Ultimately both may have missed out to the Premiership's other Tayside team in the battle for the league position that may yet bring European football next season but a fourth win in five meetings this season saw United reassert their authority within Dundee's city boundaries yesterday.
The margin was just one short of the record thrashing inflicted on Dundee when they last strolled down Tannadice Street, however this was a very different encounter after which both managers justifiably registered contentment with campaigns that had gone better than they might have.
The opening set the tone, the visitors starting in sprightly fashion with Luka Tankulic particularly busy, only to concede a quite dreadful goal immediately their hosts threatened.
Chris Erskine's over the top ball was admittedly into a testing area, inviting Nadir Ciftci to apply pressure to Kyle Letheren, but the goal-keeper looked a firm favourite to deal it as he left his penalty area, only to allow the ball to squirm beyond him as he spread himself and, having held off to avoid the collision, the striker had nothing to do other than gather the loose ball and roll it into the unguarded net.
Naturally Dundee showed the greater urgency for much of the rest of the half, a symptom of which was Paul McGinn's yellow card collected for a rash challenge, while their other difficulty was that it gave opportunities for United to counter which resulted in another booking, Thomas Konrad forced to haul Chris Erskine down cynically as he powered menacingly forward.
Dundee did create opportunities, but only came really close to scoring once when fine work from Greg Stewart on the left bye-line inside the penalty area allowed him to cut the ball back for Stephen McGinn whose low shot through a couple of pairs of legs drew a fine reaction block from Rado Cierzniak.
His save was rendered all the more important soon after when United then doubled their advantage thanks to a penalty that had a soft look, albeit Paul Hartley, Dundee's manager, recognised that Thomas Konrad gave the referee a decision to make by going to ground in challenging Ciftci.
Tellingly, in this day and age, the appeals were half-hearted, but Bobby Madden was close at hand and immediately pointed to the spot, Letheren's day getting no better as he dived right while Ciftci slotted it low to his left.
In terms of the overall balance a two goal half-time advantage flattered United, Hartley's analysis again sound as he indicated considerable satisfaction with the way his men played, but frustration at how easily they had conceded the goals, noting that the goal-keeper had not been alone in erring in the build-up to the first.
The contest effectively ended four minutes into the second half, however, when the ball broke to John Rankin who instantly realised that Blair Spittal had spun out of the preceding challenge, seen space on the left and gambled on charging into it. Both angle and weight of pass were perfect for the teenager to run onto and the composure he then showed as Letheren advanced, rolling the ball round the goal-keeper and inside his left post, was the latest justification of Jackie McNamara's argument that, for all that he may need to recruit a couple of older heads, the youngsters United keep producing will learn best from time spent on the pitch.
Underscoring that point, a delightful interchange between two who are even younger, Spittal's 16-year-old replacement Ali Coote and John Souttar - whose beyond his years presence in midfield is attracting considerable attention - almost produced a fourth goal, Letheren having to get down sharply to stop the 18-year-old's back-heeled attempt.
Such was the margin that McNamara could let supporters pay tribute to Cierzniak, the goal-keeper who has given excellent, if sometimes eccentric service to the club, by replacing him at the start of injury time.
Confirming what had long been expected, that he is set for pastures new, the Pole admitted that the nature of the reception added to an "emotional" occasion for him and for all that he registered goalies' union sympathy for Letheren after his blunder, he was particularly happy to have kept a clean sheet after his blunder played such a part in allowing Dundee claim their only derby win of the season last time the teams met.
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