Dundee ended a four-game losing streak as they came from behind to defeat St Mirren for a vital Scottish Premiership win.

Mikael Mandron's gift-wrapped opener for the visitors was quickly levelled by Alex Gogic's own goal before Drey Wright caught Shamal George out with a strike that found the net in off the post before half-time.

St Mirren pressed for an equaliser but were caught out in the final moments when Joe Westley curled a wonderful strike into the far corner.

Victory moves Steven Pressley's side above their opponents into ninth place in the table with St Mirren again left frustrated.

Stephen Robinson's men drop to second bottom and have now taken just a point from seven league outings since defeating Dundee at home in September.

All three of Dundee's league victories have come at home, something Pressley will likely to lean on as they look to move away from relegation trouble. If they do, this outcome will be one they look back on as utterly vital.

St Mirren were gifted the opener in catastrophic circumstances. Clark Robertson inexplicably played the ball to Mandron and he smashed it low past Jon McCracken, who barely moved such was his shock.

Home fans presumably expected the worst given how things have been going but they got a break immediately that turned this match in their favour.

Yan Dhanda fired towards goal, off target, but Gogic connected and that was enough to divert home for an instant equaliser.

That sparked the home crowd and team. Wright then seized on his chance to cut inside and unleashed a powerful accurate strike from an angle.

St Mirren relentlessly tried to muster an equaliser in the second half but Dundee stood firm and capitalised on their robustness when Westley delivered a brilliant finish late on to ensure a much-needed three points.

Dundee hadn't taken on the boost their victory over Celtic last month offered. Not a point since - until now.

Gifting an opener was catastrophic and common wisdom would have suggested another long 90 minutes for the home side.

To their credit, they found a route to turn the game on its head. The immediate equaliser left little time to dwell on that terrible concession and Wright's strike was another huge lift.

They then did extremely well to repel a St Mirren side who camped in their half in the second period.

There is a long way to go for Pressley to get his team firing consistently but this win will go a long way to assisting that journey.

St Mirren have, rightly, had plaudits this season for their displays but points win prizes and that's been badly lacking. Just two wins in the league after 13 fixtures tells its own story.

Robinson highlighted the issues pre-match. He was spot on. Not being clinical and conceding goals they ought not to. That perfectly summed up proceedings here.

They had decent chances before the opener but were wasteful. Wright should never have had the chance to strike and George in goal should have dealt with it. They then pinned Dundee back but couldn't fashion a clear opening.

Robinson described this as a "big week" building to the Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic in a fortnight. That occasion will take care of itself but their next fixture at Pittodrie now looks like one they really need something from.

Dundee head coach Steven Pressley: "A very big win in terms of confidence and breaking consecutive defeats. We showed the things we talked about all week - turning good performances into winning performances.

"To do that, you need the extra percentages and we did that in abundance today, the players' attitude towards the game was terrific.

"We went with a really offensive team, and thankfully we got the right outcome."

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "It's the same old story unfortunately. Eighteen-yard box to 18-yard box, really good. We had 18 shots, only three on target.

"They have eight shots, four on target, and score three goals. That's the difference. They take their opportunities. It's not good enough, not acceptable."

It doesn't get any easier for Dundee with a trip to face Celtic, who look set to have a new manager in place, on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).

St Mirren journey north to take on Aberdeen at the same time.