Dundee United 3-0 St Mirren

• Dundee United go top of Premiership

• Telfer scores first Tangerines goal

• St Mirren stay three points off bottom

Dundee United moved top of the Scottish Premiership with a comfortable victory over St Mirren at Tannadice.

Paul Paton fired in from close range as the Tangerines took the lead against the run of play before the break.

Nadir Ciftci scored on the rebound after Aidan Connolly's initial effort had been saved.

Charlie Telfer added his name to the scoresheet with his first goal for Dundee United, finishing calmly from Connolly's reverse pass.

Jackie McNamara's side replace Hamilton Academical at the summit, with Hamilton a point behind the new division leaders.

There was a lethargy about Dundee United's early play, perhaps due to the exertions of Wednesday's win on penalties against Hibernian in the League Cup, and St Mirren were much more enterprising in the first half.

Callum Ball flicked a Sean Kelly cross towards goal and Radoslaw Cierzniak turned wide, although the goalkeeper may not have known too much about it as the ball rebounded off his chest.

Connolly (right) caused St Mirren many problems at Tannadice

However, there was nothing accidental about the Polish stopper's next save as he stooped low to his left to push Adam Drury's bending shot wide.

United were struggling to gain any impetus and Mario Bilate's withdrawal due to a leg injury further hampered their efforts, with Stuart Armstrong coming on.

There were few signs of a goal and even fewer that one would come for the hosts but when Connolly got free on the right, his cross broke kindly off a defender for Paton to place the ball past Marian Kello.

The first half action did not stop there though, as Kenny McLean's free-kick bounced up off the chest of Cierzniak and Jim Goodwin won the race to the loose ball only to hoist it over.

The Buddies may have felt hard done by at the break and their afternoon took a turn for the worst early in the second period.

First, Drury was denied by Cierzniak after racing on to Thomas Reilly's pass.

Then, United's second goal arrived. Kello kept out Connolly's initial headed effort but could not prevent Turkish striker Ciftci forcing in the rebound.

And Connolly was prominent again as the home side made the game safe, slipping the ball through for Telfer to slot home.

There was a late rally from St Mirren with substitutes Ross Caldwell and James Marwod testing Cierzniak but a consolation goal did not materialise for the third-bottom side from Paisley.