There was a classic comedy of errors at Tannadice on Saturday but no one connected with Dundee United was seeing the funny side.
The performance and defeat against Motherwell saw those home fans who had stayed to the end make their feelings known with a chorus of boos.
Their reaction was understandable as the Steelmen, who remain second in the SPL table following Celtic’s defeat against Hearts on Sunday, had been dominant in all areas of the park for the 90 minutes.
That superiority was reflected in the final scoreline, although Stuart McCall’s outfit were given a helping hand they really didn’t need courtesy of a catalogue of blunders by players wearing tangerine.
The result means United have still only won once in the league so far at home this season and worryingly they have now shipped three or more goals in four games out of the 10 played.
For centre-half Gavin Gunning, Saturday’s defeat was even more galling as he was a Motherwell player last season while on loan from Blackburn Rovers. And he admitted that everyone in the United dressing room was at a loss to explain the lacklustre performance.
He said: ”It is really difficult to sum up what went wrong. They were hungrier than we were, and that is unacceptable.
”I’m not sure whether you could say they wanted it more than us but they were certainly a lot sharper and when they had the ball, they just looked better than us.
”The gaffer obviously wasn’t happy afterwards with the way they looked hungrier.”
Motherwell looked like they had a bigger appetite and they eagerly gobbled up the United gifts on offer.
At their opener, Danny Swanson who put in one of his most anonymous performances for United in the week he received his first Scotland call-up failed to track back as Tom Hateley raided down the right in the 14th minute.
Hateley hit a low cross into the United box, which the on-rushing Keith Lasley lashed into the back of Dusan Pernis’ net from 12 yards.
The Slovakian keeper, so often the hero for United, turned villain on the stroke of half-time with a blunder that will give him nightmares as he miskicked an attempted clearance straight to the grateful Michael Higdon.
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The big striker, who has recently been the target of the Motherwell boo-boys, kept his nerve to send an angled shot past Pernis, although the feeling persists that it was the sort of effort the stopper would have dealt with easily last season.
The third goal, which prompted an exodus of disgruntled home fans, came after another blunder, this time by Garry Kenneth when he tried to be too clever inside his own penalty area and only succeeded in bringing down the impressive Nicky Law.
Referee Stevie McLean pointed to the spot and Higdon stepped up to send Pernis the wrong way for his second goal of the day.
Home skipper Jon Daly stabbed in a late counter but it was scant consolation, especially as it brought to an end his record of never being on the losing side when he had hit the back of the net for United.
Gunning said no one would be pointing the finger of blame at Pernis and he insisted that this slump in form will only be temporary.
He added: ”To be fair to Dusan at the second goal, he has kept us in a lot of games as well. Everyone can make mistakes.
“But we shouldn’t take anything away from Motherwell. They have some really talented footballers. I thought Law was different class for them and Steven Jennings and Lasley were also very good as well.
”Maybe it’s got something to do with concentration but we’re just struggling a bit at the moment. I do not think there is any extra pressure on us playing at Tannadice as a footballer, you always want to play at home.
”But if we can get through this bad patch, I am sure we will be fine.”
United boss Peter Houston, who is now on Scotland duty as Craig Levein’s assistant, was frank in his assessment.
”That was a poor performance by Dundee United,” he said. ”Even before we lost the first goal, I thought they were hungrier and sharper to the ball than us.
”It is hard to blame the back four for the goals though. At the first one, Swanny never tracked his runner and the boy puts a good ball in and it was finished well.
”At the second, Dusan, who has been excellent for us, miskicks the ball and at the third one Garry Kenneth probably could have dealt with it but tried to be too clever and gives away a penalty.
”I am not making excuses as I thought we were well beaten.”
His counterpart McCall said: ”It was a great team effort and it merited a victory.”