As well as water from the sprinklers during play, goals also rained down on Dens Park as Hibs ran out 4-2 winners.
There were the ones that counted but also two second-half headers from home substitute Kenny Miller that didn’t because of the assistant referee’s flag.
Dundee played well at times but the visitors eventually raced away from them in a hugely-entertaining match.
Hibernian took the lead on 26 minutes through Florian Kamberi after poor defending from Genseric Kusunga. Paul McGowan levelled for the Dens men on 35 minutes only for the Easter Road side to edge ahead again thanks to Marc McNulty.
After the break, McNulty grabbed his second to make it 3-1 before a superb strike from Stevie Mallan made sure the points headed back to Edinburgh. Martin Woods hit back on 79 minutes for the hosts but it was too late.
The Dark Blues had made a couple of changes to the team that won at Livingston.
The bad news was that on-form frontman Andrew Nelson hadn’t shaken off the injury he aggravated when celebrating his goal. He was replaced by Jesse Curran. Paul McGowan also made the starting line-up at the expense of Andreas Hadenius.
The Dens men were looking for only their second home league win of the season or, to put it another way, they were three matches unbeaten.
There was early controversy at a Dundee corner when Ryan McGowan appeared to be fouled by Mark Milligan but play was waved on. It should have been a penalty.
There was then an injury scare for the hosts on eight minutes when Scott Wright stayed down after a heavy challenge but he recovered.
Paul McGowan did well to get a foot in as Kamberi prepared to shoot and managed to deflect the ball off the Hibs man for a goalkick.
With 15 minutes on the clock, Dundee’s Wright tried his luck with a strike only for the it to be blocked. The ball then fell to Jesse Curran, whose low drive just cleared the far post.
That was a good chance for the Dark Blues but Hibs made an even better one on 20 minutes when Mallan was played in by Lewis Stevenson. He should have squared it but instead shot on the angle and Dundee goalie Seny Dieng made a decent stop.
Wright’s freekick was headed over his own goal by Hibs defender Darren McGregor on 25 minutes before the Edinburgh capitalised on some terrible home defending.
Centre-back Kusunga was at fault when he was easily brushed aside by Kamberi, who had been chasing a pass from McNulty. Kusunga appeared to be favourite but he ended up on the floor and the Swiss picked his spot from 12 yards to make it 1-0.
It was a self-inflicted wound but the home team couldn’t afford to dwell on it.
Goalie Dieng then came to the Dark Blues’ rescue on 33 minutes when he pushed a McNulty half-volley over the bar.
Just as the Hibees looked like they were taking control, though, Dundee equalised on 35 minutes.
It was a lovely finish from Paul McGowan, who flicked the ball past keeper Ofir Marciano from seven yards. The build-up was all about Wright, who made his way towards the box, tormented defender David Gray, then chipped to his teammate.
There were only four minutes between that and Hibernian’s second, however.
It was yet another fine goal, with the impressive McNulty the scorer. It came from a quick throw-in, with Kamberi picking out Daryl Horgan. The latter then fired the ball across goal and McNulty slid in to score at the back post.
Ryan McGowan was booked for hauling down McNulty four minutes after the restart only to be kicked by his opponent. Dieng dealt well with the resultant freekick from Mallan.
A lightning quick break by Dundee on 54 minutes, started by Paul McGowan, almost ended in an equaliser when Andy Dales ran 40 yards only to see his shot pushed away by Marciano.
The hosts made a change two minutes later, when Miller came on for Craig Curran, and they came close again when Marciano denied Wright.
With 63 minutes gone, though, the Hibees were 3-1 up. It was another good move, albeit with some luck involved. Stevenson fed the ball to Mallan, who cut across the edge of the box before Dieng parried his shot. The ball broke out to the inrushing McNulty, who prodded it into the empty net.
If that one was a bit fortunate, there was nothing lucky about Hibernian’s fourth. Mallan was the scorer and his strike from 25 yards was an absolute beauty.
There were a couple of comical moments to follow, with first the sprinklers going off in the visitors’ half during play then a “goal” by Dundee sub Miller, which had been chalked off for offside, getting the full announcement over the Tannoy.
Remarkably, on 78 minutes, the Dark Blues had another “goal” disallowed for offside, with Miller again the “scorer.”
It was third time lucky, though, a minute later when Dundee captain Woods was found a Wright knock-down and volleyed past Marciano to end the scoring.
Attendance: 6,450.
Dundee: Dieng, Ralph, Woods, Kusunga, Wright, R. McGowan, Dales (Robson 65), P. McGowan (O’Sullivan 65), C. Curran (Miller 56), J. Curran, Horsfield. Subs not used: Parish, Kerr, O’Dea, Hadenius.
Hibs: Marciano, Gray, Hanlon, Milligan, Horgan (Omeonga 62), Slivka, McNulty (Shaw 64), Mallan, Stevenson, Kamberi, McGregor. Subs not used: Bogdan, Nelom, Bigirimana, Mackie, Allan.
Referee: John Beaton.
