Zak Rudden strikes late to earn point for 10-man Dundee

Posted Sunday, September 24, 2023 by PA

Dundee salvaged a dramatic late draw in a fiery cinch Premiership game at Dens Park.

The hosts took the lead in the first half through Amadou Bakayoko before Daniel Armstrong equalised for Killie, with Dundee midfielder Josh Mulligan sent off before the break.

It looked like Armstrong had secured the win for the visitors when he struck again late on but deep in stoppage time, home substitute Zak Rudden pounced to snatch a draw with Killie boss Derek McInnes also shown a red.

Killie could and should have opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Armstrong perfectly teed up skipper Kyle Vassell but the striker completely fluffed his lines, slicing his shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

Instead, it was the Dark Blues who broke the deadlock just three minutes later. On-loan Liverpool full-back Owen Beck swung a corner in from the left with Joe Shaughnessy nodding the ball on for Bakayoko to fire home at the back post.

However, Killie equalised on the half-hour mark from the spot. The ball appeared to hit Bakayoko inside the Dundee box and after a VAR handball check, referee David Munro reviewed the incident on the pitch-side monitor and awarded a penalty.

Armstrong stepped up to take it and although home keeper Trevor Carson dived the right way, he was unable to prevent the ball hitting the back of the net.

The game then threatened to boil over, with Mulligan shown a straight red card after bringing down Armstrong on the touchline.

Again, VAR Euan Anderson asked Munro to review the incident but the referee stuck by his original decision with a disconsolate Mulligan heading down the tunnel.

Then deep in first-half stoppage time, Kennedy came agonisingly close to giving Killie the lead, hitting the post with a header back across goal.

The visitors struggled to capitalise on their one-man advantage after the break with dogged Dundee digging in to protect Carson’s goal.

Chances for both sides were few and far between although Vassell had a sight at goal but his shot flew into the side netting.

However, Dundee’s resistance was finally broken in the 81st minute when Killie sub Andrew Dallas sent a low cross in from the left all the way to Armstrong, who drilled the ball home at the back post.

That seemed to be that but Dundee had the final say in the 94th minute after a Beck corner was headed down by Ricki Lamie for Rudden to gleefully fire into the back of the net, with McInnes then seeing red after coming out of his technical area.