Hibernian produced a confident and composed performance in Paisley, easing past a frustrated St Mirren side to climb back into third place in the Scottish Premiership.
Josh Mulligan opened the scoring with a calm finish in a tightly contested first half before the Cadden twins combined after the interval - Nicky providing the assist and Chris firing home to double the lead.
Substitute Miguel Chaiwa then added a late third to seal a deserved victory for David Gray’s men.
St Mirren had thought they’d taken an early lead inside five minutes when Marcus Fraser’s header found the net, but a VAR review ruled it out for offside.
Hibs made them pay soon after - Jamie McGrath capitalised on a poor pass from goalkeeper Shamal George, with defender Richard King failing to control the ball.
McGrath pounced and slipped a perfectly weighted pass through for Mulligan, who coolly slotted past George.
After the break, St Mirren’s luck worsened when Dan Nlundulu turned sharply and fired beyond Raphael Sallinger, only for another VAR decision to deny the hosts for a second time - this one a tight offside call.
Hibs, meanwhile, grew stronger.
Chris Cadden blasted home from close range to make it 2-0 before Chaiwa, introduced late on, wrapped things up with a composed finish to complete the rout.
The result lifts Hibernian back into third, reclaiming the spot from Falkirk ahead of the November international break, while St Mirren’s inconsistent league form continues.
This was a statement win for David Gray’s side - professional, disciplined, and capped off with a long-awaited clean sheet, their first in four league matches.
It also ends a difficult run in Paisley, with Hibs having previously won just one of their last six visits to the SMISA Stadium.
For Stephen Robinson’s St Mirren, the afternoon was one of frustration.
Fresh off their emotional Premier Sports Cup semi-final triumph over Motherwell, the Buddies entered buoyant - but failed to replicate that attacking sharpness.
Two disallowed goals and wasteful finishing summed up their afternoon.
Robinson had called for his players to be more clinical in the league, but those words went unheeded.
St Mirren have now failed to score in five of their 11 Premiership games, a record better only than Aberdeen’s.
For Hibs, however, this victory offers momentum and belief heading into the break - a sign that Gray’s men are finding both their rhythm and resilience at just the right time.
Hibs head coach David Gray tells Premier Sports: "Delighted for Chris Cadden [to score] because it's something he's been wanting to add to his game.
"He's had a few disappointments this season but he deserves it.
"It's a massive, massive win. It's been very fine margins for us recently. Tonight, it went for us.
"They're very big moments in the game that went for us but all in all I thought we were excellent.
"You have to stand up to the physical challenge of St Mirren and we did that.
"I believe there's a lot more to come from this group. Some of our performances this season have been of a high standard but we may have let ourselves down in certain moments."
