Goals from Claudio Caniggia and Giorgi Nemsadze gave Dundee a second derby victory of the season.

And the defeat left rock-bottom United winless while their neighbours move into the top six.

However, the span of a mere six places does not do justice to the gulf between the two sides - both had spirit but only the visitors possessed class finishers.

The away side's victory was added to the earlier win at Dens Park in the pre-Caniggia era, when Juan Sara hit a hat-trick and Fabian Caballero was seriously injured.

This encounter lacked even a whiff of that controversy although there were plenty of choice challenges to choose from.

This was also a match that was being broadcast live to Australia and New Zealand and on a time delay to South America and the West Indies.

Quite what the global audience would have made of the first 38 minutes is hard to tell but they sure wouldn't have been impressed by United striker Mvondo Atangana's grasp of the offside law.

He was constantly caught out and does not seem to be a quick learner.

Quick does apply to his strike partner, the newcomer Alberto Naveda, and he was at the heart of his side's best work in the first half.

But Dundee were threatening a goal as Javier Artero and Giorgi Nemsadze were becoming more and more of an influence with the ball at their feet.

In the end however it took an error by a young Scot to set up the goal, with Jamie Buchan's clearing header finding only Willie Falconer in the way and it was not long before Caniggia was slotting the ball past the exposed Alan Combe.

The Argentinian could have opened the scoring much earlier however as Javier Artero had set him up in the 10th minute with the sort of cross he usually buries - close in with all the goal to aim at. But Combe was able to block.

United's best opportunity had come a minute before when John Licina had come up for an unexpectedly free header. But his effort was more like a backpass and plopped gently into the arms of Marco Roccati.

Until Nemsadze's clincher, the second half cannot have been of much interest to anyone.

A Charlie Miller freekick that was tipped over acrobatically by Roccati and a David Hannah header that flashed over were United's best second half efforts.

It took a while for Dundee to match those efforts but it was worth the wait in the end.

Cannigia flicked a header over from a corner to stop TV sets being flicked off across the world and then he sent Nemsadze through for the Georgian to plant an exquisite chip over Combe that settled matters once and for all.

United had once again showed spirit but when it came to creating and taking chances they were not in Dundee's league.

Miller almost pulled one back with 10 minutes to go when a corner whizzed through a host of bodies into the six yard box but he could only divert it over.

Substitute Stephen McConologue fired a snapshot just wide but it was not United's day.

United could claim their preparations had been hampered by the absence through suspension of both first-choice centre backs.

De Vos had accumulated one too many bookings and an appeal to overturn Jim Lauchlan's red card at Motherwell last week was unsuccessful.

But in the end they were simply not good enough and the league table certainly reflects that tonight.