David Goodwillie was on target as Dundee United claimed
three Scottish Premier League points with a hard-fought victory at Rugby
Park.
The
striker broke the deadlock after 15 minutes when his shot took a
deflection before beating goalkeeper Cammy Bell.
Connor Sammon fired wide and Craig Bryson also came close to
levelling.
Jon Daly doubled United's lead before Killie defender Frazer Wright
was sent off for a second bookable offence and Sammon grabbed a late
consolation.
United's victory was their third in a row in all competitions and
keeps them fourth in the SPL, two points behind Motherwell, while Killie
remain eighth.
Scott Severin tried to score against his former club with a firm
header in the fifth minute but home keeper Bell held well.
Severin then made an important tackle at the other end to block David
Silva's shot.
Prince Buaben's powerful free-kick drew a save and was gathered by
Bell and United keeper Dusan Pernis also needed two attempts to claim
Danny Invincibile's low drive.
The visitors moved into the lead on the quarter-hour mark when Paul
Dixon's perseverance resulted in the ball running kindly for Goodwillie,
whose shot looped over Bell via a defender.
Sammon almost levelled when his header from Silva's cross just
cleared the crossbar.
The forward then dragged a shot wide after exchanging passes with
Bryson.
After Alexei Eremenko blasted a volley off-target, Kilmarnock
threatened again when Silva's long-range shot brought out the best in
Pernis.
Killie appeals for a penalty were turned down after Eremenko went
down in the box when challenged by David Robertson, who headed wide of
the home goal just after the break.
Silva blazed high and wide of goal and Manual Pascali and Eremenko
were also unsuccessful with attempts at the United goal before Bryson
passed up a great chance to score from Jamie Hamill's accurate cross.
And this profligacy was punished when Daly latched on to Severin's
knockdown and scrambled the ball over the line.
Wright was dismissed after picking up two bookings in the space of
eight minutes, the second yellow card shown for dissent.
Sammon raised hopes of a comeback in injury time when
he bundled the ball over the line after meeting Rui Miguel's cross but
it was too little, too late for Kilmarnock.
Substitutes
Sandy's Match Pic's are HERE
