Dundee 1-2 Kilmarnock: Controversial penalty gives Kilmarnock win over Dundee
- Published
Highlights: Dundee 1-2 Kilmarnock
A controversial penalty helped Kilmarnock win at Dundee and make it three Premiership wins in a row.
Jordan Jones went down when there appeared to be no contact, and Eamonn Brophy converted from the spot for what turned out to be the winner.
Greg Stewart then missed a second spot kick, after a tussle between Kilmarnock players to decide the taker.
Adil Nabi had Dundee in front early on, but the visitors levelled when Jones' shot was deflected in off Andy Boyle.
Kilmarnock are up to third, but Dundee remain rooted to the foot of the table, with Neil McCann's side having won just one of their opening eight league matches.
Dundee 'punched' once again
After getting their first league win of the season last week, McCann said Dundee had been "punched" so many times previously, having lost their opening six games.
And at Dens they were flattened by two more unfortunate blows - a deflected strike and a dubious penalty.
They did initially come out swinging when Calvin Miller put a cross in that was flapped at by Scott Boyd, and Adil Nabi profited to stroke home his first Dundee goal.
But the Kilmarnock attacking quartet of Stewart, Brophy, Chris Burke and Jones were always a threat with their pace and trickery.
Jones flashed a volley just over before appearing in the box again minutes later for the equaliser, his shot taking a cruel deflection off Boyle to loop over Elliot Parish in the Dundee goal - a sucker punch.
Kilmarnock continued to attack with real intent and came close twice, Stewart flashing a shot wide and Boyd volleying inches over.
Then came the crucial blow in the second half. Jones went down in the box when there appeared to be no contact from Cammy Kerr and referee Steven McLean pointed to the spot. Brophy ruthlessly dispatched the ball into the net.
There was far less doubt about the second Kilmarnock penalty, though, when Miller clattered into the back of Chris Burke.
But there was a bizarre bout of handbags between Kilmarnock team-mates Stewart, Jones and Aaron Tshibola over who would take the penalty. Stewart won the battle but lost the war, as Parish did well to turn his strike round a post.
Dundee will feel luck totally deserted them, but in truth Kilmarnock fashioned the better opportunities and might have increased their lead late on.
Was Jordan Jones fouled for the penalty? Dundee didn't think so...
'Clarke juggernaut is back'- analysis
BBC Scotland's Jonathan Sutherland at Dens Park
No doubt about the big talking point in this match - the first penalty award to Kilmarnock. How much contact was there? From the stand, it was difficult to judge, but the Dundee defenders felt there was very little.
Given the controversial nature of the winner, any talk of pressure on McCann will likely be a secondary affair for the time being, and a breather now arrives in the shape of the international break.
Kilmarnock will gladly take the three points and a third consecutive win and now sit three points behind league leaders Hearts - for 24 hours at least. The Steve Clarke juggernaut is well and truly back.