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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou arguably put it best post-match when he said that "St Mirren were really, really good at executing their gameplan".
As it unfolded, Saturday's League Cup semi-final at Hampden couldn't have run better to script for the Paisley side.
Sure, they had to weather some early pressure from a Motherwell side who have been praised for their style of play. But a two-goal half-time lead, a relatively comfortable second half and two late goals would have been in their dreams.
The pre-match tifo from the St Mirren support read "faith over fear" on this All Saints Day.
Faith in their style, system and manager Stephen Robinson paid off as they deservedly booked a Hampden return on 14 December against either Celtic or Rangers.
In the meantime, they'll accept all the plaudits for this superb semi-final showing. Just don't say they're physical...
The last time St Mirren reached the League Cup final was in 2013, when they won the whole thing.
A fresh-faced John McGinn starred, Sportscene presenter Steven Thompson scored and Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin captained Danny Lennon's side to one of the great days in the club's history.
Goodwin was at Hampden as his former side attempted to arrest their 12-year wait for a return to the showpiece event, and he surely couldn't help but be impressed.
As he congratulated Robinson afterwards, he recognised that St Mirren had done what his United couldn't in midweek, as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Motherwell.
"It was perfect; a tactical masterclass," Goodwin said on Premier Sports.
Put simply, St Mirren didn't allow Motherwell's game-changers to get on the ball in the areas they'd want.
Elliot Watt has flourished under Askou, but the crafty midfielder couldn't get space. Alongside him Elijah Just was also contained, while Tawanda Maswanhise and Ibrahim Said were restricted to wild, frustrated lashes at goal.
"We let them have the ball in areas we wanted them to have it," Robinson explained. "Then we won it back numerous times.
"They're a team who work on playing it out from the back, and if you press them in their own six-yard box, the pitch becomes very big.
"They're good at what they do, so we dropped off a little bit. We let them have possession and set up traps for them. We wanted to condense it down into the middle of the pitch and win it back.
"We had certain triggers to press on, which I'll probably not tell you, but I'm not reinventing the wheel. It's all been done before, but I thought we did it really well."
As much as St Mirren neutered Motherwell, don't be fooled and think they weren't a threat in their own right.
Mikael Mandron, who bookended the victory with his two goals, spearheaded a superb attacking force, with help from a few pals.
When fit and firing, the 31-year-old is a potent performer and he was at his best on his 100th run-out for the Paisley outfit.
His ability to hold up the ball and allow his team-mates to join in proved pivotal as St Mirren swept forward with speed.
While his opener came with a side of controversy - a quick free-kick in the build-up was taken with the ball moving - and his second, after a lengthy VAR wait, was a thing of beauty, he still didn't score the goal of the day.
That honour fell to Dan Nlundulu. His crucial second just before half-time was as nice a swivel and strike Hampden has seen in a long time.
Not surprising goalscorers, that pair. Unlike Richard King, who grabbed the third.
The defender was brought on, presumably, to help shut up shop and see St Mirren through. Instead, the Jamaica international carried on with a foray forward and found the back of the net, albeit with a bit of fortune.
Among other things, he exhibited exactly what Robinson insists is a "misconception" about his side. They are more than a rough and tough, physical outfit.
"We actually have one of the smallest back fives in the league, so it is a bit of a misconception," Robinson told BBC Scotland.
"They have certainly got more than that and, if you combine physicality with talent and an end product, we showed that in abundance."
