Vassell double sends Dundee Utd to brink of relegation

Dundee United basal connected the brink of relegation from the cinch Premiership aft Kyle Vassell's treble sent Kilmarnock connected their mode to a 3-0 triumph astatine Tannadice which keeps them successful rod presumption successful the conflict for survival.

United suffered a 4th consecutive decision which, coupled with Ross County's gully against St Johnstone, near them needing a hugely improbable crook of events connected the last time connected Sunday to debar a 2nd relegation successful 7 years.

United request to bushed in-form Motherwell astatine Fir Park and anticipation Killie bushed Ross County and someway technologist an eight-goal plaything on the way.

Killie are 3 points up of County but volition request to get astatine slightest a constituent against the Dingwall broadside connected Sunday to enactment retired of the play-off spot.

United brag Jim Goodwin admitted aft his side's 3rd consecutive decision connected Saturday against Livingston that they "keep shooting ourselves successful the foot" with antiaircraft errors, and the 2 goals they conceded successful the archetypal fractional to Vassell were textbook examples.

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The location broadside went down with a whimper and Innes Cameron came disconnected the seat to nett a precocious 3rd connected the counter-attack.

Goodwin had made immoderate large decisions successful his squad selection. Mark Birighitti was dropped aft the goalkeeper's latest blunder successful a hard play and 21-year-old Jack Newman was handed his 2nd commencement for the club. His archetypal ended successful a 4-0 decision by Ross County. Steven Fletcher started aft missing Saturday's crippled with a groin wounded and Peter Pawlett made his 4th commencement of the season.

Defenders Chris Stokes and Ash Taylor returned from wounded for Killie and, with David Watson and Liam Donnelly dropping retired done suspension and wounded respectively, Liam Polworth and Brad Lyons came into their midfield.

The opener came successful the 14th infinitesimal aft Loick Ayina tried to dribble past a 3rd hostile connected his mode retired of his ain punishment box. The United centre-back overran the ball, lunged into a beardown tackle which went unpunished by referee Alan Muir, but the shot was successful the country of the nett 2 seconds aboriginal aft yet falling for Vassell 18 yards out.

Vassell soon came adjacent to an bonzer 2nd goal. The striker chested the shot down wrong the centre ellipse with his backmost to extremity and turned and lobbed Newman, who did good to backtrack and propulsion the shot implicit his barroom astir connected the line.

The Northern Ireland planetary did nett again successful the 44th infinitesimal aft much sloppy play successful possession from the hosts.

Ilmari Niskanen played a slack walk towards Ayina, Christian Doidge won the shot and lifted it implicit Newman earlier being cleaned retired by the goalkeeper. Vassell made definite determination was nary request for a punishment by knocking the shot home.

United were booed disconnected astatine half-time aft an unconvincing attacking display. Fletcher and Pawlett some fluffed bully chances earlier being flagged offside anyway, and the erstwhile volleyed implicit archetypal time.

Goodwin brought connected Dylan Levitt and Glenn Middleton for the 2nd fractional but determination was small motion of improvement.

Vassell went disconnected injured pursuing a foul by Charlie Mulgrew but his replacement, Cameron, marked his instrumentality from 9 months retired with wounded by converting pursuing Rory McKenzie's interruption guardant successful the 83rd minute.

Rory McLeod deed the station for United earlier Sam Walker saved from different sub, Miller Thomson, but astir of the location fans had already left.

A precocious extremity for Ross County was acceptable to enactment United down until erstwhile United subordinate Ryan McGowan levelled for St Johnstone, but their destiny is each but sealed.

What the managers said...

Dundee United brag Jim Goodwin: "I came successful and radical thought I was mad, but I genuinely thought I could crook it astir and we did get a bounce from the players.

"Unfortunately the antiaircraft frailties reared their caput again and yet that's what's outgo us. It's 1 of the lowest points successful my career.

"We volition spell to Motherwell connected Sunday and springiness it our champion shot. I americium 1 of the biggest optimists retired determination truthful I volition ever effort to beryllium affirmative and judge the intolerable tin sometimes happen.

"But, of course, it's an eight-goal plaything truthful we person to spell to Motherwell and people a hellhole of a batch of goals past anticipation Kilmarnock hammer Ross County. The likelihood of that happening is evidently precise slim.

"But astatine the aforesaid clip we person to spell to Motherwell and play for pridefulness and effort to gain backmost the respect of the fans.

"The fans person each close to amusement their emotions the mode they did astatine the end. There isn't a subordinate successful determination who can't judge their portion successful it. There are good, talented individuals wrong the squad.

"But arsenic a squad this play simply hasn't been bully capable and I said that to them successful the dressing room.

"As managers, myself, Jack Ross and Liam Fox we volition instrumentality our stock of the blasted due to the fact that we are successful it together. As a squad it hasn't been bully capable and the league array doesn't lie."

Kilmarnock brag Derek McInnes: "There is inactive enactment to do, cipher is over-celebrating oregon getting up of ourselves, but it's important we bask the moment.

"The supporters came up successful immense numbers and it's large to nonstop them location astir apt feeling a batch much optimistic.

"But we person inactive got a pugnacious crippled to navigate, it's each oregon nothing. It is acceptable up nicely for some teams and we person a occupation to bash but what pleased maine was the show and our attack to the game.

"We were precise confident, we asked the players to play with optimism and content and we had that. We were assertive with our enactment and imposed ourselves connected the crippled and with the presumption Dundee United were in, getting that archetypal extremity was crucial.

"All week I person been getting asked astir the unit and anxiousness of players and however we grip that and I thought the players dealt with the crippled truly well."

What's next?

Dundee United's last crippled of the play is distant to Motherwell connected Sunday, portion Kilmarnock big Ross County.

Both games kick-off astatine 12.30pm.