Free-wheeling Aberdeen survive Hearts test on Duk's redemption day - but Celtic-sized roadblock looms
Nobody can stop this red juggernaut. Not yet, anyway. Aberdeen made it seven Premiership wins on the spin with this dramatic 3-2 win over Hearts at Pittodrie. These are heady days in the north east.
Jimmy Thelin's free-wheeling team were not at their best here. They suffered against a spirited Hearts side that were in Azerbaijan, some 3000 miles away, less than 72 hours previously. On balance of play, a draw might have been fairer. But the Dons don't care for fortune. After visiting midfielder Jorge Grant was sent off with 15 minutes to go at 2-2, Aberdeen poured forward in search of the winner. This old stadium went absolutely bonkers when substitute Ante Palaversa lifted the ball high into the net on 88 minutes.
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Hide AdThe goal was borne out of the redemption story of Duk, the Cape Verdian forward who went AWOL over the summer. Gently reintegrated into the group, he came off the bench for his first appearance of the season and drove down the wing to set up Palaversa's winner.
Aberdeen are now locked at the top of the league with Celtic on 21 points. Their next assignment is away at the champions a week on Saturday. They are already a whopping 19 points ahead of bottom-placed Hearts, who are still without a manager - and a win - in the league this season.
Those churlish enough to question Aberdeen's unblemished start to the season point to a lack of testing fixtures and playing teams after they've been in Europe the midweek before. You can only beat what is in front of you. Aberdeen's beginning under their new Swedish coach has been tremendous. What a lift he has given the Dons. "Bring on Celtic," rang around the Red Shed.
They will need to improve from this performance against Brendan Rodgers' fellow high-flyers, though. The match hinged on Grant's dismissal for a second booking because Hearts had more than matched them, even briefly taking the lead in a contest that snorted from end to end. The Dons carry a speedy, clever threat in attack but are also insecure at the back. A better team would have punished them here.
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Hide AdFor Hearts, a draining week ended painfully. The win over Dinamo Minsk in the Europa Conference League on Thursday clearly restored some confidence to the team, but there is still a fragility about the Jambos. They are a club that requires a new head coach urgently. That matter is expected to develop swiftly over the international break. St Mirren visit Tynecastle on October 19, where a victory is required to stop the bleeding.
Nearly 20,000 souls crammed into Pittodrie for a match that recently has always gone the way of the home side. Before kick-off, legendary figure Neil Simpson was given a flag display for 35 years of service to the club. The show merely cranked up the expectation.
Given Hearts' travel-heavy schedule, the last thing any weary minds and bodies needed was the concession of an early goal. Aberdeen, however, opened the scoring just two minutes in when Topi Keskinen's effort took a massive deflection off Kye Rowles to loop the ball over a stranded Craig Gordon.
It is to Hearts' credit that they did not wilt. In fact, they rallied. Lawrence Shankland shot straight at Dimitar Mitov after Kenneth Vargas had blocked a Gavin Molloy clearance, and then the Hearts captain fired over from close range after a teasing Blair Spittal delivery.
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Hide AdKinsgley, struggling with an injury, was replaced by James Penrice at left-back, but the switch benefitted the visitors. Penrice and Yan Dhanda continued to double up on Aberdeen right-back Nicky Devlin and Hearts' best openings in general play came down that side.
The equaliser arrived on 36 minutes. Mitov fumbled an inswinging corner from Penrice and the ball fell in the box to Shankland. The Hearts skipper hooked the ball back across goal and Frankie Kent bundled home at the back post to deservedly restore parity.
Hearts should have taken the lead on 54 minutes when Vargas pounced on Gavin Molloy and Jack MacKenzie but as the Costa Rican bore down on goal, he showed no composure and chipped wildly over the bar. The same cannot be said of the impressive Blair Spittal, who eight minutes later lashed home a screamer from distance following a corner. It was the playmaker's first goal for the club.
The lead, however, lasted two minutes. The ball bounced up to Devlin just inside the penalty box and he caressed it on the volley past Craig Gordon. The short-lived nature of Hearts' ascendancy proved costly.
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Hide AdAs did Grant's tired, ill-advised lunge on Duk on 75 minutes. It left his jaded team-mates short as Aberdeen chased the winner. It came on 88 minutes as Duk scuttled past Adam Forrester down the left and his cutback was converted sumptuously by Palaversa.
No unlucky 13 for Thelin - that's the number of competitive wins under his watch. Aberdeen are motoring, but a significant green-and-white speedbump looms.
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