Marcus Haber's 55th-minute goal separated the sides

Dundee made it two wins from two games under boss Neil McCann as they took a huge step towards top-flight survival.

Kevin Gomis had a first-half goal ruled out for offside before Dee team-mate Marcus Haber nodded wide when it looked easier to score.

Haber made it 1-0 after the break, netting a close-range header from Paul McGowan's delivery.

The Dens men are now on 36 points, eight clear of bottom spot with three games left to play.

Despite the defeat, Kilmarnock are a point better off than Dundee and are safe from automatic relegation.

Dominant Dee

Dundee had the better of the first half and Haber should have put his side in front on a couple of occasions.

He was set up by Mark O'Hara but took his time to get the shot away and Killie keeper Freddie Woodman made the save.

Then came a glaring miss. Six yards out and teed up by a terrific cross from Faissal El Bakhtaoui, Haber should have buried the header but it flew wide of the post.

From a free-kick Dundee then had the ball in the back of the net. Kevin Holt with the ball into the box and Gomis nodding home, only for the flag to go up for offside.

Play was held up for several minutes in bizarre circumstances as assistant referee Andrew McWilliam was physically sick at the corner flag. Referee Craig Thomson - showing little sympathy, but a gift for humour - brandished a red card at his ailing colleague.

Bain brilliance

In need of more attacking inspiration, Kilmarnock took off midfielder Iain Wilson for the more attack-minded Greg Kiltie, and the youngster was soon involved.

He closed down keeper Scott Bain who made a clearance which rebounded off Kiltie and flew just wide.

Faissal El Bakhtaoui was one of the stars of the show for Dundee

Dundee took the lead soon after through Haber's header before Killie's Jordan Jones went on a fine solo run but knocked his shot past the post.

Dundee should have doubled their lead when Tom Hateley floated a cross into the box that Mark O'Hara headed wide.

Kilmarnock began to push Dundee further back and Sean Longstaff had a shot from 20 yards saved by Bain, who then denied Kiltie with a superb point-blank stop.

The Dundee keeper was at it again with another crucial save from Kris Boyd's low 12-yard shot, and Gary Dicker headed Killie's last chance wide of target.

Dundee manager Neil McCann has guided his side to back-to-back wins

McCann the man?

Neil McCann had said his objective for Dundee was simple - win all five post-split games. He is off to a fantastic start, following up that victory at Motherwell last weekend with another win on the road.

There is a purpose about this Dundee side all of a sudden, they play like a team on a mission. Kilmarnock had been doing well under Lee McCulloch, so this was never going to be an easy task for the away side.

Haber knits the play in the final third and this, allied with an energetic display from the Dundee midfield five, has helped rejuvenate this club as they attempt to steer clear of relegation trouble.

Post-match reaction

Interim Kilmarnock manager Lee McCulloch: "We were off it today. Even the last 20 minutes, yes, it looked like we finished the game well but we weren't at it. We were nowhere near the standards we have had in the last six or seven weeks and the boys have been told that. They know that themselves anyway. Really disappointed with the full 90 minutes, never mind the first 60 or 70. No quality at all.

Referee Craig Thomson showed his assistant Andrew McWilliam a red card after he was sick

"Training has been ok this week. It's not been as good as the previous weeks, maybe a bit of complacency coming into a squad with such a young mentality. We need to speak about it, we need to build on it and hopefully we make it better for next week.

"We are not safe. We will only be safe when it is mathematically impossible [to be relegated]. You won't get anybody in that dressing room or in the coaching staff saying we are safe."

Dundee manager Neil McCann: "They [the players] just give everything. I am so proud of them, I am so happy with them. We ask them to carry out a game-plan and sometimes that game-plan can be manipulated by the opposition and they ask questions of you, but we trust our shape and what we have been working on, being hard to beat.

Interviews - McCulloch and McCann

"We set ourselves targets of winning games. I know what it's like to be on a losing run and the confidence is low. I can't ask more than 100% and everybody to a man gave it today. Kilmarnock threw everything at us towards the end there and Scott Bain came up with a save. I still trusted them and when you reflect on the game we had so many chances and we missed so many chances, but it only takes one to take three points and we are sitting here a very, very happy team."

The Dundee boss also joked about the reason behind official McWilliam bout of sickness. adding: "Maybe he had a wee bit over exuberance and one too many last night.

"He said he didn't, so I'm going to trust him on that. Maybe a fly caught in his throat running that fast down the line. I was glad to see he was able to see the full game out."