Simon Murray’s late strike secures point for Dundee at Hibernian

Dundee forward Simon Murray scored a late equaliser to deny Hibernian a first William Hill Premiership win of the season in a dramatic 2-2 draw at Easter Road.

The Dark Blues – eyeing a first victory away to the Hibees since 2001 – started strongly and went ahead through Scott Tiffoney, but goals from Martin Boyle and substitute Kieron Bowie swung the match in the hosts’ favour.

However, just as David Gray looked to be on course for his first league win since being appointed permanent boss of the Edinburgh side in June, Murray – who spent the 2017/18 season at Hibs – struck in the 88th minute.

Gray handed on-loan Celtic midfielder Kwon Hyek-kyu his debut while former Barnsley winger Nicky Cadden made his first start. Teenage attacker Rudi Molotnikov also came into the team, with Rocky Bushiri, Josh Campbell and Nathan Moriah-Welsh dropping out from the side that lost 3-1 away to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup.

There was additional intrigue around this fixture as Hibs have been trying to buy Luke McCowan from Dundee in recent weeks, and the midfielder led the visitors out as captain at Easter Road in what could yet prove to be his last game in dark blue.

Dundee had scored 29 goals across their first seven competitive games of the season, and they required just eight minutes to notch their 30th.

Murray’s cross into the box was only partially cleared by Jordan Obita and Lyall Cameron seized on the loose ball on the edge of the box before slipping a pass through for Tiffoney, who chipped beyond the exposed Josef Bursik from eight yards out.

Dundee thought they had doubled their lead in the 20th minute when Lyall Cameron’s deflected strike from outside the box found the net, but it was ruled out as Seb Palmer-Houlden was marginally offside when a shot from Murray struck him in the build-up.

The Dark Blues generally looked comfortable for most of the first half, restricting the hosts to a couple of Cadden free-kicks that failed to trouble Jon McCracken.

However, when the Hibees won another free-kick in the 44th minute just to the right of the D after Joe Newell was tripped by Billy Koumetio, Cadden stepped aside and allowed Boyle to take control of the situation, and the forward curled a perfectly-executed right-footed finish over the wall and in at McCracken’s left-hand post.

Dundee went close to restoring their lead with a free-kick of their own in the 56th minute but McCowan’s low shot shaved the outside of Bursik’s right-hand post.

Hibs made a triple substitution in the 64th minute as Gray sent on Bowie, Chris Cadden and Campbell in place of Nicky Cadden, Lewis Miller and Kwon.

And the move paid off in the 72nd minute when Bowie received a Chris Cadden throw-in inside the box, spun between Koumetio and McCowan and drilled a low angled shot beyond McCracken.

But Dundee hit back when Antonio Portales slipped Murray in behind the Hibs defence and the striker drilled past Bursik from eight yards out.