Date	Wednesday, 26 January 2022
Competition	Scottish Premiership
Fixture/Score	Dundee United 2:1 Ross County
Venue	Tannadice Park
Attendance	4,519
Referee	David Munro
Comments	Match Report Report by Jamie Lyall for the BBC. Dundee United 2 Ross County 1 Nicky Clark's late double earned Dundee United a stunning win over Ross County and ended a run of six consecutive Scottish Premiership defeats. Clark's calm 73rd-minute penalty and stoppage-time header ended United's wretched run and moves them level on points with sixth-placed Aberdeen. They had trailed to a smart Regan Charles-Cook finish early in an effervescent second half and, although County had late chances of their own, Clark prevented them moving further clear of the bottom two. "We got sucker-punched a bit and you could feel the energy on the pitch, the players thinking, 'gee, here we go again'," said United manager Thomas Courts. "We had to be brave with substitutions and tactical changes and thankfully got our just rewards." Given United's grim record, Tannadice was a fraught and tetchy venue. The early throes were cagey, laden with endeavour and desire and a mountain of fouls, but lacking any real attacking fluency. Marc McNulty has blown hot and cold since arriving in Dundee. He scored with a cute finish as Kilmarnock were pipped on Saturday, but blew two major opportunities to give his side the lead. First, he spooned a delightfully measured Tony Watt cross from the left wide. Then, after Alex Iacovitti had been burgled deep in his own half, the striker side-footed tamely at Ashley Maynard-Brewer from the edge of the box. County were defending bravely, but such slapstick moments had them sailing close to the wind. Those lapses went unpunished but McNulty's profligacy was. Charles-Cook, in white-hot form this season, pounced after Benjamin Siegrist tipped a long-range Jack Baldwin curler away. It was the finish of a man in the groove, cutting in from the left and slamming home with his right foot. His ninth goal of the campaign moves Charles-Cook level with Watt at the summit of the Premiership scoring chart. The winger could have piled on the misery for United, as they stared down the barrel of yet another defeat, but Siegrist stood tall to block his rasping effort from the left. In amongst all of this, there were ardent penalty claims from both sides. County thought they had a strong shout when Dylan Levitt controlled a dropping ball onto his outstretched arm; United too when Jake Vokins headed onto his left forearm. David Munro was not compelled, but did point to the spot when Declan Drysdale flung himself at Clark's point-blank effort and blocked it with an arm. United needed a cool head and Clark provided it, side-footing low into the bottom-left corner. In the dying embers, both teams went at it. Kieran Freeman thumped one across the face of the away goal. Joseph Hungbo might have won it when a square ball found him unmarked near the penalty spot, and again when unleashing from 20 yards, but Siegrist twice foiled him. Clark, ever the poacher, saw his opportunity to land the knockout blow and how he seized it, shaping a fabulous header from Watt's teasing delivery back across goal beyond the helpless Maynard-Brewer. Even then, the tumult was not over. County didn't just throw the kitchen sink at United in the last minutes, they lobbed the bathroom suite, corner sofa and television for good measure. Maynard-Brewer galloped up for a corner, County won the knock-down, and Hungbo's close-range, side-foot effort was diverted away from the goalmouth. The visitors, as one, howled for a penalty. All they got was the shrill, fatal blast of Munro's whistle. Defeat is desperately cruel on Malky Mackay and his team, but this win, and the manner of it, ought to signal an end to United's domestic toil. Though their wretched run of form may have withered United's confidence, they were anything but brittle, even when chasing the game. They played with a purpose and determination that will be deeply heartening for Courts and the club's fans, a clear sign that while results have been more, attitudes remain correct. County will be reeling. Sickened by Clark's double-whammy, they did not deserve to leave with nothing - creating a glut of chances, defending stoutly and playing neat attacking football. They missed a big chance to climb further clear of the bottom two, but this was another positive performance from Mackay's men. Dundee United manager Thomas Courts: "The first 45 minutes, we looked a lot like ourselves again. There was an intensity and urgency and we could have been 2-0 or 3-0 up." Ross County manager Malky Mackay: "Someone has sent me the picture of Dylan Levitt's hand being as wide as you can get it to the side of his body when the ball hits his hand. "I don't see how that is a natural position in the box. If you're going to give the one he does give against us, you are just looking for parity."
Ross County
Manager	Malcolm (Malky) Mackay
Starting 11	31: Ashley Maynard-Brewer, 2: Connor Randall, 3: Jake Vokins, 6: Harrison Paton, 7: Blair Spittal 1, 8: Ross Callachan, 10: Dominic Samuel, 16: Alexander Iacovitti, 17: Regan Charles-Cook 1 1, 20: Declan Drysdale 1, 26: Jordan White
Bench	1: Ross Laidlaw, 5: Jack Baldwin 1, 15: Keith Watson, 18: Jack Burroughs, 19: Kayne Ramsay, 23: Joseph Hungbo, 24: Benjamin Paton, 30: Matthew Wright, 32: Adam Mackinnon
Dundee United
Manager	Thomas Courts
Starting 11	Benjamin Siegrist, Peter Pawlett, Marc McNulty, Ryan Edwards, Calum Butcher, Dylan Levitt, Kieran Freeman 1, Ian Harkes, Tony Watt, Scott McMann, Jeando Fuchs
Bench	Carljohan Eiksson, Adrian Sporle, Ilmari Niskanen, Nicky Clark 2 (1 pen), Archie Meekison, Lewis Neilson, Declan Glass, Christopher Mochrie, Louis Appere