Dundee are still without a win in 2017 but the point they got from this draw against Kilmarnock at least moved them up to seventh spot in the table.
Killie skipper Kris Boyd gave the visitors the lead on nine minutes but Kevin Holt made it 1-1 with 27 minutes on the clock.
There were plenty of chances for both teams in an often frantic affair at Dens Park but the pair couldn’t be separated.
The Dark Blues had brought in Kostadin Gadzhalov for Julen Etxabeguren in central defence, with the young Spaniard not even on the bench.
The visitors also made one change, with transfer window signing Conor Sammon starting in place of Stevie Smith.
The Ayrshire men were defending a good record at Dens, having lost only once in their last seven visits in the top-flight.
It was a quiet opening period, with neither side threatening the opposition goal.
However, all that changed on nine minutes when Killie took the lead.
Boyd, looking on the stocky side, was still able to beat a flat Dundee defence and run through on goal.
He played the ball around advancing keeper Scott Bain and, as Kevin Gomis tried in vain to clear, the ball went over the line without another touch from the former Rangers striker.
On 13 minutes, Boyd had another chance, this time with a header from a terrific Jordan Jones cross, but he couldn’t get direction on it.
Five minutes later, the Dark Blues finally had an attempt on goal, with Mark O’Hara sprinting forward only to see his low drive strike the leg of keeper Freddie Woodman.
The Dens men needed a lift and they certainly got one on 27 minutes when they pulled themselves level.
A floating ball from the right from Cammy Kerr hung in the air and Killie goalie Woodman came off his line to try to cut it out.
However, Woodman was caught in no man’s land and the ball went through to Holt, who slid it into the net from 12 yards for a fine finish.
The visitors lost Luke Hendrie to injury and he was replaced by Miles Addison just after the half-hour.
On 39 minutes, Woodman was the hero for Killie when he stretched out a hand to tip a 20-yard shot from Dundee’s Henrik Ojamaa an inch or two past the post.
Three minutes before the break, a great delivery from the right from Tom Hateley reached Marcus Haber but his header was blocked.
Haber had another header off a Hateley corner deflected just wide then Hateley blasted a shot over before the half-time whistle blew.
It took six minutes of the the second period to create a decent chance and it was Dundee’s Ojamaa who did so, curling a shot just over.
The home defence was looking wobbly and Boyd, Sean Longstaff and Sammon all had shots hacked away from inside the Dundee box in the space of a couple of minutes.
Longstaff then fired wide from outside the area on 58 minutes as Killie continued to dominate the ball.
The home side brought on Marc Klok for his home debut on 66 minutes, the Dutchman replacing Hateley.
The visitors were spending too much time on the attack for the home fans’ liking, with the impressive Jones in particular getting plenty of space up Killie’s right.
Probably with that in mind, Dundee made a positive change on 73 minutes, with defender Gomis making way for striker Craig Wighton.
A ball from Kerr was almost swept home by Haber as the Dens men burst up the park
Klok’s freekick, awarded after Wighton had been fouled by Longstaff, struck the Killie wall on 79 minutes.
Woodman saved his side four minutes later when he got down at his near post to stop a powerful header from Gadzhalov from going in.
In the other goal, Bain did well to hold a freekick from Jones then he was the hero again when he pushed a strike from Rory McKenzie over.
With the final seconds of the 90 minutes ticking by, sub Faissal El Bakhtaoui, who had replaced Ojamaa with five minutes to go, raced forward and sent a shot just past the post.
Into stoppage-time, El Bakhtaoui tried again but Woodman was there to save. Klok then sent a chip over the bar and the scoreline stayed at 1-1.
Attendance: 4,708.
Dundee: Bain, O’Dea, Hateley (Klok 66), O’Hara, McGowan, Haber, Gadzhalov, Kerr, Gomis, Ojamaa (El Bakhtaoui 85). Subs not used: Ferrie, Vincent, Williams, Ross, Wighton.
Kilmarnock: Woodman, Jones (Roberts 88), McKenzie, Dicker, K. Boyd (Tyson 88), Longstaff, Sammon, Ajer, Taylor, Wilson, Hendrie (Addison 32). Subs not used: MacDonald, S. Boyd, Umerah, Smith.
Referee: Alan Muir.
