Dons delighted to reach a perfect 10
DEREK McINNES’ team may have been unable to mount a credible title challenge to Celtic, but their own version of ten-in-a-row surely ends any anxiety about surrendering second place to Rangers.
It took a Gary Warren own goal to help Aberdeen secure a tenth straight home win and beat the tally of nine recorded by Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986. But Dons fans were not complaining as the victory opened up a 13-point lead over their Ibrox rivals.
Even if that is cut back to ten at Rugby Park tonight, Pedro Caixinha will bring Rangers to the Granite City on Sunday knowing his team need a miracle to finish runners-up.
Aberdeen’s massive goal difference advantage effectively means they would have to lose four of their last seven fixtures to have any concerns about being overhauled. But McInnes refused to take anything for granted and said: ‘We’ve to face Rangers twice, Celtic, St Johnstone twice and Hearts, so you’re into some tough games. Everyone will find that.
‘It’ll be difficult to keep that winning run going that we’re on. But we look forward to the game nonetheless.
‘If you said we’d be 13 points clear of Rangers, I’d be delighted. We look forward to Sunday when it comes along. We’ve been producing a good level of performance.
‘Individually, the players have been performing at a good level. Tonight, we didn’t get to that; a combination of us being a wee bit leggy and a good Inverness performance.
‘Even when we’ve not been at our best, we’ve found a way to win. I thought we deserved the win, even though we weren’t at our best. ‘But it is great to beat the nine home wins achieved by that great Aberdeen side in 1986.’ This Aberdeen team attack with a combination of pace, movement and intensity that most opponents find hard to resist, although Inverness did their best to disrupt that last night. Not that the defensive side of Aberdeen’s game is neglected, as they have only conceded eight goals at home in 15 league matches and not a single one in the last 531 minutes. The only consolation for Caley Thistle is they are not completely cut adrift just yet, but the omens are far from encouraging for a side whose top scorer is their left wing-back. At least Carl Tremarco was fit enough to start, with Henri Anier and Liam Polworth returning to try and increase the support and supply to Billy Mckay. After 18 minutes, Polworth ran fully 50 yards before picking out Mckay, but the striker’s left-foot shot from inside the area was brilliantly beaten away by Aberdeen goalkeeper Joe Lewis.
That was only temporary respite, though, as Aberdeen picked up where they left off in their 7-0 destruction of Dundee at Dens Park last week with a fluidity and quality to their play that always threatened to deliver goals.
The dispiriting thing for Inverness boss Richie Foran (left) was that it did not take any great ingenuity to make the breakthrough when the Dons did go in front after 22 minutes.
Ash Taylor was unmarked as he moved on to a simple Jonny Hayes corner into the six-yard box and, unfortunately for the visitors, the ball spun in off Caley Thistle captain Warren.
Just before that, Dons-bound Greg Tansey squandered a great chance for Inverness.
Anier got free on the right and swept over a cross that the midfielder should have headed home, only to steer it over much to the relief of the team who have signed him on a pre-contract.
Andrew Considine, scorer of a hat-trick at Dens, sent a header woefully wide from six yards and Kenny McLean was well off target with a long-range effort before sending a free-kick into the wall.
Indeed, frustration started to creep into Aberdeen’s play, sustaining the visitors’ hopes that they might salvage something.
They might have done just that if it hadn’t been for a couple of important saves by Lewis.
Polworth hit a sweet drive from 25 yards that Lewis pushed away before the goalkeeper held a well-struck angled effort from substitute Larnell Cole as Caley Thistle made it a real dogfight for Aberdeen.
To add insult to injury, McInnes had the luxury of sending on old Inverness favourites Miles Storey and Ryan Christie for the last ten minutes of the game, although the former must have wished he had stayed on the bench.
Hayes hit the post with a driven cross and, from point-blank range, Storey could not turn the ball over the line, leaving his face as red as his shirt. It summed up his miserable stay with the Pittodrie side.
In the end, this was not exactly a pretty victory, but the good teams get the job done even when they are not at their best.
Foran said: ‘We looked tired and Aberdeen looked fresher.
‘They had the belief which we lacked in front of goal and we made mistakes in the build-up to the goal.
‘That was disappointing as we spoke before about needing to cut them out, especially against top teams like Aberdeen.
‘It was a game of small margins as Billy Mckay had a chance and so did Greg Tansey, but I never believed we had the belief.
‘Aberdeen played with freedom but a few of my players played with fear.’