St Johnstone 1-2 Partick Thistle

Partick Thistle beat St Johnstone for the second time in eight days to move up to seventh in the Scottish Premiership.

Callum Booth scored Thistle's opener, cutting inside from the left and bending a right-foot shot past Alan Mannus.

And Steven Lawless fired in a low strike to double the Jags' lead.

Chris Kane knocked in Darnell Fisher's cross to reduce Saints' deficit but they could not find a leveller.

And the Perth side, who lost 2-0 at Firhill last Tuesday, are now just two points ahead of Thistle.

Fine start secures win for Thistle

This appeared to be a pivotal match for both sides with St Johnstone's top-six hopes stuttering and Partick Thistle looking to ease away from 11th place.

And it was the visitors who came flying out of the blocks.

David Wotherspoon lost possession with play switched to Booth on the Thistle left. He cut inside and unleashed a lovely shot that found the far corner comfortably.

A second duly arrived when Lawless created space on his left foot and measured an equally impressive strike that found the same spot as Booth had earlier.

Lawless, who was thrillingly menacing early on, then surged towards the box only to be hauled down. Sean Welsh curled the free-kick this time to Mannus's right and the goalkeeper did well to tip away.

Thistle showed a real will to win that seemed missing from their hosts as the home crowd grew increasingly anxious and audible.

Chris Kane (right) got St Johnstone's consolation goal

Thistle keeper Tomas Cerny raced off his line to force Graham Cummins to take a touch round him and the angle proved too much for Cummins, who had been played in by Danny Swanson.

Some lovely intricate play released the effective Booth and his searching cross was in the right area but too high for Mathias Pogba at the back post.

One home fan screamed: "Second to every ball." He was right as Thistle again threatened, this time Lawless gathering a cross, spinning and firing a shot that was touched over.

But St Johnstone slowly signalled their interest and began to threaten. Swanson almost caught Cerny out with a free-kick that sailed narrowly wide with the keeper scampering.

Swanson then laid a great chance on a plate for the onrushing Liam Craig but the midfielder leant back and put it over.

Thistle did well to hold Saints at arm's length and Welsh came close to a third on the break with a header that was directed straight at Mannus.

From nowhere St Johnstone pulled one back and it was all about the delivery from Fisher. His searching cross looked like it might clip the far post but Cummins' replacement Kane judged the flight brilliantly and volleyed home to give his side hope.

Despite that, Thistle did not seem too troubled and substitute Kris Doolan almost sealed it when clean through but Mannus did well to block.

Thistle will relish an extremely valuable win and should have little concern about what's going on below them in the Premiership with games in hand offering a chance to push into the top half of the table.