Dundee 1
Dundee United 0
Scottish Cup (Fourth Round)

Match Report

Dundee won the Scottish Cup 4th round derby at the Scot Foam Stadium tonight knocking out Dundee United with a 1-0 victory. Simon Murray scored the only goal in the first minute. The Dark Blues had the better of the first half but had to withstand fierce pressure after half time. The heroes in Dark Blues stood tall, denied United and kept a clean sheet. At the final whistle the players were exhausted after giving everything to win, but they milked the richly deserved from the ecstatic support. It really doesn’t get much better than winning a cup tie derby under floodlights, and how the Dee faithful loved it!

Dundee made only one change from the team that drew with Celtic. Lyall Cameron returned from illness to take the place of Josh Mulligan, who hadn’t recovered from flu.

The Dark Blues kicked off, attacking the Bob Shankly Stand, and couldn’t have made a better start. Lyall Cameron won a corner after 20 seconds. Fin Robertson’s inswinging delivery was met with a glancing header at the near post by Simon MURRAY and the ball was in the back of United’s net after only 57 seconds play.

Murray was fired up for the derby and a few minutes later he wasn’t far away with a drive from 20 yards.

Sam Dalby had the ball in the Dee net after nine minutes but Will Ferrie’s cross had swung out of play on the way over and the Dundee defence had stopped. Fortunately, the officials and VAR agreed with them.

Both teams had spells of attacking in the first half, but Dundee’s pressure was more intense and dangerous. The Dee moved the ball faster into dangerous areas and the United defence did not look comfortable.

Dundee kept winning corners with Fin Robertson’s deliveries from either wing, using both feet, causing problems for the United defence. Aaron Donnelly headed just over from one corner.

The nearest United came to a goal in the first half came when Vicko Sevelj played a second ball in following a free kick and Ross Graham’s header was a foot or so over the bar.

The Dark Blues came agonisingly close to a second goal after Lyall Cameron sent Ethan Ingram away down the right. His low cross found Murray whose shot was blocked and then Robertson and Cameron had shots blocked in a proper goalmouth stramash.

Sevelj did get the ball into Dundee’s net with a shot from the edge of the penalty area, but the referee had blown the whistle for a foul and play had already stopped.

Dundee had a clear edge in the first half but United had much the better of the second half. The Dark Blues had to stay strong in defence to hold them off and they did just that! When United did manage to get past the back five they couldn’t beat Trevor Carson, who was immaculate in goal.

When United kicked off after half time, like Dundee they immediately won a corner. The Dark Blues’ defennce coped far better than the visitors had done. The delivery was met with a firm and effective punch by Carson, and that was the story of the long and tense second half.

Dundee could have given themselves breathing space with a second goal. Fin Robertson and Seun Adewumi worked a clever move on the left and Simon Murray pulled a low cross back for Lyall Cameron whose 15-yard shot took a slight deflection and flew over the bar.

Seb Palmer-Houlden replaced Seun Adewumu after 65 minutes. The young Austrian had been a menace to the United defence, but Palmer-Houlden’s fresh legs and hard work were of great value in the closing stages

The final 25 minutes of play were largely spent with United attacking and Dundee holding them off. For the first 70 minutes United’s attacking was error-prone, with bad deliveries and poor decision making. They made three substitutions after 71 minutes through the half and their attacking became far more intense, serious and worrying.

As United stepped up the pressure substitute Ruari Paton got a volley on target, but Carson dealt with it comfortably. Two minutes later Paton lashed a fierce shot past Carson, but Ethan Ingram made a spectacular clearance that was as good as a goal for the Dark Blues.

Imari Samuels came on for Cesar Garza for the last 12 minutes of play. He played at left back with Fin Robertson moving into midfield.

There were still a couple of scary moments for the Dee in the last few minutes. Will Ferry’s 20-yard dipping volley was saved superbly by Carson. Dundee could then have grabbed a second goal on the break in the last minute of normal time. Palmer-Houlden sent Murray clear, but Jack Walton was able to block.

As the game entered the five minutes of added time Kristijan Trapanovski cut inside from the right and curled a shot against the far post before Carson superbly tipped Sevelj’s header well over the bar from the rebound.

Samuels delighted the Dee support with some excellent defending to stop Trapanovski in United’s last attack. At the very end Dundee launched a final attack and Walton turned Fin Robertson’s low 20 yarder away for a corner. It was never taken! That was it! The referee blew the final whistle and the South Enclosure, Bobby Cox Stand, and two thirds of the Main Stand rose and roared in celebration.

The supporters stayed behind to dance and sing, showing their love for the players who lapped up the adulation that they deserved. This was such a hard game for Dundee, but they rose to the challenge superbly. It was yet another outstanding team performance. Trevor Carson was named as man of the match, but everyone in Dark Blue gave their all in this memorable win.

The Dark Blues haven’t put United out of the Scottish Cup since 1956. It’s been too long, but that made tonight all the more special!

Match report written by James Christie - Official Dundee website