To the Dens Park Massacre of 1965 we can now add the Tannadice Trouncing of 2015.
Dundee derby history was made as United scored six goals in a game against their city rivals for the very first time.
This was a Ne’erday annihilation that was also the Tangerines’ biggest-ever home win over the Dark Blues.
Indeed, had it not been for Luka Tankulic’s late strike for the visitors which seemed meaningless at the time but took on greater significance as the record books were scanned then this victory would have bettered the 5-0 result achieved by Finn Dossing and his team-mates down the road on that September 11 day, just short of five decades ago.
United were surgically clinical in attack as they pummelled the visitors’ defence, which couldn’t cope with the pace and ingenuity of the likes of man-of-the-match Gary Mackay-Steven, Chris Erskine, Nadir Cifti and Stuart Armstrong.
While the Dundee fans suffered in the stands, even they didn’t have quite as bad a day as rookie goalkeeper Arvid Schenk.
The 25-year-old German arrived at the ground thinking he would be sitting on the bench as cover for first-choice goalie Kyle Letheren.
Unfortunately, Letheren pulled a thigh muscle in the warm-up and Dundee manager Paul Hartley was forced into handing Schenk his debut.
It turned out to be a demolition derby for the keeper in particular and his team in general.
Schenk’s first touch of the ball was when he picked it out of his net after just 31 seconds when the home team took a fortuitous lead.
A sweeping move started by Mackay-Steven saw the Scotland man feed Ciftci, who played the ball on to Calum Townsend.
His cross was met by Erskine and his shot deflected off the body of Armstrong and trundled into the net, with the latter player being attributed with the goal.
The Dens men actually had the better of the play for the chunk of the game that followed that opener.
Greg Stewart came close with a shot and a header from close range, an Iain Davidson strike flew wide then a Gary Harkins drive was well held by home goalie Rado Cierzniak.
And on 24 minutes they levelled with a brilliant free-kick from Stewart after United’s Calum Butcher had fouled Harkins just outside the box.
Stewart stepped up and curled a cracker beyond the big Pole’s reach a goal that was well deserved at that stage.
However, the Dark Blues couldn’t contain United’s ruthless attacking machine for any more than three minutes.
A lovely measured pass out to the right from Sean Dillon made it all the way to Mackay-Steven, whose cross-cum-shot sailed past Schenk and into the far corner of the net.
This time the Tangerines were determined to hammer home their advantage and they made it 3-1 on 31 minutes.
Townsend had time to think before whipping in a cross from the left, all before any Dundee defender reacted.
The ball was allowed to travel all the way across to Erskine, who cut back inside before firing home a left-foot shot that hit defender James McPake on the way.
It was another fine goal for the Tangerines but also a dreadful sequence of defending from the visitors.
It was all United now and they really rubbed it in when they made it 4-1 three minutes from half-time.
The goal was created by a superb through ball from Armstrong that sent Mackay-Steven off and running.
The winger may have been facing a gigantic German in goal but he still picked his spot to continue the torture for the Dark Blues.
Dundee were stunned but at least they gave it a go after the interval and McPake’s long-range drive stung the hands of Cierzniak before the ball just failed to reach both Stewart and David Clarkson on its way back out.
Thomas Konrad’s header hit the bar as the visitors continued to search for a way back into the derby but they fell further behind on 64 minutes when Mackay-Steven’s corner from the right was headed home by Jarek Fojut, with McPake guilty of standing off the Polish defender.
There was more Mackay-Steven magic to come as he raced clear on 83 minutes and his pass was deflected into the path of substitute Charlie Telfer, who stroked the ball inside the post from 22 yards to make it a round half-dozen for United.
It was then that thoughts wandered back to ‘65, Was that famous old scoreline, immortalised in song by United fans, about to be beaten?
The answer was no as Dundee at least had the satisfaction of spoiling that particular party, with sub Tankulic clipping the ball over Cierzniak for a neat finish in the final minute.
What United need to do now after such an emphatic victory is find consistency. It is one good, one bad from them at the moment.
Fantastic results at home to first Celtic and now Dundee will have convinced many that they can go on and at least give the Hoops something to think about in the second section of the season.
On their day the Tangerines can make the opposition cower as they launch wave after wave of attacks. Perform like this regularly and they can win a trophy, albeit the Premiership may be beyond them and one of the cups a more realistic goal.
However, they are also guilty of falling short at times, putting in mediocre performances like they have done recently against Aberdeen and St Johnstone.
Find consistency and 2015 can be a very special year for them.
As for Dundee, they are now facing a massive home match against Ross County at Dens on Sunday, when they need to stop the rot. They have not won a league game since the 3-1 success down at Kilmarnock on November 1, a run that has seen them slide down to eighth place six points behind Killie, the team above them in the table.
They now face a goalkeeping crisis, with both Letheren and Scott Bain injured, but it is the defence that will be causing most concern.
Not many teams can live with the Tangerines when they are in full flow but it was just too easy for them at times.
A defeat of this magnitude will have been painful for the Dundee fans to watch and that is now 31 league goals that the Dark Blues have shipped this season.
Money will be spent this month and it can only be hoped that some of it helps shore up the defence.