It's better late than never for Dundee Utd

Dundee United 2
(Kenneth 52; Goodwillie 90)

Hibernian 2
(Nish 5, 9)

A MATCH brimming with chances at each end, no wonder the Dundee United boss couldn't resist a wee dig at George Peat. The SFA president criticised the standard of the SPL last weekend, claiming there were matches with so little goalmouth action that even he could play in goal. "Do you think George Peat could have played in this one?" Craig Levein asked, somewhat mischievously. No chance.

At full-time the Hibs players had stood hands on hips, a picture of disbelief. They had just been tangoed. Two-nil up at half-time they had looked like a team destined for three points. Not only would that have aided their hopes of a top six slot come the split but would also have dragged United back into the mix, a solitary point ahead of them.

Instead, United came out in the second half and turned the match on its head, eventually snatching the equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time. "That's shortened my life span by another five years," joked Levein, although he knows that his side's recent penchant for presenting the opposition a head start before having to frantically salvage the situation is no laughing matter. Four draws and two defeats in their past seven league games is hurting their bid for a European place.

It was the United players who had traipsed off the pitch at half-time, dragging their heels. They were in no hurry to face their manager. The first 45 minutes had been a tuition in how not to play the Levein way. All at sea positionally, they were struggling to make their passes and, having handed Hibs the initiative from the outset, even when they earned a penalty, in the 31st minute, they had been unable to snatch it back.

In the fifth minute, their inability to retain possession manifested itself in a wayward Warren Feeney pass to Colin Nish but the big Hibs striker did not hang around to thank him. From 30 yards out, he skelped his strike into the top corner.

Feeney had only joined the action after Jon Daly crumpled to the ground, having badly twisted his knee in a second minute challenge from Chris Hogg. He ended up in hospital before the game ended but there was no sentiment in the Hibs play. The combination of that goal, as well as the shambolic response from United, buoyed Mixu Paatelainen's men. Four minutes later they had a second goal.

It was again a mixture of the home side's deficiencies and some Nish finishing. Prince Buaben was the tangerine villain this time, heading back against his own player inside the box and allowing the Hibs targetman to nick in. Nish composed himself and waited for Lukasz Zaluska to commit himself before he slotted it low into the net.

It was almost a hat-trick in 15 minutes. Denes Rosa, who along with John Rankin was bossing the midfield at that stage, broke forward and from the byline he swiped back a cross which found Nish at the backpost but his first time effort was blocked by Zaluska.

At that stage it was Hibs who were passing their way out of tight spaces. United were simply passing themselves into danger and were looking increasingly anxious as the frontline of Nish and Steven Fletcher linked up well with the wingers Alan O'Brien and Derek Riordan to create openings. Scotland international Fletcher flighted in a diagonal ball, his strike partner rose but the header went wide.

When United did finally make it into the Hibs area, even that went wrong, with James Wesolowski being booked for diving. In the 31st minute United had the chance to steady matters and take some of the sting out Hibs' play when Feeney was felled by Hogg. It was Craig Conway who stepped up but he was denied by Grzegorz Szamotulski.

At that point lesser men would have thrown in the towel. But while United may have looked punch drunk, they came back off the ropes spectacularly in the second half as the roles were reversed and Hibs were forced to defend. "They had a lot of cross balls into the box but I thought we did quite well," said Nish. "Unfortunately, we lost that one at the end."

The fight-back had started in the 52nd minute when Paul Dixon's cross was met by Garry Kenneth and he sent a downward header through a mass of bodies and into the Hibs net. After that it seemed only a matter of time before they achieved parity but the visiting defence was far more resolute than the home one had been. .

In the end substitute David Goodwillie, following on from his Scotland U-21 goal midweek, who found a way through another melee of bodies. "I always thought it was going to land to me," he said. "I kicked the ball and about three people, but it went in."