Aberdeen 4-1 St Mirren: Marley Watkins & Christian Ramirez both score twice

Aberdeen recorded back-to-back wins for only the second time this term and edged into the Scottish Premiership's top six after "doing the simple things better" in overwhelming St Mirren.

Marley Watkins and Christian Ramirez both scored twice - once each in the opening nine minutes, before Watkins completed a first-half brace and Ramirez rounded off the thumping win.

Scott Tanser did reply for St Mirren to make it 2-1, only for Watkins' second to immediately snuff out the Paisley's side's hopes.

And, when asked if momentum is building around his side, Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass said that "it feels like it".

"If the performance levels stay high we'll be alright," he added. "The conditions were difficult at times but we controlled everything we could."

St Mirren, though, are now without a win in eight league matches and have slipped to eighth place, having played more matches than all of the teams below them.

Prior to kick-off, the conditions did not look conducive to scintillating football but Aberdeen did not get that message. They should have been 3-0 up and out of sight after 15 minutes.

A breathless opening 45 was one of the best in the top-flight so far this season with both sides creating plenty of chances.

After St Mirren's Jak Alnwick made a brilliant save, the ball was sent back across goal and Watkins lost his man to tap in from close range. Jim Goodwin will not have been pleased with how easy it was for him to find space so close to goal.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas' attempt from the edge of the box was deflected away but Ramirez was on the spot to spin and drive a powerful shot into the net. It was an instinctive finish and deserved.

Aberdeen could have scored again after Watkins danced his way along the bye-line and cut the ball back for Ryan Hedges. His sliced shot looked to be heading wide before Ramirez came agonisingly close to making it three with a tap-in.

St Mirren looked a bit shell-shocked, and perhaps understandably so as they were torn apart and were lucky to still be in the game after 15 minutes.

David Bates was the first member of the Aberdeen defence called into any real action as he nodded a Connor Ronan header off of the line, before the midfielder failed to convert a free header at the back post.

St Mirren huffed and puffed as they tried to find a way back into the game and forced Joe Lewis into a string of saves. First, Matt Millar had him at full stretch after he was played through the lines, before a corner led to a spectacular double save.

The Paisley side were fighting admirably and their wing-backs combined to half the deficit just before the interval. Millar drove down the right-hand and his cross travelled across the box and fell to Tanser, who slotted in a composed finish.

Aberdeen responded almost immediately, though. A swift counter-attack allowed Hedges to drive forward and, just as the ball seemed to be stuck under his feet, he stabbed a pass out to Watkins, whose calm finish restored the two-goal advantage.

Ramirez got off to a flying start after the interval as his diving header narrowly scurried wide and substitute Teddy Jenks also went close after his shot from a tight angle squirmed under Alnwick and was hacked clear.

St Mirren were still a threat, though, and thought they might have had a penalty when Alan Power tangled with Scott Brown in the box. However, Brown appeared to pull his leg back out of the challenge as Power left his in, inviting the contact.

Instead, it was Aberdeen who would strike next. Jenks had been involved in everything since coming on and it was his cross that allowed Ramirez, lurking at the back post, to score his second and the hosts' fourth.

Aberdeen's first-half performance was almost certainly the best football they've played so far this campaign. Ramirez, Hedges, Watkins and Emmanuel-Thomas were a force to be reckoned with as they came flying out of the traps.

Momentum is key in football and if this quartet can replicate this form on a consistent basis, it is not hard to imagine the Pittodrie side continuing to climb the league table.

St Mirren are now without a win in eight matches, a run that would have some clubs hitting the panic button.

Their performances haven't been all that bad during that run, though, and this was only their fourth loss in 10 matches and, apart from this game, they have rarely been beaten heavily.

Their run of festive fixtures looks testing but a few results would soon swing the momentum back in their favour.

Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass: "Anytime you score four goals is great. The first half was a bit messy but the performance of the second half was better.

"We probably should have scored a third early on, and then the game drifted a bit with St Mirren passing it about. It was dangerous until we killed it off."

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin: "We came here to try and have a go. We were beaten by the better team, I thought Aberdeen were deserved winners.

"They've went through a sticky patch here but credit to Stephen for his side's performance, they were the better side today. Sometimes in football, you've just got to give credit to the opposition.

Aberdeen travel to Perth to face St Johnstone on Sat 11 December in a 15:00GMT kick-off. St Mirren host Hibernian at home at the same time.