St Johnstone beat Dundee as Dundee United and Motherwell draw

St Johnstone defeated Dundee 2-1 as Kai Fotheringham marked his first Scottish Premiership start for the club with the winning goal, while Dundee United drew 1-1 with Motherwell after a disputed penalty decision. According to the Guardian's Scottish football roundup, Fotheringham's deflected effort settled the match in the 72nd minute after Dundee had recovered from an early setback.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3b8hP8SffM

Josh Campbell had given St Johnstone the lead with a header after just five minutes. Dundee drew level early in the second half through substitute Joe Westley, who scored following a mix-up involving goalkeeper Ross Sinclair and Cheick Diabate. Fotheringham then restored the home side's advantage, providing the decisive contribution on his first league start.

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari welcomed a victory that gave the club's supporters something to celebrate against their Tayside rivals. The Guardian reported that the result followed recent difficulties in the Perth meetings between the teams. Dundee's equaliser had cancelled out Campbell's early goal, but Fotheringham's later strike ensured St Johnstone finished with the win.

At Tannadice, the central controversy concerned the penalty that put Motherwell ahead. Referee Ryan Lee initially awarded a free-kick for offside during the early stages of the match. Video assistant referee Andrew Dallas subsequently directed him to review a challenge by Dundee United captain Dylan Tait on Tawanda Maswanhise, who had gone down inside the penalty area.

Lee checked the pitchside monitor and awarded a penalty, which Motherwell captain Lukas Fadinger converted. Jesse Randall later equalised for Dundee United, securing a point for the hosts. United manager Jim Goodwin nevertheless argued that his side should have taken all three points and criticised the decision that had allowed Motherwell to take the lead.

Goodwin questioned what Tait could have done differently in the challenge, describing the award as a poor decision while acknowledging that others would see it differently. Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson offered the opposite assessment, saying Maswanhise had been on the ball and was brought down by a tackle. The managers' disagreement remained after a match in which Randall's goal had ensured the penalty was not decisive in awarding either side victory.