Dundee slumped to their second successive defeat with a bad day for Paul Hartley’s side being made worse when play-maker Gary Harkins was sent off in injury time.
The Dark Blues had given themselves a mountain to climb after conceding two early goals and although they pulled one back with a stunning Greg Stewart strike, it was Accies who took all three points.
The Hamilton opener came in just the third minute when Mikey Devlin headed a ball from Grant Gillespie back across goal with Tony Andreu running in at Scott Bain’s near post to bullet a header into the back of the net.
Accies then doubled their advantage in the 14th minute when Stephen Hendrie fired a cross from the left towards Mickael Antoine-Curier lurking 12 yards out and he hit a spectacular angled volley that Bain got a hand to but could not prevent crossing the line.
Not surprisingly after those two early hammer blows, the Dark Blues struggled to make much of an impression with the home side in control.
They came close to making it three in the 39th minute when Andreu crashed a shot from the edge of the Dundee penalty area but it flew just over Bain’s crossbar.
The Dark Blues finally had an effort on target just before the interval when Jim McAlister twisted and turned before hitting a shot from 20 yards out which Accies keeper Michael McGovern dived to save.
However, the players headed down the tunnel at the break with Hamilton still holding their commanding lead.
Dundee made a change at the start of the second half when Stewart, who manager Paul Hartley Hartley had ruled out through injury on Thursday, made a surprise appearance from the bench to replace Martin Boyle.
However, it was the home side who continued to look more likely to score with Antoine-Curier and Andreu both going close.
Hartley then threw on two more strikers just before the hour mark in the shape of Luka Tankulic and Craig Wighton for Phil Roberts and Gary Harkins.
It was Stewart though who gave the Dark Blues a lifeline in the 61st minute when he turned a Hamilton player, advanced on goal and then unleashed an unstoppable swerving shot from 22 yards into the back of McGovern’s net.
The keeper then had to produce a stunning save from another Stewart shot in the 73rd minute.
Dundee went close to equalising again when Wighton sent a curling shot just wide of McGovern’s left post.
Then deep in injury time, there was a flashpoint when Accies sub Jason Scotland made a late challenge on Thomas Konrad in front of the Dundee dug-out.
Harkins squared off with Scotland, sparking a pushing match involving both sets of players.
Once the dust had settled, referee Alan Muir showed a yellow card to Scotland and then, Harkins who had been booked in the first half was shown another yellow followed by a red to cap a miserable day for the Dark Blues.