Dundee United travelled to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides started the match level on points in the league table, sitting fourth and fifth respectively, although Caley had two games in hand.
A win for either team would have seen them close the gap on second-placed Aberdeen to eight points, but neither club had recorded a victory in their last four outings.
Would there be at winner at Caledonian Stadium, or would two evenly matched sides cancel each other out? Find out how the game panned out below with Sports Mole's blow-by-blow updates.
Hello and thank you for joining Sports Mole for today's lunchtime kickoff at an icy Caledonian Stadium, where a pitch inspection has just been passed and the GAME IS ON.
Pitch conditions are far from ideal. The surface is very hard and slippy. If this was a Premiership match in England, I doubt the game would go ahead.
Nevertheless, it does and the TEAMS ARE IN...
Inverness XI: Brill, Raven, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Mckay, Doran, Ross, Tremarco, Williams, Polworth.
Inverness subs: Esson, Devine, Greenhalgh, Pepper, Gorman, Christie, Evans.
Dundee United XI: Cierzniak, Gunning, Paton, Rankin, Graham, Armstrong, Mackay-Steven, Wilson, Erskine, Souttar, Robertson.
Dundee United subs: McCallum, Dillon, Butcher, Dow, Gauld, Gomis, El Alagui.
PREDICTION: Inverness have already beaten United twice this season - 1-0 in the league in August and 2-1 in the cup in October. Much has changed at both clubs since then, but I think Caley will edge the Terrors again today. I'm going to go for another 1-0.
KICKOFF: Inverness get the game underway.
Bright start from the hosts. Right-back David Raven, making his first start since October, races to the byline, but takes a poor touch and the ball goes behind for a goal kick.
A sustained period of United possession ends when a long pass is played to Gary Mackay-Steven, who, with his back to goal, handles the ball on the edge of the penalty area.
The first corner of the game goes to Inverness as Billy McKay's low cross is blocked.
GOAL! Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-0 Dundee United (Billy McKay).
Inverness take the lead from the set piece. Danny Williams's cross is nodded down by Gary Warren into the path of McKay, who gets to the ball before the goalkeeper and volleys home from close range. His 15th league goal of the season, 18th in all competitions.
CHANCE! United almost level. A low free kick from the left is blocked by the foot of goalkeeper Dean Brill. The ball remains loose in the six-yard box, causing both sets of players to desperately hack at the ball in a scene reminiscent of a game of Hungry Hippos. The exchange ends when Inverness clear for a corner.
GOAL! Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-1 Dundee United (Keith Watson).
The Terrors equalise as Mackay-Steven's deep corner is powerfully dispatched high into the net by the head of defender Watson.
United have been the much better side since pulling level. The visitors have monopolised possession in the last five minutes.
A lofted through pass almost sends Aaron Doran in on goal, but the Inverness midfielder loses track of the ball and it hits him on the back.
Another attack from Inverness, who appear to have recovered from United's post-equaliser dominance. Williams swings in a teasing cross towards Nick Ross, but keeper Radoslaw Cierzniak does brilliantly to come out and gather under pressure.
POST! Poor miss from United's Brian Graham. An inswinging corner forces Brill to punch. The goalkeeper's clearance only finds Andrew Robertson on the edge of the penalty area. His shot is blocked by Warren, but the ball falls kindly to Graham in the six-yard box. The former Raith forward then stabs at the ball, which strikes the outside of the upright.
Mackay-Steven gets away down the left, but his low stinging drive is well saved by Brill.
McKay capitalises on an error from Jon Soutattar and races through on goal, only to shoot straight at Cierzniak.
Raven's cross is deflected for a corner, which causes confusion in the Terrors defence until the ball is hacked clear. Both sides have already scored from a corner today, but it would not surprise me if more goals came from set pieces this afternoon. Deliveries have been excellent.
WONDER SAVE! Doran embarks on a jinking run down the right and then stands a deep cross up towards McKay, whose header looks destined to find the top corner before Cierzniak just manages to tip over.
The corner is only half cleared and the ball eventually makes its way back into the box, where Ross unleashes a snap-shot on the turn. Cierzniak holds well.
Warren commits a foul on Graham, which is the 10th infringement of a generally well behaved half of football. There shouldn't be much stoppage time before the break, if any.
HALF TIME: Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-1 Dundee United.
No time is added on by referee John Beaton, who brings an entertaining first 45 minutes to a close.
