RETURNING to Tannadice after a five-week absence, Dundee United faced a struggling Hibs side with Jim Goodwin’s side missing key players in captain Ross Docherty, Ross Graham, Craig Sibbald and Louis Moult.
Up top Sam Dalby, who came into the team, opened his account after winger Glenn Middleton simply destroyed Hibs full-back Lewis Miller for pace and get in the cross for the assist.
Hibs though deservedly came back into it and levelled before half-time with the Edinburgh side taking the lead through Dwight Gayle on 72 minutes to make it 2-1 and set up a finale that very few in the stadium saw coming.
Undoubtedly a turning point was the poorly timed tackle from Hibs captain Joe Newell on 85 minutes, which saw his side reduced to 10 men and United took full advantage of almost immediately.
A good run from substitute Kristijan Trapanowski enabled Luca Stephenson to ram the ball home in 93 minutes when he was first to react from a parry and a hesitant Hibs defence.
Moments later, a lofted ball into the box saw United substitute Jort Van Der Sande cause mayhem and with the Hibs defence in full panic mode another substitute, Meshack Ubochioma, was there to loft the ball into the net in the 99th minute to secure an incredible comeback for the Tangerines.
United would then move on to Aberdeen where Jim Goodwin’s side knew this would be no easy task given the Dons’ remarkable unbeaten league form this season. A goal from Aberdeen substitute Peter Ambrose in the 84th minute provided to be the decider while also bringing an end to United’s unbeaten away run.
The Tangerines could have few complaints of the outcome as Aberdeen had dominated play from the start and but for United keeper Jack Walton could have cruised home much more easily, but from a Tangerine perspective the goal was a soft one to concede so close to the end of the game.
United again came unstuck in their fixture with Motherwell at Tannadice where the visitors went ahead with an almost slow motion shot eluding everyone in sight and creeping in at the near post in the 23rd minute.
United, however, came back into it when Trapanowski crossed from the by-line for Dalby to knock home a glancing header to make it 1-1.
Despite having the lion’s share of possession and more shots on goal, a mistake in the United defence proved costly and gifted all three points to the Steelmen.
United huffed and puffed into the final minutes to no avail and were left with nothing to show for their efforts in a game they really shouldn’t have lost.
Hibs were up again quickly at Easter Road this time and were obviously looking for revenge, going ahead through a header from Miller as they continued to dominate the first 45 minutes. United again were dealt a lifeline when a lengthy VAR check showed a foul on Emmanuel Adeboyega, which resulted in Dalby scoring from the spot deep into added time to make the full-time score 1-1.
The final game before yet another international break saw United see off Ross County with an empathic 3-0 victory after a superb second-half performance.
Stephenson got the ball rolling, starting and finishing a move from the half-way line with a diving header.
Next up was Player of the Month Dalby, who took advantage of some poor defending to net his fourth goal in five games.
Statistics show United sit at the top of the ladder for late goals this season scoring more in the last 15 minutes than any other side and this proved to be no different. Step up 17-year-old substitute Owen Stirton with a memorable moment netting a header from close range in 93 minutes on his competitive debut to put the lid on the proceedings.
Finally let’s give credit to manager Jim Goodwin (above) who has been rewarded with a two-year extension to his contract with Dundee United. These late shows ending in positive results will be a rare sight for many Arabs, having had to endure the heartbreak of conceding important late goals as standard over the years. Goodwin’s style is not everyone’s cup of tea and has been criticised as dull and defensive at times, but he has shown himself to be a pragmatist who has also instilled a fighting spirit in his players. One thing is for sure with his United side is leave early at your peril as beating the traffic is not all it’s cracked up to be.
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