Dundee United emphatically beat St Mirren to earn just their second Premiership win of the season on manager Jim Goodwin's return following a health issue.

Clinical early finishes by Jesse Randall and Lyall Cameron set them on route to a deserved victory, with Kevin Ciubotaru's goal just before half time delivering a much-needed three points.

There were one or two let-offs, with St Mirren having a penalty award overturned for offside and a red card for United winger Daniel Bennie being downgraded on review.

But United were merited winners as they inflicted a third straight defeat upon St Mirren as their strong start to the season starts to stutter.

The Paisley side started brightly enough but United pounced on their first opportunity and never looked back. Randall burst through the defence and rounded a slow-looking Jacob Chapman in goal to tap home the opener.

The second arrived promptly when Cameron held off a weak-looking challenge on the edge of the penalty area and reversed the ball just inside a post.

St Mirren looked to have been handed a lifeline when Killian Phillips was pulled down in the box by Bert Esselink, but an offside call rescued United after VAR got involved.

Bennie escaped a red when he lunged in on Ryan Carr, his red being overturned, and United's third sealed it when an excellent rehearsed set-piece left Ciubotaru alone to slide the ball through Chapman's legs.

St Mirren were knocking the ball around well in the early stages but, after the quickfire concessions, they just couldn't get a grip of the game.

You could point the finger at the defending for all three goals. The midfield might have done better as United pounced with Chapman a bit slow to react off his line.

For the second, the chance looked there to get tight to Cameron but he held off a challenge easily and finished well. And for the third, they just didn't anticipate a rehearsed set-piece routine that cut them open.

They couldn't create chances with a Paul Nsio effort against the bar as close as they came.

Five points from six league games was not the start United would have sought, albeit the consensus was that they probably merited more than that.

One major criticism has been an inability to score. Just six league goals before this, four of them in one win at Kilmarnock.

The shooting boots were on here, though. Randall and Cameron took their goals very well. It was two shots, two goals at that stage and you can't get much more clinical.

United had a fright when St Mirren's penalty was overturned, and kicked on impressively to produce a display full of invention, skill and attacking threat.

Three points heading into the international break puts a healthier complexion on their position and marks a great return for the manager.

St Mirren manager Craig McLeish: "It's the first time we have probably let ourselves down this season in terms of a disappointing result but its probably the performance as well.

"The boys have been magnificent up until this point. The damage was done in the first ten minutes of the game, a couple of defensive mistakes."

Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin: "We controlled the game from start to finish.

"They got off to the best possible start, being a couple of goals up inside fifteen minutes.

"The only criticism I could have in the second half is that we haven't added to the three goals that we scored."