St Johnstone will go into the Betfred Cup final on the back of their most complete league performance of the season.
Callum Davidson’s men blew Motherwell away with the sort of display that makes a mockery of their Premiership position of eighth.
Playing football like this, they should already be safely inside the top six rather than fighting to make it.
Davidson will have the tough Hampden team selection he was hoping for, with Guy Melamed making a strong case to start against Livingston.
The Israeli scored a superb opening goal and then converted a second half penalty.
Jason Kerr was the other man on the scoresheet.
The first half performance from Saints was magnificent and going into the break 2-0 up was the least they deserved from their 45 minutes of dominance.
The first goal was scored on 19 minutes when Shaun Rooney won the ball in midfield and launched a Perth attack that culminated in Melamed finding the top corner with a spectacular 20-yard left foot shot.
Then on the stroke of half-time, Liam Craig hit the bar from similar distance and Rooney also found the woodwork with a header after Chris Kane was first to react to the rebound. The ball found its way out to Kerr who was clinical with his right foot effort.
The Motherwell players and management were furious that the officials didn’t spot an offside in the middle of that passage of play but they showed no signs of channelling that rage into a fast start to the second period.
Four minutes into it they were three down.
Kane was fouled in the box by Liam Polworth and Melamed dispatched the penalty kick low to goalkeeper Liam Kelly’s right.
The game was now as good as over and Craig came close to making the scoreline even more emphatic with a shot that hit the bar again.
The only bit of bad news on an otherwise perfect afternoon was David Wotherspoon being forced off with an injury around the hour mark.
Like Murray Davidson, he now faces a battle to be fit for Hampden.
St Johnstone’s on-loan winger Glenn Middleton will not feel out as he looks to make first start
