Charlie Miller's missed penalty could prove costly at a sun-drenched McDiarmid Park as goals from David McClune and Paul Hartley gave St Johnstone a two-goal lead over Dundee United at the break.

United suffered an early body blow in their bid to secure their Premier League survival.

The Tannadice outfit could effectively have sealed their top-flight status with a victory at McDiarmid Park - but their hopes were hit after St Johnstone took an early lead.

Hartley's shot was blocked by Jason de Vos and the recalled McClune curled a wonderful effort from the right of the area over the despairing United goalkeeper Paul Gallacher and into the top corner.

The youngster was only in the side because of an injury to Stuart McCluskey which was the only change to the side that took a point off United's relegation rivals St Mirren.

United had the luxury of naming the same line-up which beat Dunfermline at Tannadice last week.

But they looked nervous from the outset against a side that were fired up to give their supporters the three points in their last home game of the season.

But the biggest cheer of the game so far came in the 14th minute when news filtered through that St Mirren had gone a goal down at home to Aberdeen.

But the visitors came storming back and almost grabbed the equaliser in the 22nd minute when Craig Easton found space in the box, but he drilled his effort straight at Alan Main.

The St Johnstone frontmen were causing United all sorts of problems and David Partridge was fortunate not to go into the book in the 26th minute for a lunge on goalscorer McClune.

But United were granted a wonderful opportunity to draw level from the penalty spot a minute later when Darren Dods tripped Miller in the box.

The former Rangers midfielder was brave enough to step up and take responsibility himself, but he screwed his weak right-foot effort well wide of Main's right post.

That prolonged the agony for the travelling Tangerine fans and that was almost compounded in the 29th minute when Dods got on the end of Momo Sylla's corner, but he headed straight at Gallacher from five yards.

But United's afternoon was to go from bad to worse when they fell further behind five minutes before the break.

John Paul McBride played Sylla through on goal and he poked the ball into the path of Paul Hartley, who coolly slotted the ball past the advancing Gallacher.

The former Hibernian player celebrated in front of the visiting fans, which incensed the travelling support.

But moments later they were being berated by the St Johnstone fans when news filtered through that St Mirren had equalised and then taken the lead at Love Street to keep the relegation battle on a knife edge.