Simon Murray was a pitbull incarnate as Emmanuel Adegboyega struggled under the bright lights of Dens Park.
Dundee
Trevor Carson (c) Hardly tested in the first half before putting in a monster shift in the second. Some good clearing punches but above all else made fantastic saves to secure side’s progression. 8
Ethan Ingram Played slightly more defensive than he has in previous outings. Poor pass stunted counter attack but more than made up for it by blocking a certain goal. Booked late on for a tactical foul. 6
Clark Robertson Imperious in the air and put his body on the line time and time again. 7
Ryan Astley The searching long balls kept coming to him but he never switched off. Had an almighty task dealing with Dalby but handled it with distinction. 8
Aaron Donnelly Another strong outing for the man now in his second spell with the club. Only point of contention would be his slightly wayward clearances towards the end as he looked slightly nervy. 7
Lyall Cameron Could only manage a few weeks because of illness last week but was exactly what Jim Goodwin wished he in the first half. Dynamic with a talent for progressive the ball up the park. Blasted an effort over the bar and his passing got worse as his energy faded. 7
Cesar Garza Looks a fish in water with this Dundee side. Neat short passing and tidy in possession. 7
Mo Sylla Always puts in a defensive shift and had one particularly excellent moment as he tracked back furiously to deny United a clear cut opportunity. 7
Oluwaseun Adewumi Defending players lift onto their toes like ballerinas when Adewumi such is the fear that he’ll turn them inside out. However the loanee had one of his quieter games in recent weeks with few chances. 6
Simon Murray Apart from score, press and run his body into the ground, what does he actually do? A nightmare for defenders with some old school dark arts and a goal to boot, not a bad night. 8
SUBSTITUTES: Seb Palmer-Houlden (for Adewumi 66) 6; Imari Samuels (for Garza 83) 6.
Dundee United
Jack Walton One goal conceded and that was it for the keeper. Had little to do after that. 5
Emmanuel Adegboyega Struggled in the attacking link up with Strain down the right hand side. Poor passing was loudly booed as the defender endured a torrid night. 3
Ross Graham Had trouble with the ball at his feet. Missed a sitter with a headed effort well over the bar. Lacked a bit of composure. 5
Declan Gallagher Good clearance early on to deny Adewumi and has his hands full with Murray for the rest of the night. 6
Kevin Holt Fired an effort over the bar and another straight into Carson when the situation required a cooler head. 5
Ryan Strain Struggled to connect with Adegboyega down the right despite the space being available. Looked far more dangerous after the break but couldn’t help muster anything. 5
Luca Stephenson Spend too much time looking sideways and backwards when the ball needed to go forwards in the first half. 5
Vicko Sevelj Guilty of the same lack of bravery as Stephenson and looked poor with the ball at his feet. Blasted a shot well over and had a goal denied by the whistle. 4
Will Ferry Difficulties in defence but was much improved as time passed. 5
Louis Moult Found himself comfortably tucked away in the pocket of Dundee’s defence. A missed header was as close as he got. 4
Sam Dalby Held up the ball well but no one came to collect. Had an effort denied by Carson but disappointing outing overall. 5
SUBSTITUTES: Glenn Middleton (for Adegboyega 71) 5; Kristijan Trapanovski (for Strain 71) Had one effort rattle the post 6; Ruari Paton (for Moult 71) Brought energy, looks a smart signing 6; Jort van der Sande (for Gallagher 84) n/a.