Simon Murray was booked twice for diving and sent off as Dundee United drew with Hamilton Academical in the Premiership play-off final first leg. United striker Murray was cautioned in the first half after falling when approached by Massimo Donati. Then, with 13 minutes remaining, the United striker appeared to be fouled by Scott McMann just inside the box. However, referee Steven McLean, on the advice of his assistant, showed a second yellow and then a red card. United manager Ray McKinnon told BBC Scotland the club will appeal against the decision, which would mean Murray would be free to play in the return leg on Sunday. However, Hamilton could be without Donati and Dougie Imrie, both of whom finished the match despite suffering injuries. Hamilton did not let a raucous Tannadice atmosphere stop them from settling and the best chances of the first half fell to them.

Danny Redmond put himself in a great position for Rakish Bingham's low cross from the right but the Englishman scuffed his effort at the near post. That was followed by David Templeton playing a superb through ball for Bingham to race on to, only to watch his low shot repealed by United goalkeeper Cammy Bell. In-form Murray tested Accies goalkeeper Remi Matthews and there was a bit of a defensive mix-up between Donati and Alex Gogic at one point as well to show that United also had presence as an attacking force. Imrie did well to take the ball off the toe of a threatening Murray, who then picked up his first booking following a challenge by Donati.

At the start of the second half, 18-goal striker Murray was being cursed by his manager McKinnon for opting to shoot instead of playing in the better placed Blair Spittal. But the manager's stare was soon being trained on Wato Kuate instead after an act of ill-discipline that McKinnon later suggested will "absolutely" spell the end of the midfielder's United career. Soon after becoming embroiled in an argument with team-mate Mark Durnan, the 21-year-old was replaced and chose to angrily stomp directly towards tunnel at the corner of the pitch rather than meet his replacement - Charlie Telfer - at the halfway time. Matthews then made a brilliant one-handed save from a Mikkelsen header and then an equally good stop from Durnan, albeit referee McLean blew for a foul. United were controlling the second half but the introduction of Greg Docherty gave life to Accies and he combined with Louis Longridge to create a chance that Ali Crawford sidefooted over. But all that was overshadowed by the game's most contentious moment when McMann appeared to nick Murray's knee in the box, with referee McLean seeming to take instruction from his assistant before producing the second yellow.