A second-half blitz from Aberdeen put Dundee to the sword on Saturday evening and left boss Tony Docherty to lament another disastrous defensive display from his side.
After an impressive and controlled performance before the break, suddenly the Dark Blues were two goals behind and chasing the game within 11 minutes of the restart.
Against hosts determined to put their Hampden horror show against Celtic firmly behind them, that was the worst possible scenario.
The eventual 4-1 scoreline may have been harsh but the clinical Dons fully deserved their victory to maintain their title tilt.
Courier Sport has taken a look at where it all went wrong for Dundee.
Set-piece frailties
Dundee more than held their own in the opening 45 minutes and should have gone in for the interval a goal to the good.
Simon Murray’s tenacity won his side a penalty when he harried a dithering Gavin Molloy before being hauled down on the bye-line.
But his miss from the spot was brutally punished by Aberdeen in the second-half.
Dundee had been inventive with their own attacking set-pieces without any of them paying off.
However, defensively, they quickly squandered all the good work from a steady first-half.
Ante Palaversa’s opener was scrappy but when the Dark Blues failed to clear Leighton Clarkson’s corner they had to be closer to the Croat midfielder.
Topi Keskinen’s second was sparked by a simple Nicky Devlin throw-in and the Finland internationalist was rewarded for proving more determined than Clark Robertson.
And, after Murray had given the Dens Park men hope with a superb header, Aberdeen’s third was far too easy from another set-play.
Having proved culpable from a corner, with Duk hitting the post from another, and then a throw-in, the Dee made it an unwanted hat-trick by sleeping to allow Vicente Besuijen to score from Kevin Nisbet’s simple free-kick over the top of the leaden-footed rearguard.
Boss Tony Docherty branded the ‘self-inflicted’ faults ‘unacceptable’ and answers are desperately required – and quickly.
Indefensible
At time of writing, ahead of Sunday’s Premiership clashes, only St Johnstone have a worse defensive record than Dundee so far this season.
Struggling teams below them, such as Hearts, Hibernian and Ross County have leaked fewer goals.
Their 24 goals from 12 league outings is exactly two goals conceded per game – and a neat 12 at home and 12 away.
For a team with designs on repeating last season’s top-six finish, that is simply and obviously not good enough.
Docherty switched to a back four against Aberdeen, which many will have seen as a sensible move to try to deny the Dons space where they are dangerous on the flanks.
And it was a tactic that worked, for the most part, from open play – but was undone by the aforementioned set-piece weaknesses.
The return to fitness of Jordan McGhee, who lasted 63 minutes on his first start since September 21, should help the Dark Blues’ back line.
But Joe Shaughnessy is still not expected back in action until the new year and the glaring problems need sorted now.
It is not as if Dundee, who have enjoyed just one clean sheet in the league, do not have defensive numbers in their squad.
Billy Koumetio and Ethan Ingram were second-half replacements against the Dons and Antonio Portales was an unused substitute.
But it is mid-November and Docherty appears to be still searching for the right blend of personnel to keep the back door shut.
Reset and rethink
Dundee have now lost seven of their last nine matches since the international break in early September.
Had it not been for a remarkable and stirring late victory from a two-goal deficit against Kilmarnock last weekend that record would have been even worse.
Docherty will now be desperately hoping the latest domestic lay-off can spark a reversal of fortunes.
They return to action against a calamitous Hibs side in just under a fortnight and must put that time to good use on the training pitch.
There was plenty to admire in the first-half at Pittodrie, and in the way the Dark Blues briefly rallied from two goals down with Murray’s 70th-minute header.
Josh Mulligan added dig and energy from the middle of the park in just his third league start of the campaign and Lyall Cameron was a dependable influence.
Scott Tiffoney also added some oomph off the bench and was name-checked by Docherty post match, and Murray impressively shook off his penalty miss to give that fleeting hope.
But there is also plenty awry at the minute that will benefit from a breather to allow some extended analysis and introspection over the coming days.
After Hibs, the Dens Park men then face Kilmarnock for the third time in eight games, followed by Motherwell and Hearts.
It may still be early days, but it appears on paper to be a crucial spell in search of proof of their top-six credentials.
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