A crazy opening 19 minutes witnessed both sides netting twice, but there were no further threats to the nets as the game ended with honours even.

Dundee got off to the perfect start, taking the lead within three minutes. Yan Dhanda’s corner was nodded on by Tony Yogane and Murray was on hand at the near post to lash home.

Only 127 seconds later, the Dundee captain netted his second, nodding in from a Cameron Congreve cross.

Livingston roared back into it, making it 2-1 when Lewis Smith saw his deflected shot go in off the post after a flowing passing move.

The Lions drew level after 19 minutes, with a lot of help from Dundee’s Jon McCracken. The goalkeeper made a mess of a simple passback under pressure from Robbie Muirhead and when the ball broke to Scott Pittman the midfielder rolled it into an empty net.

The second half couldn’t match the excitement of the first, though Dundee had a chance to snatch three points right at the death when Congreve’s shot squirmed under Jerome Prior, but the keeper clawed it back on the line.

The draw gives Marvin Bartley his first point since taking over from David Martindale but a lack of cutting edge, and further defensive lapses, mean little has changed for the side rooted to the bottom of the table and who haven’t won since August.

Livingston are now eight points behind second-bottom Kilmarnock, who host Celtic on Sunday, while Dundee move up a place to ninth.

Livingston manager Marvin Bartley: “It’s better than losing and we’ve got more than enough games to catch the teams above us. We play Kilmarnock and St Mirren before the split and post-split you play the teams around you again.

“We’re a point closer to Kilmarnock than we were yesterday. I told the players it might not be until the last day of the season we turn it all around but we will turn it around.”

Match report: Andy Coyle

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