Dundee manager Neil McCann was left wondering just how his team let victory slip from their grasp at Rugby Park last night.
The Dens men appeared to have the game in the bag standing 2-1 up and with Kilmarnock having had Gary Dicker sent off for a terrible challenge on Roarie Deacon.
However, they blew it and lost 3-2.
It was one of those defeats that was as unexpected as it was shattering.
Eamonn Brophy gave Killie an early lead before Sofien Moussa’s penalty levelled things.
The visitors took the lead on 56 minutes through debut man Steven Caulker’s excellent header before the hosts went down to 10 men, with Dicker getting his marching orders.
It looked like the three points would be going back down the road to Dens but Kris Boyd equalised on 74 minutes and sub Iain Wilson grabbed a scrappy winner with three minutes to go.
McCann said: “What disappointed me most? Losing from a winning position with a man up.
“I can’t fathom what goes through players’ heads about managing games.
“Keeping the ball is OK if it’s done for a reason but we didn’t do anything other than keep it through the middle and let Kilmarnock come on to us.
“The second goal was appalling. We didn’t keep our shape, there were people running out of position and that created the space for Kris Boyd.
“It was a super finish but he shouldn’t have had that space.
“I thought it was a clear foul on Glen Kamara but it wasn’t given. The closest player was Mark O’Hara who couldn’t bring him down as he was on a yellow.
“But he (Boyd) waltzed through the middle and stroked it away so it’s appalling to lose in that manner.
“It wasn’t the ref who cost my team the three points – it was ourselves.
“It was difficult to have a positive.
“Steven Caulker came in and looked good but as a team and staff we haven’t got a lot to be positive about tonight.
“It was a great opportunity, to be there with three points in our hand, and we were within touching distance of the top six again.
“I’m still raw just now. I’ll be thinking about this for a long time.”
Killie gaffer Steve Clarke, though, claimed he was never worried about losing.
He said: “I never thought it was dead and buried.
“It’s always difficult with 10 men but this group are never dead and buried.
“They have great character and good quality and they showed it here.
“They have shown since I have been here they are a good group.
“It was a strange game. We didn’t start very well although we went ahead.
“We shuffled it around second half and conceded to make it 2-1 when we were the better team.
“Then we lost Gary and you saw the rest!
“I’m thrilled. They showed great courage to get back from a difficult situation.”
