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A last-gasp goal by James McPake rescued a point for Dundee in a pulsating derby against Dundee United.

Blair Spittal seemed to shatter the visitors' hopes with two brilliant goals in two second-half minutes.

They were rare moments of aplomb in a typically intense encounter, but Dundee managed their own with a superb Greg Stewart strike.

There were nine minutes left - and Dundee needed all of them to force an equaliser.

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It was the visitors who carried the greater threat in the opening half, with their three forwards - Kane Hemmings, Rory Loy and Stewart - full of good movement and attacking intent, and often looking to spin into space behind the United defenders.

The game was played at a high tempo and frantic at times, but Dundee seemed better able to make sense of the fury of the game.

United goalkeeper Luis Zwick blocked a shot from Paul McGinn and then recovered quickly to stop Nick Ross's effort from the rebound.

That miss was a regret for the visitors, since it was their clearest opening. The impressive Stewart lashed a shot on target just before half-time but Zwick saved, while McGinn saw his cross brush the far post.

Spittal fires home his second goal

United were far more tentative and conservative, seldom committing players forward to support lone striker Darko Bodul, which partly explains his ineffectiveness.

Even so, there were signs that Spittal, Aidan Connolly and Scott Fraser could create openings if only they could find time and space on the ball.

Both became available in a much more open second half, and much of United's approach was shaped by substitutions.

First Dundee lost their experienced sitting midfielder Kevin Thomson to injury, losing his maturity and control of the tempo.

Then rangy striker Simon Murray came on for United, stretching the Dundee defence with his vigour and direct running. The visitors' mood was disturbed and United took full advantage.

When John Rankin fired a pass up to Spittal, he turned and showed excellent footwork to sidestep a McPake challenge and flick a shot past Scott Bain with the outside of his foot.

Two minutes later he scored again, when Chris Erskine had the vision and touch to spilt the Dundee defence with a pass that released Spittal, who finished calmly.

Dundee looked stunned, only for Stewart to remind all of his talent with a left-footed shot into the far corner past Zwick.

The game lost its structure in the closing minutes and Spittal nearly scored a third with a free-kick and then a shot just wide, while Murray saw his shot pushed onto the crossbar by the excellent Bain.

Stewart's fine curling strike on 81 minutes reinvigorated the visitors

Dundee were rewarded for not relenting. A United clearance fell to Charlie Telfer, who was robbed by Gary Harkins. The Dundee midfielder hit a long-range shot that Zwick pushed away, but only as far as McPake, who slid in to grab an equaliser.

The Dundee players would have made the short walk back along Tannadice Street to Dens Park with a spring in their step.

They still have not won at Tannadice since 2004 but this performance, in its resilience and intent, was a measure of their progress.