St Johnstone edge Kilmarnock as subs settle seven-goal opener | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: St Johnstone edged Kilmarnock 4-3 in a wild Scottish Premiership opener at McDiarmid Park. In the 16th minute, Josh Fowler put the hosts ahead from Jamie Gullan's pass. Kilmarnock's fightback saw Greg Kiltie equalise (37.), Joe Hugill score after the restart (49.), Jason Holt's own goal put them ahead (53.) before Michael Schjønning-Larsen levelled the tie with another own goal (69.). St Johnstone posted 15 attempts to seven and 55.8% possession, and substitute Kai Fotheringham converted the late clincher (80.) from Fowler's pass. St Johnstone sit second and visit St Mirren next, while Kilmarnock are 10th and host Celtic.

Player of the Match: Gullan created two goals and five key passes, his delivery underpinning Fowler's opener and providing the set-piece platform for St Johnstone's momentum.

Stat of the Match: Kilmarnock produced five shots on target from seven attempts, a level of efficiency that kept the game in the balance.

Three Things We Learned: Cheick Diabaté's threat mattered, scoring with a header and helping St Johnstone turn set pieces into chances as Gullan finished with two assists. St Johnstone controlled the ball with 55.8% possession and completed 84.2% of passes, sustaining pressure that told late. Substitutes swung it for the hosts, with Kai Fotheringham introduced (61.) before his late winner and Logan Chalmers drawing a save soon after coming on.