Aberdeen 3 - 3 Dundee

Match Summary

Aberdeen's long winning run came to an end this afternoon at Pittodrie but they produced a fantastic fightback to claim what could yet be a very important point and retain their unbeaten run.

The Dons started the game very strongly and opened the scoring through Goodwillie on 7 minutes. Aberdeen dominated the early stages and wasted a great chance to go further ahead on 21 minutes. Dundee then scored through Gary Irvine on 38 minutes. It was a fine finish from the player whose mistake had led to the opening Aberdeen goal. It meant Scott Brown's shut out record ended on 758 minutes. Two minutes later the Dons keeper had conceded another one when Greg Stewart scored a very well taken goal.

At the start of the second half Adam Rooney hit the post before Dundee went up the park and added a third - Harkins' shot deflected in by Ash Taylor. Then Taylor limped off with a bad looking injury and the central defence must now be a major doubt for the league Cup semi-final.

The Dons kept fighting but never really looked like getting back into the game until substitute Lawrence Shankland won the Reds a penalty with three minutes to go. Hayes convert and then the large Dons support of almost 17,000 came to life. They spurred the Aberdeen players on and in injury time a good move was finished off by Ryan Jack from close range after another assist by Shankland.


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Match report

Derek McInnes once again named an unchanged line up. So in the familiar 4-1-4-1 formation Brown was in goal with Logan at right back, Reynolds and Taylor were in central defence with Considine at left back. Ryan Jack was the holding midfielder with Hayes and Pawlett alongside him. McGinn was wide right, Rooney wide left, although again they moved about and Goodwillie was upfront. Willo Flood return to the squad and was on the bench.

Aberdeen, who did not start the game that well at St Mirren last weekend, started a lot stronger this afternoon. In the first couple of minutes Adam Rooney put over a dangerous low ball across the box but no one could get on the end of it. Then the Dons won the first corner of the game after only three minutes. From it the ball bounced about before Harkins miskicked a clearance straight to Reynolds at the back of the area. The Dons skipper showed great technical skill to get in a powerful volley and it forces Bain into a smart save and the former Dons keeper, who was in such good form in the Scottish Cup tie, even managed hold onto the ball.

Then on 7 minutes the Dons took an early lead. Niall McGinn stole the ball, he played it to Rooney who drove into the box and crossed for Goodwillie to score. McGinn showed great hunger to win the ball from Gary Irvine and then it was great passing play from Niall and Adam to give David an easy tap-in at the back post.

The Dons then went for the jugular and the Dundee defence really struggled to deal with Aberdeen's pace.

However Dundee have scored a lot of goals this season and on 14 minutes Scott Brown was called into action. Dundee top scorer Greg Stewart stepped inside Jonny Hayes and hit a good shot which the Dons keeper had to push to safety. On 16 minutes Aberdeen won another corner but could not do anything with it.

In the opening 20 minutes Dundee had some good possession without threatening. Aberdeen meanwhile looked very dangerous going forward and on 21 minutes the Dons really should have added a second. A through ball sent David Goodwillie clear and the Dons had a three on two situation after the visitors tried to play offside. He could have gone himself but instead decided to set up Jonny Hayes who was in the centre of the area. Bain had anticipated the cut-back and made a block. The ball then fell to Rooney but he was at too tight an angle and fired over. In hindsight David probably should have gone himself.

You wondered at that stage if the Dons would regret wasting such a good opportunity.

A few minutes later a good ball from the left from Hayes and Rooney was almost there but Bain made a very good save cutting the ball out at the striker's feet. Hayes then fired a shot just over.

Just before the half hour mark central defender Davidson was booked for hand ball on the edge of the area after good play by Goodwillie. Aberdeen had a free kick right on the edge of the penalty box. The wall was all the way back on the 6 yard box. McGinn cracked in a shot which hit someone's head in the wall and went just over with Bain beaten.

On 33 minutes Dundee won a corner and with Harkins delivery they are always a threat. The Dons defence did just enough to stop any Dundee player getting in a clean header and then Brown saved from Tankulic.

Aberdeen then had another spell of possession and Ryan Jack had a chance but he did not connect well enough with his shot.

But then Dundee turned the game on its head.

