It was back-to-back wins and back-to-back clean sheets for the Lions as second half goals from Scott Pittman & Marvin Bartley sealed a brilliant 2-0 win at home to Dundee United.

Dundee United were without 9 squad players and their usual management team after a COVID-19 outbreak meant isolation was required.

The visitors, without top scorer Nicky Clark and with youth coach and former Lion Thomas Courts in the dugout, started brightly and Adrian Sporle’s free-kick bounced wide.

United continued to enjoy plenty of territory but could not convert it into chances with goalkeeper Max Stryjek rarely tested.

Livingston were much more of an attacking threat in the second period and Bartley almost had us in front with a powerful strike that brought out the best in Benjamin Siegrist who reacted quickly to stop the Lions skipper.

However, the Swiss goalkeeper could do nothing as Pittman slammed the ball into the bottom right corner after the midfielder had carried from deep. Josh Mullin’s flick on found Matej Poplatnik on the right wing and he glanced a brilliant header into the path of Pittman who drove brilliantly at the heart of the United defence before drilling low into the corner to bag his 3^rd goal of the season.

Defender Jon Guthrie could not keep his shot down moments later after an audacious overhead kick attempt by Jack Fitzwater and Josh Mullin tested Siegrist from a wide angle with a low, powerful drive which the ‘keeper done well to push behind.

But Bartley made sure of the points at a corner, pouncing after the ball broke off Mark Connolly in the six-yard box to acrobatically fire home from close range, his first goal since a very similar success at Tynecastle exactly 1 year and 1 day on.

As the game fizzled out with the Lions in control, United striker Lawrence Shankland had two efforts from a tight angle but Stryjek was down low to save both comfortably.

Next up for the Lions is a first trip of the season to McDiarmid Park to take on Callum Davidson’s St Johnstone side who go into this one fresh off the back of a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park which sees their unbeaten run stretch to 11 games in all competitions (6 in the league).

Livingston: Stryjek, Serrano, Fitzwater ▊, Guthrie ▊, Devlin, Bartley ▊, Sibbald (⇔ Robinson ▊ 86), Forrest (⇔ Brown 90), Pittman, Mullin ▊, Poplatnik (⇔ Emmanuel-Thomas 72)
Subs not used: McCrorie, McMillan, Ambrose, Lawson, Taylor-Sinclair, Tiffoney
Goals: Pittman (57), Bartley (74)

Dundee Utd: Siegrist, Smith, Sporle, Powers (⇔ Appere 68), Connolly, Reynolds ▊, McNulty, Edwards ▊, Harkes, Shankland, Fuchs
Subs not used: Deniz, Neilson, Watson, Hutchinson, Robson, Dufft, Caves, Malcolm
Goals:

Referee: Don Robertson
HT: 0-0
Att: BCD
Match Report: Dave Black

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