Kelle Roos saved a stoppage-time penalty from Dundee striker Joe Westley to earn Kilmarnock a potentially precious point in their battle for survival.
In a wild ending to an absorbing 2-2 draw, Jamie Brandon conceded a spot-kick for a foul on Scott Wright.
VAR then intervened to check the decision for an offside.
Six minutes elapsed before referee Ross Hardie finally went to the monitor to confirm the penalty.
And the long wait weighed on Westley, who was denied as Roos guessed correctly to spring to his right and save.
Kilmarnock remain in the relegation play-off spot, moving to within two points of St Mirren.
The home side’s bright start was rewarded with a 14th-minute opener. In-demand Luke Graham’s slack header out of defence dropped to Greg Kiltie and he helped the ball on to Bruce Anderson.
The striker turned smartly and his strike at goal was deflected into the path of Joe Hugill.
The former Manchester United prospect pounced to volley in his third goal for Killie.
Dundee hit back completely against the run of play in the 24th minute. Tony Yogane, a week-long injury doubt for the game, beat his man down the left and swung over a terrific delivery.
Simon Murray found space in between defenders to rise and bury a downward header from six yards.
Kilmarnock goalkeeper Roos was a relieved man three minutes later when he spilled a long-range Ethan Hamilton drive straight to Murray, who thought he had registered a rapid double.
VAR ruled it out for offside against Hardie.
Kilmarnock recovered well and got back on the front foot.
Billy Koumetio cleared Kiltie’s shot as far as Michael Schjonning-Larsen on the edge of the penalty box.
Dundee’s Simon Murray celebrates after scoring to make it 1-1
The Estonia international lashed a superb left-footed drive low into the bottom right-hand corner of Jon McCracken’s net.
Steven Pressley replaced Brad Halliday with Imari Samuels and moved Drey Wright to right-back for the second half.
That initially did not discourage Killie from hunting down a third.
Curtis went close with a back-post header and McCracken did well to smother from Hugill.
A trio of Pressley changes just before the hour, then Charlie Reilly’s introduction for Yogane, saw Dundee commit their substitutions by the 70-minute mark.
Kilmarnock’s Michael Schjonning-Larsen celebrates after scoring to make it 2-1
The fresh legs eventually paid off as Kilmarnock ran out of ideas and stopped making the right decisions in the final third.
Two subs combined for the leveller when Samuels split the Killie defence to send Scott Wright down the inside left channel and the ex-Rangers and Aberdeen forward sent a lovely finish past Roos.
Koumetio and Graham mopped up well as Killie desperately tried for a winner, but it was Dundee, with the last attack of the game, who got the chance to snatch all three points – and spurned it.
