St Mirren and Aberdeen served up a thrilling Christmas Eve Premiership cracker in Paisley with the Buddies eventually wrapping up all three points.
In a match stuffed with incident, the Saints were awarded three penalties while the Dons scored a screamer and saw their captain sent off.
After six long weeks without a game, the bumper crowd at the SMiSA Stadium certainly got their money's worth, with Matty Kennedy opening the scoring early on with a long-range screamer.
After a sluggish start, St Mirren drew level when Aberdeen skipper Anthony Stewart clumsily pulled down Jonah Ayunga in the box, with the defender receiving his marching orders in the process before Mark O'Hara's effort squirmed past Kelle Roos via the post.
The Saints were given another early present in the second half when Roos tripped Curtis Main in the box, with O'Hara again stepping up to slam his side in front.
The game could have been settled when Ayunga had the chance to make it three from the spot, with his powerful effort blocked by Roos.
The Dons battled hard and were inches away from levelling, with Ylber Ramadani cracking the underside of the bar and Ryan Duncan missing from a yard out.
But the hosts held firm and eventually put the game to bed when Greg Kiltie fired into an empty net to ensure ex-boss Jim Goodwin went home empty-handed from his first trip back to the SMiSA Stadium.
The Buddies were understandably ring-rusty after six weeks without a competitive game. Keanu Baccus looked the sharpest early on, given his recent escapades at the World Cup, with the midfielder setting up Ayunga. The powerful forward couldn't quite get the better of Liam Scales, with the promising move eventually breaking down.
The visitors were passing the ball around nicely and almost opened the scoring when Kennedy, a long-term transfer target of Goodwin during his time at St Mirren, rattled the post with a fierce strike.
The Buddies failed to heed the warning as just a minute later the winger curled home a sensational 25-yard strike past Trevor Carson into the top corner to break the deadlock.
Hayden Coulson tried to repeat the trick two minutes later but his effort cleared the bar, with the hosts looking a little shaken by the early opener.
St Mirren slowly started to warm up in the Paisley sunshine, with some superb link-up play between Baccus and Ethan Erhahon setting up Main in the box. The ex-Dons striker did well to work himself into some space before seeing his low effort blocked by Scales, with Baccus' follow-up effort also cleared to safety.
Erhahon then fired wide from the resulting corner as Stephen Robinson's men continued to grow back into the game.
Erhahon was showing no signs of rustiness, producing a defence-splitting pace to send Baccus tearing down the right wing. Unfortunately for the home side the Australia star's cross cleared Main in the box. Erhahon was at the centre of everything and found himself booked on the half hour mark for a sliding tackle of Luis Lopes.
Ayunga was inches away from levelling when he cleverly cut inside Stewart and unleashed a powerful left-foot effort that just sailed wide of the post.
The pair were crucially involved again just a minute later as the Dons skipper hauled the striker down as he burst into the box.
Referee Nick Walsh was adamant it was a professional foul and flashed a red card, with VAR eventually backing up his decision after a lengthy check.
Saints skipper O'Hara's trundled low effort hit the post, with the ball rebounding off the keeper's back and into the net to restore parity.
Ayunga should have given his side a half-time lead when strike partner Main did brilliantly to keep a ball alive on the left wing and pick out a brilliant cross into the box. Ayunga could only head straight at Roos, who made a comfortable save.
The Buddies made one change at half-time, with playmaker Kiltie replacing Erhahon in the middle of the park.
And just five minutes into the second half, the home side were in front. Main refused to give up on a pass through and just got to the ball ahead of Roos, who tripped the striker inside the box.
This time around O'Hara's penalty hit was much more emphatic, with the midfielder driving his effort down the middle past Roos to put his side in front.
Dons substitute Duncan flashed a low effort just wide of the post in an important reminder to the Saints that the game was far from over.
Ryan Strain then slalomed past several Aberdeen players into the box but could only fire over the bar with his left foot, denying him what would have been a memorable goal.
The Buddies were handed their third penalty of the afternoon after a move sparked by Scott Tanser. The defender produced an excellent touch to beat his man before threading through a sublime pass to release Ayunga in behind the Dons' backline.
After being hauled down, Ayunga himself stepped up to take the spot kick. This time Roos was able to keep it out, with the powerful effort rebounding off the keeper's legs to safety.
Charles Dunne had a header cleared off the line from a Strain corner as the Saints battled to put the game to bed, with Declan Gallagher heading over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
The Dons were inches away from levelling with quarter of an hour left on the clock when, after a good old fashioned stramash in the penalty box, Ramadani's shot rattled the underside of the crossbar before being cleared to safety.
Saints keeper Carson pulled off a great save from Jack Mackenzie as the eventful game continued to hang on a knife-edge.
Duncan then passed up a gilt-edged chance at the back post, missing when it looked easier to score, before Kennedy's dipping free-kick drew another strong save from Carson as the game entered extra-time.
The result was finally sealed when Aberdeen keeper Roos came up for a corner and St Mirren were able to recover possession and break up the park.
Kiltie had plenty of time to pick his spot in the empty net, sparking huge home celebrations as the Saints headed into Christmas Day with three points in their pocket.
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