Dons put on a five-star display in second half

Aberdeen secured a fourth consecutive win with a 5-1 hammering of relegated Livingston.

After falling behind to Tete Yengi’s penalty, Junior Hoilett scored twice while captain Graeme Shinnie, Dante Polvara

and 16-year-old Fletcher Boyd also found the net as the Dons stayed above Hibs in the race for seventh spot.

The hosts should have broken the deadlock in the seventh minute, when Hoilett’s shot was parried by Shamal George, and Polvara somehow contrived to blast wide from eight yards. Luis Lopes hit a post via a deflection and Shinnie flashed an effort over.

Livingston were starting to come into it and only a timely intervention from Nicky Devlin kept the scores level as

Yengi threatened but the score was level at the interval.

Livi took the lead after VAR spotted a handball by Ester Sokler and awarded a spotkick with Yengi blasting into the top-right corner. The lead lasted just seven minutes before Hoilett’s 25-yard freekick curled neatly inside the left-hand upright.

Hoilett then became provider as the game was turned on its head.

He swung in the right-wing corner from which Shinnie headed home to put the home side in front. It was soon 3-1 after a clever Leighton Clarkson free-kick saw Polvara played in down the side of the Livi defence, and he blasted past George at his near post.

The Dons were not done as Hoilett popped up in the box to turn home a third goal in seven minutes, from Shinnie’s pass.

Keeper Ross Doohan made a fine save to deny Yengi late on, before Boyd fired home a superb 20-yard effort in stoppage time, his second goal in two substitute appearances.