Meshack Ubochioma picked the perfect time to open his account for Dundee United as his 99th-minute strike secured an astonishing 3-2 triumph over Hibs.
As the clocked ticked towards full-time, the capital club were heading for a much-needed win, with goals from Warren O’Hora and Dwight Gayle cancelling out Sam Dalby’s maiden strike for United.
However, Joe Newell’s red card with five minutes of regulation time remaining turned the game on its head, and the Tangerines’ late onslaught paid dividends as Luca Stephenson levelled before Meshack’s magic moment.
Fans spilled on to the pitch – prompting a statement from the club – as United rose to fourth spot in the Premiership standings on an unforgettable afternoon in Tayside.
Rusty, errant…magnificent: Meshack Ubochioma
From the ridiculous to the sublime.
Meshack’s cameo against Hibs was remarkable.
Pitched into the action with 87 minutes on the clock, with United boosted by the dismissal of Newell and seeking to fight back from a 2-1 deficit, the Nigerian winger touched the ball just eight times.
The first of those was an attempted back-heel, causing himself to trip up and surrender possession. In his haste to retrieve the ball, he gave away a foul and was booked.
Meshack also struggled to keep his footing on several occasions, with Goodwin later quipping: “I thought he was Hibs’ best player for about ten minutes.”
However, one moment is all it took for his prior errors to be forgotten and forgiven, with Meshack showing poise and technique to loft a shot over the head of Josef Bursik after the keeper flapped at a high ball.
In the circumstances, an ice-cool finish.
Glenn Middleton grasps his opportunity
Patience has been a virtue for Glenn Middleton.
Between August 4 and September 20 – a period spanning six games – he played just four minutes of senior football.
However, Middleton has admirably grasped his opportunity during recent outings as a substitute against Motherwell, Kilmarnock and St Mirren, while he was professional and threatening in a ‘B’ team derby against Dundee.
Saturday’s start was richly deserved.
And he made the most of it.
Middleton tortured Lewis Miller in the first period, gliding past the Australia international with ease on a couple of occasions, with one of those surges leading to him teeing up Dalby for the opener.
Miller was hooked at the break.
Another wonderful cross allowed Dalby to power a header past Bursik in the opening stages of the second period but the effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR check.
Middleton was direct, dangerous and grafted defensively.
A fine showing.
David Babunski fills Sibbald/Docherty void
How to replace the combative energy of Craig Sibbald will be an intriguing question as the United man recovers from groin surgery. An absence of around 10 weeks looms.
How to replace AND Ross Docherty?
That was the query posed on Saturday.
And while Vicko Sevelj was good in the engine room against Hibs – making tackles and circulating possession with minimal fuss – captain-for-the-day Babunski produced a masterclass.
His performance was visibly excellent; dashes forward, breaking the line with passes, snapping into challenges. However, when you analyse the numbers, it becomes apparent just HOW important he was to United’s triumph.
The Macedonian maestro created more chances (3), made more passes in the final third (20), made more final third entries (14), won possession more often (12) and made more tackles (6) than ANY other player on the pitch.
Among his United teammates, no-one had more touches of the ball (67) or made more passes (43).
Given his desire to play forward, Babunski’s passing accuracy of 83.7% was outstanding. Miller Thomson (84.6%) is the only United player to better that – but he attempted 30 fewer passes.
When absences – including the captain – meant Babunski was most needed, he stepped up.
A sign of the times
“We have a sign up on the back of the door about never throwing in the towel,” said Goodwin following another remarkable injury-time feat from his players.
The concept might sound a tad Ted Lasso, but the United players are heeding those words.
The Tangerines have now scored a 99th-minute goal in two of their last three Premiership games, with Meshack grabbing the win on Saturday and Ross Graham rescuing a point at Rugby Park after they had been 3-1 down.
Goodwin’s charges have only lost one league match this term, against Rangers, and casting aside the Premier Sport Cup group phase, only ONE fixture involving the Terrors has been decided by more than one goal, the 2-0 victory over St Johnstone.
United games tend to be tight (albeit not necessarily low scoring), hard-fought and dramatic, and it is testament to the squad Goodwin has built – and the mentality within it – that they very rarely emerge on the losing side of them.
Cross ball frustration
While fans can luxuriate in the afterglow of a thrilling victory, one can guarantee Goodwin will see room for improvement – especially in the nature of the goals conceded.
After keeping a gutsy, stoic clean sheet against St Mirren a fortnight prior – dealing brilliantly with the bombardment of crosses – United will be irked to concede from a couple of wide deliveries.
Hibs’ equaliser was a relatively simple Newell free-kick routine, with Miller winning first contact unchallenged and O’Hora left free as a bird to head home.
Gayle’s maiden strike for the capital club saw Jordan Obita’s produce a sumptuous delivery, but Kevin Holt was caught under the ball, allowing the ex-Crystal Palace and Newcastle man to finish clinically.
Avoidable moments that, thankfully for United, proved moot.
But you can bet Goodwin will be working to ensure there is no repeat against high-flying Aberdeen next weekend.
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