St Johnstone 2-2 Dundee: Substitute Kucheriavyi rescues a point for hosts
- Published
St Johnstone substitute Max Kucheriavyi nets his first strike to give stuttering St Johnstone hope
An incredible late double from St Johnstone substitute Max Kucheriavyi - the second of which came in the 96th minute - sealed a sensational Scottish Premiership point against Dundee.
The terrific travelling support watched on with glee as Amadou Bakayoko and Ricki Lamie both opened their accounts either side of half-time to send the visitors en route for back-to-back victories.
But Kucheriavyi's back-post header gave the hosts hope, before his sliding finish at the death gave Steven MacLean's side an unlikely draw.
The comeback wasn't enough to lift Saints from 11th, though, while Dundee are in seventh after blowing the chance to go third.
A meandering start at McDiarmid Park saw both sides battle away in a clunky and cagey clash with Dundee only sparking into life after a neat set-piece routine saw Bakayoko open at the back-post.
Their next wouldn't be quite as cute, as Lamie simply ghosted in from a corner to punish the stoic Saints defence with a debut goal.
Tony Docherty's side may well have killed the game if not for goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov, who raced off his line to smother Scott Tiffoney's effort following a mix-up at the back.
Having gone over 350 minutes without a league goal this campaign, the hosts created a lifeline when Kucheriavyi steered home Carey's cross with less than 10 minutes to go.
And just as it looked as though the clock had run out, the Ukranian popped up in the same position to poke St Johnstone into a state of parity and rock a Dundee side who had been cruising towards successive wins.
Player of the Match - Max Kucheriavyi (St Johnstone)
Who else? The young Ukranian completely turned the game on its head with his introduction at a time it looked as though Saints would never score.
Stunning Saints shock dogged Dundee - analysis
Nine times out of 10, we'd be sitting here praising a commendable away victory from a side propelled by a team that worked tirelessly for each other and punished their opposition.
For 80 minutes, Dundee were by far the better side. The attacking duo of Tiffoney and Bakayoko used their respected speed and size to ram right through the St Johnstone.
It seemed as though the hosts could stay out there until the lights came on without threatening Trevor Carson's goal, let alone find the back of the net.
The introduction of the inauspicious Kucheriavyi didn't look like a game changer of paper, but MacLean will beam proudly in the knowledge the 21-year-old sparked the club's best attacking return of the season in just a 14-minute period.
After holding the champions to a goalless draw last week at Parkhead, we knew the Perth side had character. A comeback of this size still seemed out of touch, but now, they must grip games for themselves if they're to climb the table.
What they said
St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean: "First and foremost, I've got to credit my players for fighting all the way to the end. It was a terrific point in the end. We never got to anywhere near the levels we know we can get to, so to get a point out the game, we're delighted.
"The subs came on and affected the game. Young Max got two goals who I'm delighted for. He's a great lad. "It's something to build on. We wanted to win the game. We don't want to draw games especially with Dundee will be in and around us.
Dundee manager Tony Docherty: "Absolutely frustrating. I can't believe I'm having this interview and we've drawn the game. We should have have been three or four goals up. "I'm gutted about it because I think we merited a win and have us further up the league.
"We'll do what we always do and we'll go into the training ground and make things right. We'll analyse it. I've got a really honest group of players.
What's next?
It's tough tests for both sides after the international break, with Dundee hosting Celtic on Saturday 16 September (15:00 BST), while St Johnstone will welcome Rangers to McDiarmid Park on the same day. (12:30).