Dundee 3-3 Ross County

Michael Gardyne celebrates heading Ross County two goals clear

Six goals and a sending off in a thriller at Dens Park that will leave the respective managers with feelings of frustration at the eventual outcome.

Ross County led 3-1 at the interval, but lost captain Andrew Davies to a second yellow card for felling James McPake in the box.

Rory Loy slotted the resultant penalty and levelled with aplomb on 68 minutes.

The hosts desperately toiled to press home their advantage, but County clung on 'til the death to share the spoils.

Dundee manager Paul Hartley was looking for a positive response from his players after last weekend's six-goal defeat at Celtic Park and he certainly got it early on.

Loy, starting his first game since getting injured in mid-August added to the goal threat up front alongside Kane Hemmings, with Greg Stewart and Riccardo Calder lively on either flank.

That left County absorbing a lot of early pressure but they showed their quality with a breakout goal on 19 minutes set up by a delightful pass from Jackson Irvine.

The in-form Liam Boyce did the rest as the man who hit a nine-minute hat-trick against Falkirk in midweek beat his marker before drilling in his 10th goal of the season.

The visitors enjoyed that advantage for scarcely two minutes as Dundee responded with a great goal of their own, Stewart stepping away from his marker at the edge of the penalty area and arrowing his strike into the bottom left-hand corner of Scott Fox's net.

Liam Boyce celebrates opening the scoring at Dens Park

It was a feisty encounter with Staggies stopper Andrew Davies booked for a crunching tackle on Stewart just outside the box while Dundee's Kevin Thomson was more reckless.

The midfielder picked up a yellow card for a late tackle on Irvine and was lucky to escape a second within a minute for a foul on Michael Gardyne.

That was indication of the way Jim McIntyre's side had taken hold of the game, showing exactly why things are going so well for the Dingwall club this season.

Mind you they had a helping hand from some poor Dundee defending on their way to a two-goal interval lead as James McPake headed an innocuous-looking Marcus Fraser cross past his own keeper on 37 minutes.

Five minutes later the impressive Irvine found space for a cross on the left and Gardyne, one of the smaller players on the park, rose unopposed to guide a header into the far corner of the net.

Within eight minutes of the restart, though, Davies paid the price for his first half booking as a push on McPake saw him dismissed.

Loy stepped up to send Fox the wrong way from the spot, and on Dundee swept to try and exploit the 10 men.

Rory Loy converts a penalty for Dundee to peg back Ross County

Staggies striker Brian Graham was sacrificed with experienced stopper Scott Boyd brought on to try and stem the flow of Dundee's attacks.

It proved a tough ask though as the hosts surged forward at every opportunity and Calder should have burst the net instead of blasting over from six yards on 61 minutes.

The teenager must have been relieved to see Loy finally haul Dundee level seven minutes later when the former Falkirk man lashed in a Paul McGinn through ball.

It took a marvellous Fox save to deny Stewart a winner but the goalkeeper needed a goal line clearance from Chris Robertson to bail him out as Gary Harkins nearly claimed a last-gasp winner.