Dundee went down to a 2-1 defeat at home to St Johnstone this afternoon. Simon Murray gave the Dark Blues an early lead only for Saints to work their way back into the game and produce a deserved equaliser from Graham Carey just after the hour. Dundee couldn’t lift themselves and in the 90th minute Nicky Clark scrambled the winner over the line to give Saints the winner that they deserved.
The only change to the Dee’s starting eleven after the win at Motherwell was Mo Sylla returning from suspension. He took the place of the injured Scott Fraser.
St Johnstone defenders lost the ball twice in the first two minutes as they tried to play from the back against Dundee’s pressing. Saints played some neat football in the opening 10 minutes but their defence looked vulnerable. It wasn’t a huge surprise when they conceded a dreadful goal after 12 minutes. Trevor Carson launched a long ball up the park. Centre back Jack Sanders hesitated and Simon MURRAY nipped in to run clear. He lifted the ball over keeper Ross Sinclair and chested the ball into the empty goal.
A minute later the Saints defence was in a mess again and Sinclair made a great save from Ziyad Larkeche’s powerful shot. However, the ball seemed to have struck Ethan Ingram’s hand in the build up so VAR might well have saved Saints anyway.
The game settled into a pattern of St Johnstone hogging possession but unable to do much with it. Jason Holt wasn’t far off target from 22 yards but it took over half an hour for St Johnstone to offer a threat in the penalty area.
Saints looked more dangerous in the last 15 minutes of the half. Adama Sidibeh snatched at a half chance and fired well wide. He had a far better chance when Dundee lost possession in midfield, allowing him to run clear. He tried to take the ball round Carson but the Dee keeper saved superbly at his feet. Benjamin Kimpioka had a fleeting chance, but was too elaborate and wasted the opportunity.
The Dee midfield wasn’t effective but the half time change was a surprise. Sammy Braybrooke came on for Mo Sylla. It didn’t change the patterrn of the game.
St Johnstone started the second half with greater intensity than they had offered in the first half and came close to a quick equaliser. Carson made another great save to paw away a Kimpioka header. Clark Robertson blocked Nicky Clark’s goalbound follow up and Matt Smith headed over.
Dundee had more of the ball in the second half but they offered little in attack. Simon Murray had a shot blocked following a cutback by Fin Robertson but apart from that the Dee were disappointingly ineffective.
Craham Carey came on for Matt Smith after 57 minutes and the veteran Saints midfielder provided the best moment of football of the match seven minutes later. CAREY cut inside from the right and sent a perfect left foot shot around Carson and inside the far post from 22 yards.
Dundee responded with a triple substitution, sending on Seun Adewumi, Scott Tiffoney, and Seb Palmer-Houlden to replace Ethan Ingram, Ziyad Larkeche, and Curtis Main. The changes left the Dee with something like a 3-4-3 formation. They were better on the ball, but vulnerable on the wings. The match was open, but even though Dundee did improve in the second half at their best they only matched Saints. For the most part St Johnstone were the better side.
Lewis Neilson wasted a good chance for Saints after 86 minutes. A second ball in following a corner found him in space but he sent his header straight at Carson.
As the clock approached 90 minutes. Kimpioka worked his way round Billy Koumetio and Nicky Clark’s shot was blocked by Clark Robertson for a corner. Carey’s corner into the goalmouth generated a scramble and CLARK forced the ball over the line.
There followed a remarkable delay of six minutes while the goal was checked by VAR and referee Kevin Clancy at the VAR screen. The technology couldn’t establish whether or not Clark was offside, and the decision was thrown back to Clancy. However, if the goal had been ruled out there would have been a penalty awarded for a handball by Simon Murray immediately beforehand.
There were a further five minutes of play but Dundee never looked like saving the game. This was as poor a performance as Dundee have put in this season. The Dee have played well in several games without winning, but today the performance was flat and uninspired. The midfield was ineffective, the strikers had nothing to work with and the defence was left with far too much to do.
After last week’s fine win this performance was a let down for the fans. Dundee played well for only the first quarter of an hour and then fell out of the match. Sadly they only got what they deserved and St Johnstone would have had every right to feel aggrieved if that interminable VAR review had saved the Dee.
Dundee FC 3-5-2
Carson (c)
Astley, Koumetio, Clark Robertson
Ingram (Adewumi 68), Cameron (Mullgian 82), Sylla (Braybrooke at half time), Fin Robertson, Larkeche (Palmer-Houlden 68)
Murray, Main (Tiffoney 68)
Unused substitutes: McCracken (gk), Sharp (gk), Portales, Vetro.
Goal: Murray (12).
Booked: Ingram (foul on Holt), Main (foul on Spangler), Cameron (foul on Holt).
St Johnstone 4-3-1-2
Sinclair
Wright, Sanders, Neilson, Raymond (Camerom 57)
Smith (Carey 57), Spengler, Holt
Clark
Sidibeh (Kirk 88), Kimpioka
Unused subs: Rae (gk), Essel, Kucheriavyi, McPake, Keltjens, Franczak.
Goals: Carey (64), (Clark (90).
Booked: Sprangler (foul on Fin Robertson), Neilson (foul on Adewumi).
Referee: Kevin Clancy. Assistants: Ross Macleod, Graham McNeillie. VAR: Nick Walsh. Assistant VAR: Daniel McFarlane.
Attendance: 6,548.
Report: James Christie.
