Ciftci at the double

Dundee United moved to within a point of Celtic at the top of the Premiership but they had to survive a late fight back from 10-man Ross County to win a thriller 3-2 at Global Energy Stadium.Nadir Ciftci scored the only goal of the first half to give United the edge and Stuart Armstrong doubled the lead three minutes after the turnaround.When Ciftci added a third goal just before the hour mark it looked all over as contest.But County hit back with goals from substitutes Yoann Arquin and Darren Maatsen, either side of a Liam Boyce sending-off, to give the home side hope.County made a good start to the match and Joe Cardle flashed a shot across goal in the seventh minute but there were no takers.At the other end United were awarded a free-kick in the dangerous position after Tony Dingwall brought down Conor Townsend but his effort flew over the crossbar.County won a free-kick of their own in an equally dangerous spot but Martin Woods lashed his shot straight at United goalkeeper Radoslaw Cierzniak.But it was the visitors who took the lead in the 21st minute. Erskine sent Ciftci on his way and he evaded a challenge and rounded Mark Brown to fire into the empty net.Armstrong almost made it 2-0 five minutes later but he was denied by the outstretched foot of Brown.The visitors pushed for a second goal before the break and Ciftci almost netted again in the 40th minute but his header from a Ryan Dow corner kick was cleared off the goal-line by Steven Ross.Martin Woods tried to catch Cierzniak out with a long range shot but the goalkeeper got down to his right-hand post to turn the ball behind for a corner.But in a breakaway move in the 48th minute United went further ahead. Calum Butcher went on a driving run down the middle before laying the ball off for Armstrong who took the ball beyond Brown and passed it into the net.County kept plugging away and a Jackson Irvine header in the box was turned behind for a corner by Jaroslaw Fojut.United broke upfield in the 57th and Ciftci got behind the County defence but he shot tamely at Brown.But the United defender made no mistake a minute later after Butcher put him clear. Ciftci shrugged off the attentions of Lewis Toshney and knocked the ball past Brown.Maatsen made an instant impression after coming off the County bench when he raced up the right touchline and sent a high ball over to the far post which Cierzniak clutched out of the air.But County pulled one back in the 76th minute when the ball fell for substitute Arquin on the edge of the box and he beat Cierzniak low down to his left.Arquin was almost in again a couple of minutes later when he raced in on goal but he lost control of the ball at the vital moment.It got worse for County in the 84th minute when they were reduced to 10 men when substitute Boyce was shown a straight red card for a wild challenge on Paul Paton.In a hectic finish County further reduced the deficit in the 89th minute when Woods slotted the ball through to Maatsen and he tucked a shot away from 12 yards.In stoppage time United substitute Gary MacKay-Steven was denied by a point-blank save from Brown as the visitors clinched all three points.