While United were perhaps fortunate in the manner of the opening goal, they had been the dominant side in the early stages. They had 11 shots, three of which were on target, and three big chances in the first 45 minutes.
Goodwin’s side were also a little lucky that Westley’s potential equaliser was ruled out as Dundee had started to find a foothold in the game. But the second half was a different story, much of that thanks to Ferry.
Not only did he score twice, he set up the third. The wing-back created three chances and sent in five crosses, the highest of any United player in both metrics.
His 0.76 xG was the highest of anyone on the pitch and his goals came from his only two shots on target. His first marked the third game in a row that he has scored the opener, while his assist for Strain’s header was his sixth in the league.
With one year left on his deal, he is likely to be in demand over the summer.
For Dundee, it was bad news in their fight for survival. They had more possession, more passes, and more corners but failed to make any of that count.
While they may feel aggrieved by their disallowed goal, that is now 15 of their 34 league games in which they have failed to score. Only relegation rivals St Mirren have failed to score more often in the Premiership this season.
They managed 10 shots across the 90 minutes at Tannadice, but only four were on target, and generated an xG of 0.85 compared to United’s 2.18.
The one positive for Steven Pressley is that St Mirren and Kilmarnock both lost on Saturday so they remain above the danger zone for the moment.