Kilmarnock 2-0 Dundee United

Nov 16 2008 Gordon Waddell Reports

A MOMENT of Moroccan magic from Mehdi Taouil sparked Kilmarnock into life and ended their five-game losing slump in style.

The midfielder's man-of-the-match show didn't kick off until 10 seconds before the break when his brilliance won a penalty that Jamie Hamill drilled home.

But after half-time Taouil was unplayable as he ran the right side of the Arabs defence ragged.

And with Jim Jefferies' first-choice back four all back in the fold they shut up shop behind David Fernandez's second on the hour and comfortably put United's 10-game unbeaten run to the sword.

Full-back Garry Hay said: "Skill-wise I've never played with anyone better than Mehdi.

"He has all the tricks and flicks but he has also been working on the end product and it's there now too.

"Honestly, you couldn't get the ball off him in a phone box he's so strong for his size. He'll definitely go on to bigger things.

"But to be fair I think we showed what we can do when we have most of our players available. We looked so solid today.

"The past couple of weeks we've just not turned up against the Old Firm but that's not our league.

"We now have 10 games before we play either of them again and that's where we need to pick up points."

Killie made five changes from their midweek defeat to Celtic - but it was the return of Simon Ford and Frazer Wright as a defensive pairing in particular that stiffened them up.

It's no coincidence the Rugby Park side's run of five straight defeats kicked off when injury pulled the duo apart.

And as soon as they were reunited they had the Arabs frontline stitched up tighter than a hooker's skirt in a first half desperately short on quality.

Not that either side was shy of a pass. Just that their completion of them was abysmal.

Only a spillage from keeper Alan Combe, fumbling a Sean Dillon cross to give Scott Robertson a look at goal that Wright had to shut down, pushed the punters' pulse-rate above flatline levels.

Neither keeper got his kit dirty - until 10 seconds before the break at least.

That's when Taouil kicked the game into life as he charged at Morgaro Gomis on the left flank.

The Moroccan dropped his shoulder, the Frenchman planted his left leg and tumbled him, and ref Euan Norris had a stonewaller to ease him gently into the world of SPL. Hamill drilled the penalty right down the centre.

And on the hour Killie killed the game with a goal that will have gutted Tannadice gaffer Craig Levein.

Bad enough that Hay's cross from the left was uncontested.

United were lucky Conor Sammon missed the header.

But season-long stand-out Paul Dixon let James Fowler skin him on the other flank as well, and that was a sure sign the tank was empty.

He hit the byeline, cut the ball back perfectly and Fernandez slotted home high with a sweet side-foot.

If there was even a flicker of life left in United that snuffed it out.

Norris knocked back a decent penalty claim at either end, one for a stick-on Dixon handball the other when Willie Gibson clipped Jon Daly.

But neither made a difference as Killie cruised it in the end.

The win puts them fifth, just four points off the third spot they held earlier in the season.

Boss Jefferies grinned: "We were playing a team who'd been flying and we proved when we have everyone fit we can do that.

"We've got a run of games now, four out of six at home, and if we can pick up a good few points maybe even a win away we'll be right in it by the turn of the year."

REF WATCH

EUAN NORRIS had a steady enough start to life in the SPL. The rookie booked four, tried to avoid stacking up any more but wasn't helped by his assistants at a couple of decent penalty claims he ended up knocking back. Rating: 6/10.

Shorts on 1

Shorts off 4

Offside 8

Fouls 14

Corners 2

Ranking 8

Shorts on 2

Shorts off 8

Offside 1

Fouls 22

Corners 2

Ranking 1