This was a game which really tested the visitors as Dundee United did not play badly.
In fact, the Terrors played quite well but the Jam Tarts, particularly in the opening 20 minutes, were awesome.
The game began at a tremendous pace with two blistering shots at each end which both keepers could not hold.
Firstly a Barry Robson 20-yard piledriver then a low Rudi Skacel shot.
But the visitors grabbed the lead in the sixth minute when Julien Bellier's curling free-kick caught Lee Miller sleeping, allowing captain Steven Pressley to shoot and glide the ball into the net from eight yards.
The Tangerines were not intent in sitting back and really should have equalised four minutes later when Jim McIntyre headed Robson's corner over from four yards.
And they were punished for this miss as it was two in the 12th minute when, again, the visitors took advantage of some slack defending.
A poor header from Grant Brebner fell to Paul Hartley, who lobbed the ball back in for Roman Bednar to turn and smack a low drive past the stranded Derek Stillie.
The chances continued to fall at both ends with both keepers kept busy.
Again, in the 31st minute McIntyre should have scored with a flicked header from six yards, but it brushed past the post.
A fantastic save from Craig Gordon opened the second period, touching Robson's header around the post. United continued to dominate possession and were unlucky on the hour when Miller knocked in an offside goal.
But despite United having most of the pressure, the Jam Tarts had the final say with a hotly contested Skacel goal in injury time.