destined for the highest nook till Walton pulled off a shocking fingertip save with Toyosi Olusanya sending the rebound broad.
St Mirren pushed for the opener because the second half progressed with Phillips curling an effort broad earlier than Olusanya spurned an important alternative by heading over from six yards.
After United broke the impasse, St Mirren hardly ever threatened Walton’s objective with Taylor heading over late on encapsulating their wastefulness in entrance of objective.
Goodwin filled with reward for Adegboyega
Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin:
“It probably shows he’s better with his head than his feet! I don’t know how he missed the chance in the first half and we said that with some not so nice words at half-time. That ball needed to end up in the back of the net, especially in such a tight game.
“You hope you are going to get these kinds of alternatives from lengthy throws and corners however that should finish in a objective. We should always’ve been main at half-time and we stated on the break that one objective would win it however fortunately we got here out on prime.
“Emmanuel is a young centre-back that is developing continuously and we’re working really hard with him. He’s got a great profile for a centre-back in terms of his size, physicality, pace and he’s comfortable on the ball despite a few loose passes.
“He’ll seize the headlines for the objective however that is not what he is within the crew for. The entire squad have chipped in with objectives all through the marketing campaign and we want everyone to contribute – hopefully the strikers will catch hearth in some unspecified time in the future.”
Robinson: We should have won
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson:
“We had quite a few possibilities to win the sport. I am unable to keep in mind Ellery [Balcombe] having a save to make within the final 4 or 5 video games. We did not react to the shot and we bought punished however we dominated giant components and created.
“We just didn’t have that end product and if you don’t finish off then you leave yourself open to an error. I felt in total control of the game. I thought we were giving it some good energy.
“We perhaps ran out some legs at 60 minutes however we’re getting gamers again which provides me choices. We’re simply in a second the place issues aren’t going our approach.”
