Dundee 2-2 Kilmarnock: 10-man Dundee snatch draw at death
- Published
Josh Mulligan's red was upheld by David Munro after a VAR check
Zak Rudden's 92nd-minute strike rescued a point for 10-man Dundee as they showed "resilience in abundance" to claw back Kilmarnock in a Scottish Premiership thriller at Dens Park.
Danny Armstrong's late strike - his second goal of the day - looked to have given Kilmarnock all three points when he tapped home Andrew Dallas' cross at the back post.
But Dundee, who opened the scoring through Amadou Bakayoko's early strike before Josh Mulligan received a straight red card, fought back when Rudden smashed home in a goalmouth stramash.
It meant former colleagues Tony Docherty and Derek McInnes - a managerial duo for over 15 years - could not be separated in their first meeting.
"I'm happy with my team's resilience. They showed that in abundance today. It speaks volumes of the group," said Docherty.
"The players have absolute belief in each other and we'll go until the final kick. Our home form will define our season and today we made sure we kept ourselves unbeaten at home."
Kilmarnock and Dundee remain where they were in the table at the start of the day - eighth and ninth respectively.
Docherty made his name as McInnes' right-hand man as they coached together at St Johnstone, Bristol City and Aberdeen, so it was always going to be intriguing to see who would come out on top in this one.
Dundee got off to a better start - Bakayoko knocking in at the back post after a Joe Shaughnessy flick-on - but it started to go wrong soon after. Bakayoko was adjudged to have handled in his own penalty box, after a VAR check, and Armstrong tucked away the penalty with his usual aplomb.
It went from bad to worse. Mulligan saw red as he swiped at the legs of Armstrong right in front of referee David Munro, who went straight to his top pocket. The referee was called across to the screen but this time stuck with his initial decision.
Kilmarnock's Robbie Deas then lunged in, two-footing Jordan McGhee on the halfway line. This time it was only a yellow.
When the goal eventually came, it was justly deserved. Dundee had done well to hang on for as long as they did, but when Armstrong rolled in for his second it was no surprise.
And given the drama that engulfed this game, maybe it was no surprise when Rudden scored either - the striker showing the instincts that made him a Partick Thistle favourite.
To make matters worse, McInnes then received a red card as he strayed from his technical area.
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McInnes made no bones about Kilmarnock's terrible away record last season. They won just three times on the road all season, drawing twice.
Here they played against 10 men for 63 minutes but still couldn't get away from their hosts, taking 47 minutes to find a route to goal and then sitting back and allowing Dundee to attack them.
That wasn't to say they didn't have chances. Matty Kennedy's header hit the post, Kyle Vassell sliced wide from five yards out. But they couldn't capitalise.
When McInnes was sent off in the dying embers, it epitomised his side's lack of concentration and discipline when they needed it most.
Credit must go to Dundee, who refused to say die. That's not the first time this season, and they'll need to keep doing it if they're to pick up unexpected points.
However, the concern will be they didn't get much change out of Luke McCowan, Scott Tiffoney or Lyall Cameron. If none of that trio are on song, they might struggle for goals.
What they said
Dundee manager Tony Docherty: "I was disappointed at the red card. We were controlling the game, in the ascendancy, scored a good goal and played well. For me, it's a yellow. Derek [McInnes] agreed."
Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes: "Really disappointed to lose a goal from a set-play. They have a fair size about them and we knew we'd have to stand up to them.
"I thought we were really good in the first half. We arrived time and again in their box and we're a bit guilty of not putting the ball away. I thought my front two and two wide players were a handful."
What's next?
Kilmarnock face Hearts in the League Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday (19:45 BST) before getting back to league business with a visit from St Mirren on Saturday (15:00). There's no League Cup duty for Dundee, they play Hibs at Easter Road next Saturday (15:00).