Yevhen Kuchurenko punches the ball into his own netSNS

At a glance

  • Goalkeeper Kucherenko at fault for all three goals in United loss

  • Miller and Graham capitalise to give buoyant Falkirk all three points

  • Gap opening up between top and bottom six, with promoted Falkirk in fifth

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Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

Falkirk took advantage of a mistake-ridden performance by Dundee United goalkeeper Yevhen Kucherenko to claim a surprisingly comfortable Scottish Premiership win at Tannadice.

John McGlynn's side, who were only promoted from the Championship in the summer, remain fifth but rise five points ahead of seventh-placed United.

It was an afternoon to forget for summer signing Kucherenko, starting early on when he parried Calvin Miller's shot straight back to the Falkirk forward, who duly tucked in.

That came after only five minutes, heightening Falkirk's confidence, and they didn't have to do much to find a second.

A corner was played in toward the near post and Kucherenko attempted to punch clear, but he somehow ended up diverting the ball into his own net. It was uncannily similar to a mistake he made at Easter Road earlier in the season.

The horror show continued in the second half, when the now-nervy Ukrainian hesitated to race from his line and claim a ball over the top.

That allowed 37-year-old Brian Graham to lollop onto the ball, round the goalkeeper, and roll the ball into the empty net.

Some might argue Graham was lucky to still be on the pitch, having been subject to a lengthy VAR check after barging Kristian Keresztes off the ball. Referee Nick Walsh took a long look at the incident, but opted to administer a booking.

Falkirk, though, were fantastic throughout and richly deserved all three points against a pretty abject United.

Attacking stats from the first-half of Dundee United v FalkirkOpta

Falkirk's first-half domination laid bare in the stats

Analysis: Calamitous Kucherenko costs United dearly

Falkirk were brilliant on the day, but the story was Kucherenko. The Ukrainian had a decent start to his United career, but this afternoon will be the low point.

He punched one in against Hibs at Easter Road earlier in the season, but generally had won fans round with his eccentricities.

This might have shifted opinion, sadly, among a support still haunted by the recent memories of Mark Birighitti and his succession of goalkeeping mistakes.

Kucherenko never really looked comfortable after the mistake he made in the fifth minute, and it was a surprise to see him still on the pitch after the break.

The third goal was another error. Kucherenko keenness to run out of the box and collect long balls was gone, replaced by a wide-eyed nervousness that allowed Graham through on goal.

At full-time, the cameras zoomed in on the 26-year-old, squatting down on the turf, taking a moment before facing the music in the dressing room.

Scott Bain came across to put an arm round his shoulder, and pass on some sympathies. The goalkeeper's union still going strong clearly.

Graphic

Onto high-flying Falkirk, who now sit pretty in the top six. It's the kind of start that McGlynn and fans could have only dreamt of.

They had their tactics spot on, looked a real threat on the counter attack, and were clinical when presented with opportunities. Their xG might only have been 0.67 but they were ruthless.

The attacking trio behind Graham really shone. Miller, Ethan Williams and Kyrell Wilson were outstanding and pulled United apart at times with their attacking runs.

They weren't overly tested at the back, even though Amar Fatah hit the bar with a looping header.

There are harder days ahead for sure, but coming to places like Tannadice and leaving with three points pretty comfortably makes them look more and more like a Premiership outfit.

What they said

Falkirk boss John McGlynn: "I'm very proud of the players for an outstanding performance, which we've been looking for in the last few games. We managed to go for the 90 minutes.

"Right from the start we were on the front foot, down the slope. We needed to defend well in the second and we did that admirably. We were a threat on the counter. We had more opportunities, but that might be being greedy."

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: "Quite simply not good enough. It's very hard for me to put my finger on why we got that type of performance.

"The build up to the game, all week, was trying to replicate the performance at Tynecastle. We went with the same formation, the same game plan. The changes didn't weaken the team by any stretch."

What's next?

Dundee United visit Kilmarnock next Saturday in a later kick-off (17:45), while Falkirk travel Rangers to Rangers on Sunday (14:00).

Player of the match

C. Miller
8.07
14 C. Sibbald
4.50
11 W. Ferry
4.24
21 L. Stephenson
3.84
17 A. Fatah
3.80
23 K. Keresztes
3.79
9 Z. Sapsford
3.65
7 K. Trapanovski
3.58
36 M. Watters
3.49
5 V. Ševelj
3.47
4 I. Iovu
3.33
3 B. Esselink
3.18
19 I. Dolček
3.05
2 R. Strain
3.00
77 N. Möller
2.97
1 Y. Kucherenko
2.20
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