Aberdeen had to show their resilience and then some as they scored a late winner in front of a packed-out Pittodrie to maintain their unbeaten winning run in the SPFL.
In a topsy-turvy clash that featured both teams taking the lead and a red card for Jorge Grant, it was Aberdeen that emerged victorious. Ante Palaversa’s 88 th -minute strike proved to be the decisive goal after Frankie Kent and Blair Spittal and got Hearts back into the game.
Topi Keskinen has been a stand-out for Aberdeen since he arrived from HJK in the summer, and he made the perfect start to this game, his deflected shot spun in, leaving Craig Gordon no chance in the Hearts goal.
The Dons got complacent, though, and Hearts soon took control for large parts of the game. Shankland has been criticised by some in the Hearts support this season, and he missed a couple of chances that will have done little to quell the critics.
Hearts soon got their reward as Frankie Kent’s close-ranged header found the back of the net on the 36 th -minute mark. Mitov has been highly praised for Aberdeen this season, but he made a meal of a Hearts corner, and Shankland provided a smart assist
to find Kent towards the back post.
Kenneth Vargas has long been a target for the Hearts support this season, but his inconsistency cost them again at the start of the second half. A mistake at the back from Gavin Molloy left him and Shankland one-on-one with Mitov, but with Shankland begging for the pass, Vargas went for a chipped finish only for the ball to sail over, leaving Shankland furious with his winger.
Hearts were fully in the ascendancy by the hour mark, and it was the away fans making all the noise as they continued to urge their side forward. Blair Spittal then produced a moment of pure quality as he recovered the ball on the Hearts 18-yard line, and his curled strike into the bottom corner left Mitov with no chance after Aberdeen were slow to press the ball.
That goal finally seemed to wake Aberdeen up; a sense of urgency came about their play, and a sold-out Pittodrie was finally starting to make their voice heard. Just minutes after Hearts took the lead, Aberdeen broke down the right. Keskinen’s cross was initially blocked, but Nicky Devlin conjured an instinctive volley into the far corner past Gordon to tie the game.
It was during the madness that Dons boss Jimmy Thelin reintroduced wantaway Dons forward Duk back into the team, replacing Kevin Nisbet. Duk would be involved in the action just a little later as Jorge Grant pulled the forward down. The ref deemed it to b an intentional foul, and Grant was given his second yellow card, with Hearts being reduced to ten men.
Hearts were starting to fade, their midweek trip to Azerbaijan slowly starting to seep into their legs with Aberdeen players starting to run off them. Duk was then involved again, beating his man and getting down the touchline, his cut-back found Ante Palaversa,
who smashed that ball into the roof of the net, Pittodrie erupting in celebration.
Full Time Aberdeen 3-2 Hearts
Dons boss Thelin has now won all 13 of his games since arriving from Elfsborg in the summer but faces his toughest test after the international break when he takes the Dandies to face Celtic at Celtic Park. The clash between the two league leaders will see
both sides put their unbeaten records on the line.
For Hearts, it is another game that goes by without a win in the league. Interim Head Coach Liam Fox told the club media channel he was “frustrated” that the small margins went against them in a game he felt they dominated. The result sees Hearts rooted to
the bottom of the league, and they face a St Mirren side after the international break as they look to pick up their first league win.