Ross County move five points clear of Dundee and the relegation zone with victory in Dingwall in Scottish Premiership clash
Scottish Premiership
Ross County 3
Dundee 1
Scorers - County: Phillips (18) Wright (46) Chilvers (47). Dundee: Murray (3)
Birthday boy Noah Chilvers gave himself the ideal present as he found the net which fired Ross County to victory over Dundee and five points clear of the relegation zone.
Former Staggies striker Simon Murray put the visitors in front after three minutes before Kieran Phillips levelled in a frantic start to the first half.
But a second half blitz in the first three minutes with goals from Akil Wright and Chilvers put Ross County 3-1 up.
Ross County named an unchanged line-up to the team which impressively defeated Motherwell 3-0 at Fir Park last weekend.
Dundee went into the game against Dingwall having failed to find victory in their last five league matches having conceded 18 goals. However, that run of results did include draws against Celtic and Rangers.
They made three changes to the team that lost to Aberdeen last weekend. Ryan Astley, Finlay Robertson, and Seb Palmer-Houlden came into the starting line-up. Mo Sylla, Aaron Donnelly and Scott Tiffoney were all dropped to the bench.
County made the brighter start and came close to opening the scoring after three minutes when Ronan Hale set up George Harmon in the box. But his low drive was well saved by Jon McCracken.
Dundee broke the deadlock after four minutes when Simon Murray, fired a spectacular effort from the left wing from 20-yards out which sailed straight into top right corner which left Jordan Amissah with no chance of stopping as Dundee went in front.
Ross County pushed forward for an equaliser when Connor Randall was allowed to fire a low drive from 20-yards out which McCracken had to divert around the left post for a corner kick.
Their perseverance was rewarded in the 18th minute when a cross from the right wing found Hale and he put the ball into the box to find Kieran Phillips unchallenged in the six-yard box to tap home.
It was Phillips’ first goal club, since arriving from Huddersfield Town on a two-and-a-half year deal in January.
Ross County came out of the traps flying in the second half when Chilvers saw his shot saved and Hale saw his effort from the rebound hit the post before it was cleared for a corner.
But from the resultant corner from George Harmon’s found Wright who fired a spectacular bicycle kick into the net from six yards.
A minute later, County made it 3-1 in a counter attack when Phillips sent a ball into the box to find Chilvers who fired home from eight yards.
Midway through the second half, Sylla tripped Chilvers on the edge of the box to give Ross County a free kick. Harmon’s effort curled his effort around the wall towards the bottom left corner but was parried away by McCracken.
Dundee could
Ross County: Amissah, Wright, Randall, Hale, Chilvers (Grieves 83), Phillips, Tomkinson, Harmon (Nisbet 82), Campbell, Lopata, Kenneh.
Substitutes: Laidlaw, Brown, Allardice, White, Smith, Macleod, Robesten
Dundee: McCracken, Robertson, Astley, McGhee, Mulligan, Cameron (Tiffoney 81), Murray, Robertson, Larkeche, Palmer-Houlden, Portales (Donnelly 23).
Substitutes: Carson, Tiffoney, Garza, Ingram, Adewumi, Sylla, Shaughnessy, Samuels.
Referee Matthew MacDermid