Ten-man St Johnstone scrapped their way to another potentially huge point in their relegation battle at home to Dundee United.
Melker Hallberg saw red for the Perth side early in the second half after collecting a second booking for a midfield tug on Ian Harkes.
The Tangerines had Saints camped on the edge of their own box in the aftermath, but Tam Courts’ side could not find a way to goal.
Boos rang out from the away fans at full-time.
Saints supporters, meanwhile, were able to show their appreciation for another battling performance – and a point that moved them a point clear of bottom side Dundee in their fight to beat the drop.
Callum Davidson named an unchanged side from Saints’ midweek win over Livingston.
However, United boss Tam Courts opted to shuffle his pack, with Liam Smith, Peter Pawlett and loan star Tim Akinola brought into the side in place of Kieran Freeman, Scott McMann and Marc McNulty.
The teams are out at McDiarmid Park for St Johnstone v Dundee United. Big one for both teams. Here we go… pic.twitter.com/sP4Yz8nV59
— Sean Hamilton (@SeanHamSport) February 5, 2022
The early exchanges saw both sides trade possession without really threatening.
But United sprang to life in an attacking sense 10 minutes in when Peter Pawlett fired a shot at goal, which was deflected over for a corner.
The set piece came to nothing – and St Johnstone quickly hit back.
As the game surged from end to end, the Perth side broke when Hallberg outmuscled Dylan Levitt and headed for the by line.
The Swede’s cut back was perfectly measured for Ali Crawford, who cut inside a defender before curling an effort against the underside of Benjamin Siegrist’s cross bar.
Minutes later, the home side came close again, but Siegrist was equal to Callum Hendry’s rasping, angled drive.
On the half-hour, United fans were on their feat screaming for a penalty when Nicky Clark hit the deck, only for referee Colin Steven to award Saints a free-kick for the subsequent, dreadful Peter Pawlett challenge on Jamie McCart.
Six minutes before the break, United came closest yet to breaking the deadlock when Clark flicked on a Levitt corner at the near post.
The ball spun tantalisingly across the face of goal, begging for a touch to steer it over the line, but it somehow evaded everybody and flashed out for a goal kick.
Tony Watt has yet to break his duck in front of goal since signing for United, but he came close before the break with a neat, right footed effort that Zander Clark eventually pounced on after spilling the initial save.
Saints too had a chance to go ahead before the break when Hendry jinked to his right past a United defender and fired in a snap shot that Siegrist dived to his right to push round the post.
United boss Tam Courts rolled the dice at half-time, taking off Akinola and Levitt and throwing on Scott McMann and Ilmari Niskanen.
The Tangerines were straight on the front foot and Callum Booth did well to block a goal-bound Liam Smith volley after Niskanen’s cross.
The Perth side were quickly on the move themselves, and Siegrist pulled out another excellent save to deny Stevie May’s near-post effort.
Saints’ tails were up, but their afternoon was made far more difficult when Melker Hallberg was given a second yellow card for a tug on Ian Harkes in midfield.
United seized the initiative with an extra man, keeping Saints camped on the edge of their own box.
They worked a terrific chance after a neat move up the park with 15 minutes to go when Niskanen cut inside Booth and floated a tantalising cross to the back post for Pawlett, who was perhaps half-an-inch too short to profit.
Watt showed his hunger to open his account just one minute later but thundered an effort off the post and wide from 10 yards out.
But for all their possession and territory, United lacked penetration – and had to settle for a point.
Teams
St Johnstone: Clark, Brown, Cleary, Gordon, McCart, Booth (Gallacher 87), Crawford (MacPherson 60), Butterfield, Hallberg, Hendry (Middleton 87), May (Davidson 60).
Unused subs: Parish, Mahon, Craig, Gilmour, Sang, Hector-Ingram.
Dundee United: Siegrist, Edwards, Butcher, Graham, Smith, Akinola (McMann 46), Levitt (Niskanen 46), Harkes, Watt, Pawlett (Mochrie 83), Clark (McNulty 63).
Unused subs: Erikssen, McDonald, Meekison, Neilson, MacLeod.
