Rooney hat-trick sends Dons to top of the table
ADAM ROONEY doubled his number of starts for the season – then added a treble to his goal tally as Aberdeen surged level on points with Celtic.
Rooney’s hat-trick secured yet another Premiership win for the Dons against a St Johnstone side who never got started.
Their manager, Tommy Wright, described his team’s performance as the worst of his tenure.
Aberdeen, by contrast, looked at their slick best.
For three minutes – between John McGinn’s second goal for Hibs and Callum McGregor’s equaliserforCeltic–theDonswereoutthere alone at the top of the Premiership.
Nowhat-trickheroRooneyreckonsthey could return – once they really hit top form.
“The gaffer said to us after the game that we haven’t really kicked into top gear yet,” said the striker.
“The last couple of games we’ve looked more solid and hopefully that’s a sign of things to come.
“We’re unbeaten and joint top of the league, so considering the lads are still gelling and we’re still finding our system, it has been a great start to the season.
“We’ll go into the international break now ready for a few days off but the lads will come back raring to go again.” To celebrate, or not to celebrate. When someone plays against their old team, that is the question.
Aberdeen hit-man Stevie May offered his answer just seven sun-kissed minutes in against his boyhood club. It was his pinpoint cross from the left, swung dead centre on to Rooney’s head, that allowed the Irishman to put the Dons ahead.
His work done, May didn’t hesitate – his arms flew into the air, while the heartbroken travelling support sunk into their seats.
Saints travelled to Pittodrie unbeaten in five league visits.
With more than 70 minutes left, it became clear the clock was going to be reset.
Saints, set up in an unfamiliar 3-5-2, were chasing shadows, and fell further behind when Ryan Christie’s short corner teed up May to whip in a deadly right-footed cross, which was flicked on by Anthony O’Connor for the lurking Rooney to nod over the line at the back post.
Recognising his side’s struggle, Tommy Wright instructed Saints to revert to a back four before half an hour had passed.
At half-time he went further, replacing the lacklustre Paul Paton and Scott Tanser with Chris Millar and David Wotherspoon.
It worked in the sense that St Johnstone were much improved in the second-half.
But most of the damage had already been done.
For Aberdeen, it was a performance – particularly in the first-half – that blew away any lingering concerns after their September mini-slump.
The Dons looked deadly going forward and, with the cultured Kari Arnason alongside 20-year-old Scott McKenna at centre-half, resolute at the back.
Even against Saints’ revitalised second-half incarnation, Derek McInnes’ side managed the game confidently and competently, and claimed a deserved third goal after Denny Johnstone felled Ryan Christie in the box, allowing Rooney to send Alan Mannus the wrong way from the spot.
In the aftermath, a clearly furious Tommy Wright didn’t mince his words.
“Don’t talk about systems. Look at the goals,” he railed.
“A free kick, my centre-backs drop deep, we have three of them to look after one striker and we didn’t deal with it.
“The corner kick, that’s nothing to do with systems.
“When players don’t pass the ball, when they don’t work hard for each other, when they give a quality side time on the ball, that’s what happens.
“You get gubbed, and we got gubbed.”