St Mirren secured a narrow victory away to Falkirk in the opening round of the Premiership season, winning 2-0 at their opponent's ground on Saturday. K. Phillips scored twice to put the visitors ahead, while a VAR decision cancelled what looked like an equaliser for the hosts in the second half.
The goal came in the eleventh minute when Phillips found the net, and he doubled the lead late in the game with an eighth-seven-minute strike. A B. Parkinson effort was ruled out by VAR in the seventieth minute, a moment that could have shifted the momentum had it stood.
Falkirk dominated possession at 58 per cent but struggled to convert their dominance into clear-cut opportunities. They created three big chances while registering just one shot on target from eight attempts inside the penalty area. St Mirren, by contrast, made six big chances and hit the target five times from eleven attempts.
The visitors' defensive solidity was evident in their forty-eight clearances compared to the hosts' seventeen, and they completed twenty-seven tackles against fifteen. Four yellow cards were shown to St Mirren players, with R. Carr, H. Fieldson, K. Phillips and L. Thomas all cautioned during the contest.
Falkirk sit eleventh in the table with two points from five games, having drawn twice and lost three times. St Mirren occupy fourth place with ten points from six fixtures, their record of three wins and one draw keeping them within striking distance of the leaders.