Simon Murray’s early double wasn’t enough to earn Dundee a first win in five games as bottom club Livingston fought back to salvage a point in their desperate fight for Scottish Premiership survival.

Dundee got off to the perfect start, taking the lead within three minutes. Yan Dhanda’s corner was nodded on by Tony Yogane and Murray was on hand at the near post to lash home.

Only 127 seconds later, the Dundee captain netted his second, nodding in from a Cameron Congreve cross.

Livingston roared back into it, making it 2-1 when Lewis Smith saw his deflected shot go in off the post after a flowing passing move.

The Lions drew level after 19 minutes, with a lot of help from Dundee’s Jon McCracken. The goalkeeper made a mess of a simple passback under pressure from Robbie Muirhead and when the ball broke to Scott Pittman the midfielder rolled it into an empty net.

The second half couldn’t match the excitement of the first, though Dundee had a chance to snatch three points right at the death when Congreve’s shot squirmed under Jerome Prior, but the keeper clawed it back on the line.

The draw gives Marvin Bartley his first point since taking over from David Martindale but a lack of cutting edge, and further defensive lapses, mean little has changed for the side rooted to the bottom of the table and who haven’t won since August.

Livingston are now eight points behind second-bottom Kilmarnock, who host Celtic on Sunday, while Dundee move up a place to ninth.