Half-time stats:
Possession
Inverness: 48%
Dundee United: 52%
Shots (on target)
Inverness: 5(4)
Dundee United: 4(3)
Fouls
Inverness: 6
Dundee United: 4
Neither manager is making a substitution before the second half, but Ryan Gauld has been getting loose at the break.
KICKOFF: Play resumes as Dundee United kick off in the second half.
Early corner for Inverness...
Doran's cross eventually breaks to Ross, whose shot is blocked. The ball deflects back to Doran, who is offside.
SAVE! It is all Inverness so far in the second half. Doran chips towards Mckay and the league's topscorer flicks a header across goal, forcing a good stop out of Cierzniak.
INJURY! Unpleasant scenes here. Brian Graham is not going to be able to continue. He fell awkwardly and looks to have damaged his knee ligaments.
SUBSTITUTION: Graham is stretchered off and replaced by debutante Farid El Alagui.
Gary Warren is currently wearing odd boots. The Inverness defender took advantage of the break in play to replace his left boot, but not his right one. One white and one black!
CHANCE! Odd-boots Warren comes close to putting his side ahead from a Doran corner. He gets away from marker El Alagui, but heads wide at the far post. Really good opportunity.
MIX-UP! Graeme Shinnie sends a lofted back-pass towards Brill, who initially misses the ball, which then skids on towards his goal. Brill races back and just gets there in time to hack off his line and prevent an embarrassing own goal.
PENALTY TO INVERNESS! Soutattar brings down Shinnie. No booking.
PENALTY SAVED! Nick Ross's spot kick is too central and Cierzniak palms it out before Watson heads clear.
Ross tries to make amends for his failed penalty as he shoots from the edge of the area, but, again, Cierzniak comes out on top.
More pressure from Inverness. McKay's initial header loops up in the air, causing panic in the United box. The Caley forward almost retrieves the ball, but the Terrors just manage to hack clear. Nervy times.
CLOSE! At the other end, John Rankin hits a powerful effort from 25 yards that bounces inches wide of Brill's goal.
OFF THE POST! Dundee United attack down the left. Mackay-Steven sweeps in a cross to Chris Erskine, who sidefoots onto the woodwork from eight yards.
PENALTY SHOUT! Mackay-Steven gets ahead of Gary Warren, who makes a strong challenge from behind. The ball goes out of play and a corner is given. Warren seemed to get more player than ball there though. Lucky escape for Inverness!
All of a sudden, it is Inverness who are hanging on. Mackay-Steven's corner is well met by El Alagui, forcing a good low save out of Brill.
SUBSTITUTION: Inverness make their first change of the game. Ross is replaced by Ryan Christie.
SUBSTITUTION: Teenage midfielder Ryan Gauld, who is understood to have attracted interest from Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Everton, comes on for the Terrors, replacing Stuart Armstrong.
Both sides are pushing hard for the win now. As a result, the game has become very stretched.
El Alagui chests the ball down to Erskene, who juggles with it before volleying wide from 25 yards.
BOOKING! The first card of the day is shown to McKay for dissent.
SUBSTITUTION: Ben Greenhalgh is coming on for Inverness. The 21-year-old, who has appeared in multiple TV adverts as Cristiano Ronaldo's body double, replaces Danny Williams.
The fourth official's board goes up and signals FIVE MINUTES OF STOPPAGE TIME!
CHANCE! Carl Tremarco clips in a pass to Doran in the six-yard box. On the turn, Doran shoots left-footed, sending his low effort into the sidenetting.
Tremarco is involved again. The left-back hooks a cross towards Mckay, who loops a header just wide. That should be the last action of the game.
FULL TIME: Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-1 Dundee United.
An exciting game ends level, meaning that both sides are now without a win in five games. That result was also Inverness's first home draw of the season.
Full-time stats:
Possession
Inverness: 52%
Dundee United: 48%
Shots (on target)
Inverness: 10(7)
Dundee United: 8(3)
Fouls
Inverness: 12
Dundee United: 12
Match report: Click here.
Gary Mackay-Steven: "It's a good point for us. It's always difficult to come here."
On his side's penalty shout (77 mins), Mackay-Steven adds: "I don't think it was. Gary's made a really good tackle." Nice to hear, but, having seen the replay, I strongly disagree. Warren took out Mackay-Steven's standing leg.
That concludes our live coverage of this one. Thanks for joining Sports Mole. Goodbye for now.
Written by
Robert Summerscales
Robert Summerscales
