Boyle’s 10th goal of the season came from the penalty spot as we deservedly claimed all three points against the Perth side.
St Johnstone were reduced to 10-men late on after Jamie McCart picked up a second yellow card, however the visitors pushed us all the way.
In the end, we did enough to justify victory and return to second in the cinch Premiership, whilst maintaining our unbeaten run.
Jack Ross made two changes to the side that defeated Dundee United 3-1 on Thursday evening in the Premier Sports Cup.
The boss, speaking before the game, said he made the changes in the wing-back positions to add energy with Chris Cadden and Josh Doig starting ahead of Jake Doyle-Hayes and Lewis Stevenson.
We started purposefully and carved out an early opportunity when Joe Newell’s floated free kick was nodded down at the back post by Paul Hanlon to Doig, and the full-back’s first-time strike was beaten away by Zander Clark.
On 12 minutes there was an appeal for a penalty kick after Scott Allan’s threaded ball found Kevin Nisbet’s run in behind the Saints defence; the striker appeared to get the ball before going down under the challenge of Clark, however referee John Beaton waved play on.
We kept up the early pressure and a shot from Kyle Magennis took a wicked deflection off Efe Ambrose to have Clark scrambling across goal and making another early save.
St Johnstone grew into the game and having weathered the early pressure they were soon creating opportunities themselves.
A quickly taken free kick on 17 minutes caught us unprepared and gifted Chris Kane an unchallenged shot at goal that Matt Macey did well to touch over the crossbar.
Soon after the goalkeeper was in action again – this time to push a deflected Shaun Rooney cross around this near post.
Callum Davidson’s men were certainly not afraid to shoot and did so at every opportunity as Rooney volleyed a Liam Craig knock down just wide from the edge of the box before Michael O’Halloran struck a powerful low drive from 20 yards that Macey gathered at the second attempt.
The visitors were by now enjoying the best of the exchanges and their direct style of play appeared to be bearing fruit.
Hibs, on the other hand, were not finding the same pockets of space we had earlier in the game, however Boyle did force Clark into a save from a snapshot on 31 minutes.
Shortly before half-time Hanlon went close to finding the opening goal when he headed just wide following a corner kick.
Doyle-Hayes replaced Magennis during the interval as Ross reshuffled his midfield pack and we again started on the front foot with Boyle dragging an early effort wide of Clark’s near post.
On 55 minutes the visitors had a terrific chance to go ahead as Ali Crawford put Rooney clean through on goal and under pressure from Doig, he sliced his shot wide with only Macey to beat.
It was a big let off for us and four minutes later we were awarded a penalty kick as Newell’s cross found Boyle in the box and his powerful shot struck the hand of Jamie McCart.
Boyle took the kick himself and although Clark got a hand to the ball he could not keep it out as the Hibs winger netted his 10th goal of the campaign to put his side ahead.
Before the restart we were forced into another change as Doig limped off and had to be replaced by Lewis Stevenson.
We kept up the pressure and a wonderful pick out from Allan with a floated delivery gave Nisbet space for a shot with the striker’s effort deflected just wide.
From the resultant corner kick, the ball broke to Boyle and his powerful first-time shot fizzed just wide of Clark’s near post.
With 16 minutes remaining St Johnstone were reduced to ten men when McCart picked up a second yellow card for sarcastically applauding the match officials after a decision was given against him.
The loss of McCart forced Davidson to pull Rooney into centre defence and drop O’Halloran back into the wing-back position.
Going down to 10 men did little to impact the game with Hibs continuing to enjoy the majority of the ball whilst St Johnstone looked to hit on the counterattack.
From one such attack substitute Glenn Middleton burst away on the right and his rising shot from the edge of the area was held by Macey.
At the other end Clark was keeping his side in it, first by saving from Hanlon’s shot on the turn before tipping an audacious lob from Allan over the crossbar.
In the first of five added minutes we worked the ball well under pressure from the right to Jamie Gullan on the edge of the box and his rising shot was held by the impressive Clark.
In the 93rd minute we had a glorious opportunity to wrap up all three points when St Johnstone threw bodies forward for a free kick which we cleared and from Stevenson’s long ball Nisbet raced away but with Boyle free in the middle he went alone, and Ambrose blocked his shot.
In the end it did not matter as we deservedly took all three points, returned to second in the cinch Premiership and maintained our unbeaten start.
Hibernian: Macey, Doig (Stevenson 61’), Hanlon, Porteous, McGinn, Magennis (Doyle-Hayes 46’), Boyle, Newell, Nisbet, Allan (Gullan 84’), Cadden. Substitutes not used: Dabrowski, Wood, Gogic, Scott.
St Johnstone: Clark, McCart, Kane (May 79’), Wotherspoon, O’Halloran, Muller (Middleton 68’), Rooney, Crawford, Booth, Ambrose, Craig (Gilmour 79’). Substitutes not used: Parish, Devine, Dendoncher, Vertainen.
Referee: John Beaton.
Attendance: 13,263.
