Aberdeen 3-2 Hearts: Ryan Hedges fires late winner after dramatic Premiership opener at Pittodrie

Aberdeen's players celebrate Ryan Hedges' late winner

Ryan Hedges scored Aberdeen's dramatic late winner as Derek McInnes' side started their home league campaign the way they finished the previous one, with victory against Hearts to settle a game that proved just how much the respective teams rely on Sam Cosgrove and Steven Naismith.

The Welshman took full advantage of a sweeping move involving Greg Leigh and fellow substitute Niall McGinn to lash the ball high into the roof of Bobby Zlamal's net to give Aberdeen a victory that had only looked in doubt for about ten minutes in the second half.

The consolation for Hearts fans was that period coincided with the return of Naismith, meaning the LA Philharmonic's concert last Friday night is now unlikely to be the only entertainment on view at Tynecastle between now and next May.

It only took seconds after coming off the bench for last season's top scorer to mark his permanent return from Norwich City with what until that point looked an unlikely equaliser with his first touch, a diving header after Craig Halkett had helped on Michael Smith's long throw.

Ten minutes later Aberdeen must have felt like they had been mugged as Naismith's pass to Uche Ikpeazu led to the big striker threading an equally incisive ball through ball for Jamie Walker's adroit finish to give them an improbable lead.

Any thoughts of only a second league win in ten games dating back to March evaporated though as indiscipline finally caught up with a team who had four players booked and Aaron Hickey sent off at a key moment.

The teenager's second yellow and a red for a needless foul on substitute McGinn was compounded when Clevid Dikamona clattered into the back of the same player when contesting the resulting free kick to concede a senseless penalty.

Cosgrove lashed that home, just as he has done with three previous spot kicks in Europe this season, to add to his early opener yesterday and take his tally to eight goals in five games this season and 27 in the last 33 overall.

Hedges then made sure Aberdeen head for Croatia and Thursday's Europa League 3rd round qualifier against Rijeka in high spirits while Hearts' trip back the capital was made all the more depressing by the news that the injury that forced John Souttar off in the first half looks like being ankle ligament damage.

Aberdeen in general, and Cosgrove in particular, had picked up where they left off against Chikhura Sachkhere last Thursday night and they could have been two goals ahead as quickly as they had been in that Europa League tie.

A double during a blistering opening 20 minutes of the eventual 5-0 drubbing handed out to the team from Georgia really should have been replicated here as Hearts struggled to come to terms with the pace and variety of the home side's attacks early on.