As good as Friday’s massive derby win was for Dundee United, their weekend got even better as Saturday’s Championship scorelines came in.
The Tangerines were pre-season favourites to lift the trophy and finally gain promotion back to the Premiership.
This weekend they look every inch that as they took firm control of the title race, leaving Dundee and the rest of the chasing pack in their dust.
As it stands, the Dark Blues have a mammoth task ahead of them to overhaul a nine-point gap to achieve their own aim of automatic promotion.
As miserable as it was for Dees, the weekend was certainly a happy one for Arabs as they celebrated a second derby victory of the season – their first in six attempts and five years at Dens Park (see video above).
Their smiles no doubt grew even larger as news of second-placed Ayr United falling to defeat at Queen of the South and fourth-placed Inverness Caley Thistle getting thumped 3-0 at Arbroath.
That saw their lead at the top of the division stretch to six points above the Honest Men, nine ahead of their neighbours and 10 ahead of the Caley Jags.
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And that spells Tangerine dominance, something that only a fortnight ago looked light years away.
But two impressive victories at the homes of two of the expected promotion hopefuls – 3-0 at Inverness and 2-0 at Dundee – has Robbie Neilson’s team firmly in the driving seat.
And they can speed away even further this coming weekend with the chasing sides only able to look on from a distance hoping there’s a speedbump coming up at Tannadice on Saturday.
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Queens, fresh from seeing off second-placed Ayr 3-1 at home on Saturday, are in the way of United going nine points clear at the top and a massive 12 in front of Dundee.
Allan Johnston’s men were the last to beat them, a 4-0 thumping that stung the Tangerines into the kind of form that has installed them as the team to beat in the Championship.
Since then, United have stuck together four wins with eight goals scored and an impressive four straight clean sheets.
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If they can continue their perfect home form, six wins from six, then their destiny is most certainly in their own hands with neither Ayr, Inverness nor Dundee in league action because of the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup.
The Dark Blues have to wait a further seven days for their game in hand as they travel to the Highlands to face Caley Thistle.
Should United see off the Doonhamers, James McPake will send his side north knowing they have a 12-point gap to try to overcome with only 23 matches to do so.
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The challenge, first of all, at Dens Park will be to lift the players once again after a damaging derby defeat.
With a free weekend coming up, there will be plenty of time to contemplate where they are as a team right now.
With almost a completely new squad assembled in the summer after relegation, it was always going to take some time to start firing on all cylinders.
Their recent run of three victories on the bounce hinted the Dark Blues were getting close.
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However, their inability to really hurt the league leaders on their own patch on Friday showed there is still a fair bit of work to do.
By the time things really click at Dens Park it could be too late – Dundee United could easily be free and clear in the winner’s berth at the top of the Championship.
It’s certainly in their hands.
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