Dundee coast to victory over Hearts to go top of fledgling table

Dundee moved to the top of the fledgling William Hill Premiership table by capitalising on a calamitous first-half display from Hearts to run out 3-1 winners at Dens Park.

The Dark Blues found themselves 3-0 up at the break when an error from goalkeeper Zander Clark paved the way for Scott Tiffoney to open the scoring before Gerald Taylor’s own goal was quickly followed by a Luke McCowan penalty in stoppage time at the end of the half.

Hearts played with more purpose after the interval and pulled one back through Frankie Kent, but the hosts held firm for the remainder of the match to climb above Rangers on goal difference.

Both sides made one change to the teams that started their respective draws against Dundee United and Rangers on the opening day as Dundee forward Tiffoney replaced Luke Graham, while Hearts defender Daniel Oyegoke came in for Yan Dhanda.

After a low-key opening quarter in which Dundee’s Lyall Cameron and Kenneth Vargas threatened with shots from outside the box, the home side made the breakthrough in the 23rd minute after some slack goalkeeping from Clark.

Under no pressure, the Scotland international mis-kicked a routine clearance from the edge of the box straight to McCowan on the edge of the centre circle. The captain played the ball forward to Tiffoney, who drove into the box and cut in from the left before beating the back-pedalling Clark too easily with a low angled shot from 15 yards out.

In a rare first-half opportunity for the visitors, Lawrence Shankland saw a shot from the angle of the six-yard box charged down by Dundee goalkeeper Jon McCracken on the half hour after Kent headed on Barrie McKay’s corner.

The hosts almost doubled their lead in the 36th minute when Seb Palmer-Houlden raced on to Ziyad Larkeche’s long diagonal pass and saw his powerful shot beaten out by Clark before Cameron hit the rebound into the keeper’s arms.

Hearts completely imploded in the closing stages of the first half. There was a flashpoint in the 43rd minute when Taylor caught Tiffoney with a reckless challenge and was shown a yellow card. Dundee felt it should have been a red and manager Tony Docherty was booked for his angry remonstrations as the officials stuck with their initial decision following a VAR review.

Docherty would have been pleased Taylor was still on the pitch as the half entered stoppage time, however, after the Costa Rican got his attempted clearance from a Simon Murray cross all wrong and drilled the ball low into his own net from 10 yards out.

Remarkably, there was still more woe to come for Hearts before the break when Kent tripped Tiffoney as the Dundee forward tried to get himself free in the box and McCowan fired the spot-kick to Clark’s right and into the net.

Hearts boss Steven Naismith responded by making three changes for the start of the second half, with Oyegoke, Jorge Grant and McKay replaced by Malachi Boateng, Yutaro Oda and Dhanda.

Dundee thought they had a fourth in the 51st minute when Palmer-Houlden’s cutback was knocked in from close range by Cameron but – following a lengthy VAR check – it was eventually ruled out for a handball by Mo Sylla in the build-up.

After sub Dhanda went close, Hearts got themselves back in the game in the 61st minute when Kent nodded in Boateng’s cross but Dundee – despite having Larkeche stretchered off – were able to keep the visitors at arm’s length thereafter.