Dundee United claimed the city’s bragging rights and climbed to third place in the Premiership following a thrilling victory over Dundee at Dens Park.
Sam Dalby notched his 10th goal of the season with 88 minutes on the clock, putting the finishing touch to a sweeping move involving Will Ferry and Kevin Holt.
It completed a gutsy turnaround, with Vicko Sevelj having earlier cancelled out Simon Murray’s opener from the penalty spot.
Courier Sport was at Dens to analyse the action.
This was no smash and grab – and Goodwin tweak changed everything
Tony Docherty was visibly devastated after watching his side slip to defeat on derby day. Rightly so. The hosts contributed to a thoroughly watchable contest, and with better finishing could have emerged victorious.
They were the better side in the first half.
However, it would be wrong to portray United’s win as smash and grab.
Jim Goodwin’s decision to replace Kristijan Trapanovski with Ross Graham at the break and match up with Dundee completely altered the game and gave the Terrors more of a foothold.
In the first period, the Dee’s narrow attacking three of Murray, Seb Palmer-Houlden and Oluwaseun Adewumi were problematic for United’s back four, with Kevin Holt and Emmanuel Adegboyega forced to defend superbly.
By reverting to a back three, United were able to quell that threat, while freeing Ferry and Ryan Strain to bomb forward without worrying so much about the prospect of an unguarded trio in dark blue.
Yet again, proactive, effective in-game coaching.
By the time the full-time whistle blew the xG was in United’s favour by 2.03 to 1.89 (and Dundee’s penalty accounted for 0.79 of that), and Goodwin’s men had more shots, shots on target, shots in the box and touches in the opposition box.
United weren’t at their best – and neither side could have raged if the spoils had been shared – but the visitors were far from undeserving victors.
Big moment Sam
Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McIlhenny would call him a “clutch player” – a man who steps up in the big moments. Sam Dalby.
Not only has the on-fire frontman scored 10 goals this term, all coming in his last 13 games, but his strikes tend to be of immense importance. He is rarely adding gloss to a comfortable win; he’s the difference maker.
Winners against Dundee and St Johnstone; United’s only goals in 1-1 draws with Rangers, Kilmarnock and Hibernian – the latter a nerve-shredding 90th minute penalty.
His strikes have been directly responsible for United picking up seven points this season – just north of 20% of the club’s overall total.
Wrexham are in the hunt for another striker this January. They are willing to spend seven figures. Everyone at United must hope they are successful and have no cause to recall Dalby to aid their League One promotion push.
He is irreplaceable in a shallow January market.
And it should be noted that he has already played for Wrexham this season, so would be unable to turn out for a third club this term.
As such, suggestions the Welsh side could recall him just to sell him on are nonsensical. No-one is paying money for a player to sit in the stands until August.
A topsy-turvy evening for Kevin Holt
After happily declaring that he would bear the slings and arrows of abuse on his return to Dens, it was written in the stars that Holt would play a defining role in this contest.
That appeared an ominous prospect when he misjudged a delivery into the box and – although entirely unintentional – clearly handled the ball, prompting referee Steven McLean to visit the VAR monitor and award a spot-kick.
Murray slotted home the penalty.
However, Holt is nothing if not resolute.
And the sight of the 31-year-old marauding up the left flank in the dying embers speaks to his assertion that he has NEVER been fitter. Moreover, he rolled back the years to his days as a left-back with a sumptuous cross for Dalby to bag the winner.
No player on the pitch won more aerial duels (eight) or made more clearances (15) than Holt.
He is, quite simply, in the form of his career.
The double Ross return
Ross Docherty made his first start for United since October 4 – and what a time for it.
Having shaken off a persistent calf injury, Docherty made impressive cameos from the bench against Celtic, St Johnstone and Aberdeen, bringing a combative edge and composure to the engine room.
And the Tannadice club captain made his mark on the derby.
United’s best moments in the first period came when Docherty spread the play for the marauding Ferry and Strain.
No United player won possession more often than Docherty (an honour almost universally reserved for Sevelj in recent matches) despite being replaced after 83 minutes.
The performance made more impressive by the fact he was booked in the first half and astutely walked a tightrope therein.
Meanwhile, Ross Graham – forced to be patient since returning from a hamstring injury – played a pivotal role in the Tangerines’ triumph after entering the fray at half-time and allowing the visitors to mirror Dundee’s 3-4-1-2 shape.
And as well as winning everything in the air and defending stoutly, it was his booming long throw that was flicked on by Dee man Seb Palmer-Houlder for Sevelj to sneak in and restore parity.
An astonishing turnaround
“If you had told me 10 weeks ago that we’d be sitting above Aberdeen on goal difference, I wouldn’t have believed you,” noted Goodwin after watching his team usurp the Reds into third place in the Premiership.
It is worth giving some context to those comments, underlining the remarkable rise of the Terrors – and decline of the Dons.
Never mind 10 weeks. Just eight weeks ago, Aberdeen defeated Rangers 2-1 at a raucous Pittodrie to move level on points with Celtic at the summit of the Premiership. At that point, the gap to United was a yawning 13 points.
Since then, Jimmy Thelin’s men have been smashed 6-0 by the Hoops in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final and won just one of their last 10 league fixtures – against Dundee.
Over the exact same number of top-flight games, United have lost one, drawing with Celtic and Rangers and beating the Dee and the Dons along the way. It has been a magnificent run of results.
Goodwin is loathe to discuss the prospect of a third-place finish. Or a European place. Hell, he’s not even ready to talk about a top six berth.
But momentum is only going one way.
Hearts up next.
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