Hearts can have no complaints.
Miguel Freckelton's late header, fired beyond Alex Schwolow to seal a deserved St Mirren victory, merely underlined what had been apparent long before the final whistle.
From the opening exchanges Hearts looked off the pace. Even allowing for some admirable, at times heroic, defending after being reduced to ten men, few inside the ground could argue with the outcome of the game.
When Derek McInnes sits down to analyse this one there will be no shortage of moments to rewind, slow down and scrutinise. The decisive goal itself was born from a catalogue of errors that will irritate the Hearts manager far more than the final scoreline.
Should the initial cross that led to the corner have been blocked? Did Schwolow really need to push a ball that appeared to be drifting wide behind? Why was a six-foot-plus defender allowed to run unchallenged from the back post to the front and meet the header? And more broadly, where was the composure at the back that ultimately led to Craig Halkett's dismissal?
These questions – and several others – will be picked over forensically in the coming days. Lessons will need to be learned, and quickly.
But perspective matters. This was only Hearts' third defeat over 90 minutes all season. Offered that return last summer, anyone connected with the club would have snapped your hand off.
There is no reason for panic, no need for melodrama. Instead, there is an opportunity because next comes the perfect response game. Hibernian at Tynecastle. Under the floodlights. With scrutiny dialled all the way up and the footballing world watching.
The question will be asked loudly and repeatedly: do Hearts really have what it takes to go all the way in the Premiership title race?
