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Captain Graeme Shinnie headed home Aberdeen's second goal

Three goals in 10 first-half minutes ensured Aberdeen brushed aside St Mirren to reach the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals.

Gary Mackay-Steven volleyed home the opener before brilliantly setting up Graeme Shinnie to nod in the second.

Stevie May added a third before the break as Alan Stubbs' newly promoted Buddies were repeatedly carved open.

Mackay-Steven completed the rout when he won and scored a 57th-minute penalty - his fourth goal of the season.

This was the second Pittodrie hammering St Mirren have suffered in 2018, having been thumped 4-1 in the Scottish Cup in January while still a Championship team.

Derek McInnes' Dons remain unbeaten in 90 minutes this season - their only defeat in five outings came after extra time at Burnley in the Europa League second qualifying round.

A mismatch from the start

This tie was as good as over after just 26 minutes as Aberdeen ripped apart St Mirren in what looked like a gross mismatch.

After May and Lewis Ferguson came close, Mackay-Steven broke the deadlock when he fired home following intelligent play from Stephen Gleeson.

Mackay-Steven's deft cross laid the second on a plate for Shinnie, who was unmarked to nod home at the back post.

Paisley goalkeeper Craig Samson gifted the hosts a third when his terrible pass was seized upon by Scott Wright, who squared for May to knock into the unguarded goal.

Hayden Coulson, tormented all afternoon by Mackay-Steven, felled the former Celtic player in the box early in the second half and, for the third time this season, the winger scored from the spot.

'Ross & May give McInnes bonus' - analysis

James Wilson was not fit enough to start after joining Aberdeen on loan from Manchester United earlier in the week, while Niall McGinn suffered an injury in the warm-up and had to drop out.

So the performance of Frank Ross - McGinn's replacement - and the goal from May - who has cut a frustrated figure for much of his time at Pittodrie - will come as welcome bonuses for McInnes. His goal was just his sixth since a £400,000 move from Preston North End last summer.

It is hard to see what positives Stubbs can take from a game in which St Mirren were comprehensively outclassed, and he must now rebuild his players' confidence for the visit of fellow Premiership new boys Livingston next weekend.

'It could have been a lot more' - reaction

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes: "It is difficult to single anybody out in a proper, complete performance. We were bright from minute one.

"The chances we've missed and created today, it could've been an awful lot more. Our appetite for the game, our speed in the game, the way we passed the ball was exceptional."

St Mirren manager Alan Stubbs: "We've conceded some poor goals again. That's through players switching off, players not taking responsibility and that's not necessarily down to youthfulness. It comes down to other attributes players have to do in a game."