Aberdeen’s Scottish Premiership title challenge suffered a huge setback when they were held to a 1-1 draw by battling Dundee at Dens Park.
Leading 1-0 in a game they were largely controlling, the Dons were pegged back 20 minutes from time when Stephen McGinn conjured up a precious equaliser which will have been well received at Celtic Park in Glasgow.
Adam Rooney had given the visitors a well-deserved lead 10 minutes before the break but their failure to capitalise on their much greater possession may well come back to haunt them during the final few weeks of the season.
On a bright sunny day, it was the hosts who – against the run of play – fashioned the first real chance of the game when Stephen McGinn jinked his way past a number of defenders only to pull his shot wide of Jamie Langfield’s right post after 26 minutes.
Eleven minutes later, towards the end of a largely uninspiring first half, the visitors finally broke the deadlock when Andrew Driver managed to find enough space to nudge the ball into the path of Rooney who quickly dispatched it into the top right-hand corner of the net from 10 yards.
The Dons were denied, what appeared to be a clear penalty, three minutes before the break when Niall McGinn’s shot struck the hand of Willie Dyer and spun out of play, but referee Craig Thomson opted to point at the corner flag rather than the penalty spot.
Aberdeen also started the second half strongly and could have added a second on 48 when Scott Bain had to be alert to push away a 12-yard header from Rooney.
Although the Dons remained the team in charge on the east coast, Dundee were presented with an excellent opportunity to level matters on the hour mark when David Clarkson hooked a volley wide from 12 yards.
And Dundee did force an equaliser with 21 minutes remaining thanks both to their own persistence and some inexplicable defending by Ryan Jack who stopped the ball from running out of play for a Dark Blues’ thrown-in by back-heeling it into the path of Alex Harris whose cross was turned in by McGinn from a difficult angle.
As Aberdeen searched for a winner, that would have moved them level on points with leaders Celtic for a few hours at least, Bain dived to deny McGinn whose header 14 minutes from time looked certain to sneak in at the far post.
Both sides did their best to snatch a late winner but, despite plenty of goalmouth action, neither were able to put the finishing touches to a handful of half chances leaving Celtic more satisfied than either of the teams trudging off the pitch.
Source: Teamtalk