A James McPake lunge four minutes into injury time sent visiting supporters into raptures at Tannadice as Dundee claimed a dramatic draw at the home of their nearest and far from dearest footballing neighbours.

It came at a price for their manager whose own excitement at the end of a memorable derby saw him sent off by referee John Beaton because fourth official Craig Charleston saw him leave his technical area to run on the pitch and down the track as he celebrated the goal but Paul Hartley was unrepentant as well as jubilant as he offered goal-keeper Scott Bain equal credit to the goal-scorer.

“Scott kept us in it with a world class save,” he said of the way Bain had diverted Simon Murray’s close range strike onto the bar moments before the levelling goal.

As for his own faux pas, he was in no doubt that the officials had over-reacted.

“The game’s changed. You’re getting sent off for celebrating a goal,” he said.

“It was the last kick of the ball. Does he want me to stay in my seat without moving?”

That was hardly likely since, for all that Dundee’s overall contribution to a lively derby probably deserved at least a draw it had looked unlikely when they were hit with a Blair Spittal one-two midway through the second half.

Out-played in the opening period United were beginning to get on top before the teenager first put them ahead then in apparent command with two fine strikes.

His brilliant footwork earned him the first in 64 minutes as he received John Rankin’s pass on the edge of the box flicked it from left to right to create space then stretched to get his right toe to it and knock it beyond Scott Bain.

Less than three minutes later, with Dundee reeling, he was then put in by a fine angled ball from substitute Chris Erskine which took him in behind the defensive line before he lashed it home with his left foot.

Yet Dundee gave themselves a glimmer of hope with eight minutes remaining when Paul McGowan and Greg Stewart were allowed to exchange passes three times inside their penalty area wide on Dundee’s right, allowing the latter to set his sights then wrap his deadly left foot around the ball and send it swinging across Zwick into his right top corner.

United still looked the likelier to extend their lead even before Bain’s intervention, but Dundee’s spirit was rewarded moments after that when Gary Harkins bullied Charlie Telfer off the ball, arguably illegally, then unleashed a 25 yard strike that Luis Zwik could not hold onto, allowing the ball to rebound into the path of McPake who dived in to nudge it home and transform the mood  in the ground.

In many ways this was a match which had the potential to be a tone-setter for the season ahead after the way last season ended, with the results of the derbies in the Premiership where they were ultimately separated by 11 points and the League Cup, in which United reached the final after eliminating Dundee, pretty much all that separated the two across the board last season.

The visitors seemed to declare their intent with the only change to the team beaten by Hearts at the weekend the reintroduction of fit again Rory Loy, scorer of two goals on his debut at Kilmarnock 10 days earlier, while United brought in a mix of youth and experience as Aidan Connolly and John Rankin were brought back into the starting line-up.

In spite of being forced into an early change when a head wound forced Julen Etxabeguren to be replaced by Thomas Konrad Dundee made the brighter opening and should have been rewarded for it inside 10 minutes when Nick Ross spurned a golden opportunity from 10 yards out.

Rory Loy and Harkins both drew saves from Zwick who also had an anxious moment as an intended cross from Paul McGinn was allowed to run across his six yard box untouched before rolling tantalisingly beyond his right post while Stewart offered a hint of what was to come with a fine swerving shot.

United’s opportunities were limited but they were much improved after the break and a left footed Rankin strike had pulled a fine save from Bain who also had to deal with a skilfully directed Connolly volley ahead of that three minute spell that transformed the match.

Confidence renewed they had gained the upper hand even before registering their goals.

They looked comfortable after them, too, until their collectively lapse in concentration let Dundee set up their first and that barn-storming finish, which left home manager Jackie Macnamara admitting it felt like a defeat.

“I think in the first half they were the better side but in the second we were excellent, scored two and could have had a few more,” he reckoned.

Report by Kevin Ferrie