On 38 minutes Scott Brown's shut out record was finally ended. Gary Harkins did well to win the ball just outside the area. Alex Harris, a recent loan signing from Hibs, played in full back Gary Irvine who burst onto the ball and into the box and fired a good shot past Brown who had no chance. A good finish but one of the

Aberdeen defenders should have got closer to him to make a block.

The goal galvanised the visitors who were now looking a completely different side and on 40 minutes Paul Hartley's side took the lead. You have to say it was a very good goal as well. Luka Tankulic played a neat back flick to return the ball into the path of Greg Stewart who had cut off his left wing and fired home his 12th goal of the season with a shot with the outside of his foot. Stewart had a very good game and the goal was no more than he deserved.

Aberdeen must have been sitting in the dressing room at half time regretting not getting a second goal when they were so much on top.

HT

At the start of the second half Rooney hit the post at one end and within seconds the Dons found themselves 3-1 behind.

On 47 minutes Rooney had a great chance but he scuffed his shot and hit the post and the ball bounced out to safety. Within second Dundee had gone up the park and put over a dangerous cross. Taylor half cleared the ball with his left foot but it went straight to Harkins who then fired the ball straight back in and Taylor managed to stick out his right foot which deflected the ball past Brown.

On 54 minutes Aberdeen had a very strong penalty claim turned down. There was a real stramash in the six yard box with Rooney in the middle of it all. It was almost like a rugby scrum at one point with Scott Bain on the floor desperately trying to grab the ball. Alan Muir let the play go on despite the fact at one point Adam Rooney was given a 'bear hug'.

On the hour mark thing got even worse for the Dons when they suffered a major injury blow. Ash Taylor limped off with a knee injury and he must be a serious doubt for the semi-final which is only two weeks away. Willo Flood came on for him and then Cammy Smith came on for Peter Pawlett.

The last half hour was going to be a very open and a stretched game as Dundee were packing the defence and then hitting the Dons on the break. They actually wasted a couple of good chances on the break when they had the numerical advantage.

There were a lot of niggling fouls which stopped the flow of the game and stopped the Dons getting any momentum going. The pitch was also cutting up a bit which stopped the Dons moving the ball quickly on the deck.

On 62 minutes a half chance for McGinn. The ball came over from the left and Niall tried a scissors kicked but his shot from about 10 yards out was always off target.

The Dundee players were working were hard to close the red shirts down. Greg Stewart was doing a good job of pinning down Shay Logan and the right back was not getting forward much. Also in midfield, during the first 30 minutes of this game Ryan Jack was once again immense but after that Kevin Thomson became quite influential and Dundee did a good job on Jack, Pawlett and Hayes.

On 75 minutes another penalty shout for the Dons when Willo Flood's shot was blocked in the box.
As the game went on you had the feeling it was going to be one of those days. They got no luck or break of the ball any time they did make it into the Dundee box. Highlighted when on 78 minutes a shot from Flood took a deflection and landed in the arms of Bain.

With 82 minutes gone a final change for the Dons - Lawrence Shankland came on for Rooney and on 85 minutes a shot was cleared off the line by Dundee and you thought that was that.

No one could have predicted what was about to happen next, certainly not something we have seen happen at Pittodrie for a long time.

The Dons went back to front in the desperate hope they could get a break in the box and on 87 minutes they got it when Shankland was taken down and Muir pointed to the spot. Jonny Hayes took the pen with Rooney being off the park and although Bain guessed the right way Jonny's shot was angled in the corner enough to beat him.

All of a sudden the crowd got right back into the game and gave the Dons players a new lease of life. There were a few tired legs in the Dundee camp. In injury time the ball was played long and McGinn down the left did well to play it back into the path of Jonny Hayes. Jonny floated a cross into the box which was flicked on by Smith to Logan. Shay did really well to put an early first time ball back into the danger area before the Dundee defence could get set and Shankland headed the ball goal ward. Ryan Jack was then in the right place to fire home from a few yards out and Pittodrie erupted.

There was still time for the Dons to get a winner and if there had been much more time on the clock they might have done just that but Harkins used all his experience to win the ball down the other end and kill the game and the Dons had to settle for a point.