The weather outside was frightful, but Gary Harkins was so delightful as a masterclass from the Dundee playmaker in the snow of Firhill was the platform for a thumping win over Partick Thistle.
A penalty from Kane Hemmings and goals from the outstanding Harkins and Greg Stewart had Dundee three-up within quarter of an hour, before David Amoo’s header gave the home side a flicker of hope.
It was soon extinguished though as Harkins added his second with a stunning effort eight minutes before the break.
Liam Lindsay was sent off towards the end before Kris Doolan netted a poacher’s effort late on for Thistle, but it was far too little much too late.
It was perishing at Firhill, and young defender Liam Lindsay was caught cold by Harkins after just seven minutes. He attempted to hack clear a high ball down by the Jackie Husband stand, but the alert Harkins nipped in to nick the ball away from him and advance on goal.
Lindsay got back to face the Dundee playmaker up, but Harkins feinted to twist him this way and that before the bamboozled youngster eventually tripped him in the area.
Hemmings kept up his recent red-hot form to easily convert the resultant penalty high past Tomas Cerny.
Things went from bad to worse for Thistle just three minutes later, when Stewart’s innocuous looking free-kick was spilled under pressure by Cerny, and the ball landed at the feet of Harkins who kept his cool to calmly slot the ball into the bottom corner.
A brilliant piece of counter-attacking football from the visitors then had them three up inside 14 minutes.
Stevie Lawless tried to beat Paul McGowan in the centre-circle, but the Dundee midfielder read his intentions and robbed him easily. He drove forward and picked out Harkins whose first-time pass set Stewart away on the right, and the winger cut inside before bending a lovely curling effort inside the opposite post to send the visiting support into dreamland.
Amazingly, McGowan could have made it four a couple of minutes later as he ran in behind the shambolic Thistle backline, but Cerny just got up to save his attempted lob.
Hemmings then struck the post from the edge of the area as the Dundee threatened to run riot, but Thistle belatedly came to life to give themselves a foothold in the game after 23 minutes.
Lawless won a corner on the Jags left that Stuart Bannigan swung into the near post area, where Lindsay flicked the ball on to the unmarked Amoo to head his side back into proceedings.
The reprieve was short-lived though, as a sublime piece of skill from Harkins restored Dundee’s three-goal cushion after 37 minutes.
Again, Thistle were the architects of their own downfall, with Lindsay’s careless clearance only finding McGowan who flicked the ball to Harkins on the left-hand edge of the area. The silky attacker lifted his head before bending a beautiful shot into Cerny’s top left corner.
Thistle manager Alan Archibald threw on young striker Kevin Nisbet at half-time to try and spark some life back into his side, and they had a decent claim for a penalty waved away as Callum Booth’s cross seemed to strike the outstretched arm of Stewart in the box, but referee Euan Anderson was having none of it.
Thistle huffed and puffed without really creating anything clear-cut until Sean Welsh put a free header from a Bannigan corner well over with around 20 minutes left, and then the same player got a free-kick on target that Scott Bain dealt with comfortably.
Lindsay then rounded off a miserable afternoon for himself and his side with an unnecessary trip on Stewart that produced a second yellow card and a red from the referee’s notebook with 13 minutes remaining.
McGowan nearly put the cherry on the icing on the Dundee cake with a drive from 25 yards that dislodged the snow from Cerny’s crossbar after skimming the post.
Thistle pulled one back in the final minute as Doolan tucked away the rebound after Bain had parried Callum Booth’s stinging effort, but it was scant consolation for the home fans who endured a miserable afternoon.
PARTICK THISTLE: Cerny; Dumbuya, Seaborne, Lindsay, Booth; Welsh, Wilson (Nisbet, 45’); Amoo (Elliot, 67’), Lawless (Frans, 79’), Bannigan; Doolan.
Scorers: Amoo (23’), Doolan (90')
Booked: Wilson (34’), Lindsay (55’)
Sent off: Lindsay (77’)
DUNDEE: Bain; McGinn, Konrad, O’Dea (Gadzhalov, 86’) Holt; Low (Kerr, 80’), Ross, McGowan; Harkins, Stewart; Hemmings (Loy, 87’).
Scorers: Hemmings (7’, pen), Harkins (10’, 37’), Stewart (14’)
Booked: McGinn (45’)
Sent off:
Man of the match: Gary Harkins (Dundee)
Referee: Euan Anderson
Attendance: 3262
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