Dundee twice came from behind at Dens to secure a deserved draw against Motherwell which takes them back into the top six.
The Dark Blues were stunned in just the fourth minute when the visitors stormed into a shock lead. The Steelmen’s Marvin Johnson broke down the left before producing an inch-perfect cutback to the unmarked Chris Cadden who controlled the ball on his chest before shooting past home keeper Scott Bain from 16 yards.
The Dark Blues hit back just two minutes later when Greg Stewart played a ball into Paul McGowan in the Motherwell box and the midfielder turned before firing a shot past Connor Ripley for his first goal of the season.
Dundee then came close to taking the lead but Rory Loy’s shot from a Stewart cutback crashed off the underside of Ripley’s bar.
The home side were left to rue that missed opportunity in the 23rd minute when Motherwell scored again. Stephen Pearson embarked on a great solo run, playing a one-two with Louis Moult, before strolling into the Dundee box and picking his spot to send the ball past the exposed Bain.
Dundee started the better of the sides in the second half and came close to equalising in the 56th minute when a Gary Harkins angled chip flew just over.
After that though, the home side struggled to fashion clear-cut chances with the Steelmen seemingly content to sit in and hold on to their lead.
As the clock ticked down, it seemed certain that their tactics would succeed but Dundee were handed a lifeline in the 88th minute when Cadden was adjudged to have fouled Kevin Holt in the Motherwell box and referee John Beaton pointed to the spot.
It looked a harsh decision but in-form home striker Kane Hemmings stepped up to clinically drill the penalty past Ripley to ensure the Dark Blues enjoyed a share of the spoils.
For full report, reaction and analysis, see Monday’s Courier.