United survive scare to beat Saints

05 December 2009 17:54
United were cruising to victory thanks to first-half goals from Damian Casalinuovo and Craig Conway before Gomis was sent off, apparently for lashing out at Stephen McGinn.[LNB]Saints immediately pulled a goal back when Chris Innes' header seemed to deflect in off Darren Dods.[LNB]Jennison Myrie-Williams looked to have made the game safe late on but substitute Stephen O'Donnell set up a grandstand finish in a bad-tempered clash at Tannadice.[LNB]As well as Gomis' red - United's third in a week - there were six yellow cards shown by referee Brian Winter, who might even have dealt out more punishment.[LNB]United, who beat Celtic for the first time in a decade in their last home game, made a sloppy start, repeatedly giving the ball away in their own half to opponents who were looking lively.[LNB]And, after both sides exchanged harmless long-range efforts, Hugh Murray volleyed over a waist-high Jack Ross cross 10 minutes in.[LNB]The visitors were then on the wrong end of two marginal offside decisions inside two minutes.[LNB]The first did not matter as Billy Mehmet shanked his finish but the second saw recalled strike partner Michael Higdon net from Garry Brady's poke through.[LNB]The atmosphere on and off the field was tame but, when McGinn took out Gomis in mid-air 21 minutes in, both sets of players had to be separated.[LNB]McGinn was booked, while Mehmet and Andy Webster received a lecture from Winter.[LNB]Higdon then missed the best chance so far when he turned Murray's cross wide from close range before the bad blood continued when Brady and Myrie-Williams went to ground in the box at either end.[LNB]Winter waved away both incidents but there was definitely an edge to a game that nevertheless needed a goal.[LNB]It arrived in the 29th minute when a perfectly-weighted through ball from Sean Dillon, playing as a makeshift midfielder, allowed Casalinuovo to turn in the box, shrug off Innes and sidefoot home his seventh of the season.[LNB]Saints had every right to feel hard done by but they should have been 2-0 down seven minutes later when David Goodwillie made a hash of his finish from six yards.[LNB]But, two minutes before the break, Paul Gallacher was left red faced when Conway curled in a free-kick after the Saints goalkeeper left a huge gap at his near post to gift the midfielder a first goal since April.[LNB]With seconds of the half remaining, Mehmet hit the upright at the other end, the ball rebounding too quickly for Higdon to react.[LNB]United went close to a third after the restart when a quickly-taken free-kick saw Paul Dixon cross for Casalinuovo, who side-footed wide from six yards.[LNB]Myrie-Williams was booked after being adjudged to have led with the elbow on Stephen Thomson 20 yards out.[LNB]Ross' resultant free-kick hit the wall in a half that exploded into life a minute before the hour mark when Gomis was shown a straight red card.[LNB]St Mirren took immediate advantage, Ross' free-kick headed goalwards by Innes before taking a crucial touch off Dods.[LNB]United boss Craig Levein immediately sacrificed Goodwillie for Scott Robertson, who was a surprise inclusion on the bench after two months out with a groin problem.[LNB]Both sides soon made another change, Stephen O'Donnell coming on for Brady and Jon Daly replacing Casalinuovo.[LNB]With less than 15 minutes remaining, Saints threw on the fit-again Stephen Robb for Murray, before David Barron became the latest player carded for a high challenge on Myrie-Williams.[LNB]For the second week in a row, United scored with a man disadvantage when Conway found Myrie-Williams in the box and the winger clipped a delightful left-foot finish over Gallacher for his first United goal.[LNB]The game looked over with 11 minutes left but Saints still brought on Conor Ramsey for Thomson moments after Innes was booked for a poor tackle.[LNB]O'Donnell set up a grandstand finish when his left-foot shot deflected past Nicky Weaver with four minutes left.[LNB]Dods was off the field receiving treatment at the time and was eventually replaced by Garry Kenneth.[LNB]O'Donnell became the latest player to see yellow after leaving Dixon in a heap as United held on.[LNB][LNB]

Source: Team_Talk