Impressive strikes from Greg Kiltie and Josh Magennis earned Kilmarnock a well-deserved 2-0 Scottish Premiership victory over Inverness.
Magennis, who helped Northern Ireland clinch qualification for Euro 2016 in the international break, teed up Kiltie for the opening goal in first-half stoppage time and then wrapped up proceedings with a driven finish of his own 25 minutes from time.
Kilmarnock made two changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Hearts a fortnight ago. Steve Smith and Rory McKenzie came in for Tope Obadeyi and Jamie Hamill.
Caley Thistle also made two changes, replacing James Vincent and Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo with Carl Tremarco and Ryan Christie.
It was Tremarco that helped fashion the first chance of the game after just eight minutes when he flicked on Greg Tansey's corner to the far post. Danny Devine was in acres of space but contrived to head over the bar from just six yards.
The visitors were threatening from a string of early set-pieces and Ross Draper, searching for his first goal since March 2014, was next to come close as he landed a header on the roof of the net.
Killie were solid in possession but looked in danger the moment Inverness began to string passes together. Only a timely intervention from Stuart Findlay stopped Miles Storey finishing off Danny Williams' cross, after he was brilliantly found by Tansey.
A brief flurry on 27 minutes gave the hosts a lift, with Draper needed to block a Craig Slater shot before Kiltie curled his ensuing effort just over. The home side ended the half stronger, though, and Magennis teed up Kiltie to drive in the opener just before the half-time whistle.
Inverness boss John Hughes was forced into a change at the break, replacing the injured Draper with Iain Vigurs, and they created the first opening of the second period as Christie's fizzing effort was tipped over by Jamie MacDonald.
But it was Gary Locke's men who had all the momentum and Kallum Higginbotham, a thorn in Inverness' side last season with Partick, growing more into the game.
It was Higginbotham who laid on the second goal, finding Magennis, who had peeled off Tremarco, and the Northern Ireland international drove a deflected effort in at the far post.
Caley Thistle mustered a couple of half-chances through Storey and Mbuyi-Mutombo that were snuffed out by MacDonald at his near post as the game wound down, while Slater came inches away from rattling a third goal past Owain Fon Williams.
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