St Johnstone 2-0 Dundee: Callum Hendry & Matty Kennedy settle derby

Bottom club Dundee slumped to a sixth straight Scottish Premiership defeat and remain two points adrift after losing at St Johnstone.

Callum Hendry converted a Richard Foster cross on his first start of the season, before Matty Kennedy's second-half strike settled the Tayside derby.

Dundee were let down by poor finishing, Ethan Robson botching a volley at 1-0.

Jim McIntyre's side are six points from safety with six games remaining, while the Perth men are eighth.

Despite their relegation fears, Dundee were lively in a terrific first half full of chances, but wilted as soon as the hosts scored a second.

Tommy Wright's St Johnstone have now won two of their last three after a nine-game run without victory and are two points behind Motherwell in seventh.

• Reaction & as it happened

Cutting edge the difference

Both sides were lacking confidence after poor recent runs, but you would not have known it from the whirlwind start. There was a zip to the passing and plenty of attacking intent as both pressed for a goal.

Chris Kane had the ball in the net after Dundee goalkeeper Seny Dieng superbly saved a Ross Callachan effort, only for the offside flag to cut short the striker's celebrations.

Most of Dundee's opportunities fell to Kenny Miller, the best of them when the veteran striker rounded Zander Clark but elected to square the ball rather than shoot.

St Johnstone capitalised on that let-off by sweeping upfield to take the lead. Foster's deep cross from the right found Hendry to claim his second St Johnstone goal.

Kane had a fresh-air swipe and Callachan just failed to connect with a cross as the hosts sought a second.

But Dundee were giving as good as they got. Martin Woods had Clark worried with a deflected 25-yard drive that the keeper just managed to scramble behind.

And the visitors should have been level just two minutes into the second half when Robson was guilty of a glaring miss after Jesse Curran's right-wing cross picked him out.

Kennedy then grabbed the limelight. First, he cut in from the left and arrowed a right-foot 25-yarder towards the top corner, only for Dieng to make a brilliant stop.

The attacker was not to be denied, though, and a couple of moments later he drove past James Horsfield and angled the ball past Dieng to clinch just a second win in 12 for the Perth men.

The winger later needed treatment as he lay on the deck after a clash of heads with Ryan McGowan. But it's Dundee who are left dazed and demoralised at the bottom of the table.

'Not good enough in both boxes' - reaction

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright: "I'm pleased with the performance and it was a great response to Saturday's disappointing result against Motherwell.

"Matty's goal summed up our performance and it was a great finish from Callum for the first."

Dundee boss Jim McIntyre: "That's been the story of our season, we've not been good enough in both boxes. We create a couple of great chances and have to score, especially on the run we are.

"The one crumb of comfort is we haven't lost any ground at the bottom of the table."