St Johnstone came back from the dead to grab a dramatic draw with Dundee in the SIXTH minute of injury-time at McDiarmid Park.
Max Kucheriavyi was the Saints super sub, wiping out a two-goal lead that should have had the visitors cruising to all three points.
Tony Docherty’s side had been in total control for big parts of the match but were punished for not putting it to bed.
When the scoreline is 2-1 going into stoppage time, there’s always a chance of a twist.
And Kucheriavyi stabbed home from close-range after Luke Robinson had kept the ball alive.
Amadou Bakayoko and Ricki Lamie both scored their first goals for Dundee, with Kucheriavyi grabbing what looked like being a consolation until he made it a double.
Saints were the first of the sides to have a near thing in the contest and it only took two minutes.
Stevie May got his head to a Graham Carey in-swinging corner at the near post.
His flick-on didn’t trouble the Dundee goal but when the ball was only half-cleared, Sam McClelland rose highest to head over the bar from just inside the six-yard box.
It was a promising start Saints failed to build on.
Dundee didn’t take long to get a foothold in the game and Scott Tiffoney twice got a shot away in the box – first after being set-up by Owen Beck and then after Dimitar Mitov failed to keep hold of a Jordan McGhee cross.
The Dark Blues deserved their opening goal when it came on 35 minutes.
Luke Robinson gave away a free-kick in the middle of the Saints half after taking the wrong decision in trying to control a long ball.
And from the set-piece, Bakayoko directed an angled header from around 12 years out all the way into the corner of Mitov’s net.
Same story after the break
The flow of the match didn’t change much after the re-start, prompting Steven MacLean to make a triple change less than 10 minutes into the second half.
Among the replacements was Chris Kane, making his first appearance of the season.
Saints were soon two down.
On 58 minutes a Beck corner was met by Lamie.
The debutant won’t have scored a more straightforward goal in his career, with the home defenders allowing him a free header from five yards out.
Dundee were bossing the match and it should have been 3-0 just after the hour mark.
Mitov played a pass to McClelland. The Northern Ireland international wasn’t expecting it and Tiffoney was gift-wrapped a golden chance that he should have put away.
Kane had a 77th minute shot that struck the crossbar and then five minutes later Kucheriavyi pulled a goal back when he scored with a back post header from a Carey cross.
Dundee should have been out of sight and were served up their punishment by Kucheriavyi with virtually the last kick of the ball.
St Johnstone – Mitov 6, Brown 5, Considine 6, May 5 (Kane 54, 7), Carey 5, McClelland 5, Robinson 5, Smith 5 (MacPherson 54, 6), Turner-Cooke 5 (Jephcott 69, 4), Phillips 6, Costelloe 5 (Kucheriavyi 54, 8). Subs not used – Richards, Gallacher, Gordon, Olufunwa, Ballantyne.
Saints star man – Max Kucheriavyi
Who else? The Ukrainian couldn’t have made a more telling impact off the bench.
Dundee – Carson 6, McGhee 6, Shaughnessy 7, Lamie 8, Beck 8, Boateng 7 (Sylla 78), McCowan 7, Robertson 7 (Howley 69, 6), Tiffoney 7 (Reilly 84), Robinson 6, Bakayoko 8 (Rudden 84).
Subs not used – Legzdins, Kerr, Cameron, Ashcroft, Mulligan.
Dundee Star man – Owen Beck
The on-loan Liverpool left-back was as good going forward as he was in defence. No wonder he’s already a huge fans’ favourite.
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