An out of sorts Aberdeen were punished by a clinical St Johnstone at Pittodrie as the Perth Saints scored twice in three second-half minutes to claim a 2-0 win.
Joe Shaughnessy and Blair Alston got the goals on what was a disappointing afternoon for the Dons.
Dons boss Derek McInnes made two changes from the side which beat Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox in midweek with Sam Cosgrove unavailable following his red card in Glasgow while Niall McGinn dropped to the bench.
Stevie May took Cosgrove’s place against his former club while Scott Wright replaced McGinn. Connor McLennan, who signed a new contract on Friday, kept his place in the starting line-up.
The opening 45 minutes was a competitive, disjointed affair and the stop-start nature of the game ensured chances were at a premium.
Joe Lewis was called into action for the first time as he turned Matty Kennedy’s dipping shot past the post before Zander Clark palmed away a Scott McKenna header from Stevie May’s corner.
Connor McLennan fired over the crossbar twice in the second half before Lewis Ferguson saw his long range effort parried by Clark as the Dons pushed for a goal but the home side was undone by the loss of two goals in three minutes.
The first came from former Don Joe Shaughnessy, who rise highest to head home a corner in the 70th minute and then in the 73rd Blair Alston beat Dom Ball before chipping the ball over Lewis to make it 2-0.
