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Published: 26th February 2022
The Terrors were on their travels for matchday 28 of the cinch Premiership as they headed up the A90 to face Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
The Dons, recently inherited by Jim Goodwin, sat sixth in the table ahead of kick-off, and picked up a point on the road at Motherwell last weekend.
The last meeting between the sides was a controversial one, with two red cards in as many minutes, Calum Butcher and Funso Ojo the dismissed. The match was eventually settled in the 80th minute, Ian Harkes meeting Scott McMann’s corner on the volley to blast it into an unguarded net.
Following last weekend’s encouraging draw against Rangers, Tam Courts made just one change, a like-for-like change with Butcher making way for fellow defensive midfielder Kevin McDonald. United stuck with their now familiar 3-4-1-2 with Ilmari Niskanen and Liam Smith as dynamic full-backs, whilst Aberdeen preferred a 4-3-3, midfielders Funso Ojo and Lewis Ferguson looking to close the distances between themselves and the wingers to allow for sharp combinations.
An energetic atmosphere permeated throughout Pittodrie from the off, the home support buoyed by the introduction of their new boss to the crowd and also former, and most successful manager Sir Alex Ferguson made an appearance on the hallowed turf prior to kick-off following the unveiling of his statue outside the stadium.
It took only three minutes for the deadlock to be broken, and it was United who struck first in the Granite City. Marc McNulty and Niskanen combined to great effect with a sharp one-two, the latter receiving the ball back and prodding it into the box for Ian Harkes. The American fended off the challenge of David Bates for as long as he could before eventually hitting the deck after multiple shirt pulls, referee David Munro immediately pointing to the spot. McNulty stepped up to the plate and converted confidently, striking the ball into the bottom left corner as the 1,500 strong Tangerine Army burst into life.
Following the goal, Aberdeen began to look for an instant response, effectively working the ball into wide areas to look for opportunities to deliver. They did this by finding Vincente Besuijen and Matty Kennedy quickly after turning over possession, with the duo able to isolate wide centre-backs Ryan Edwards and Ross Graham on the transition. Christian Ramirez also posed a different style of threat, dropping in as a hybrid between a false nine and a target man giving Charlie Mulgrew the unenviable task of attempting to nullify his impact.
Eventually, this pattern of play would result in Aberdeen’s equaliser. Kevin McDonald found himself surrounded by red shirts whilst facing his own goal with the ball, Ojo eventually pickpocketing him and stroking it wide for Besuijen. The Dutchman went for goal from the right of the area, Siegrist producing a strong one-handed save to deny him, but the rebound fell kindly for Kennedy to bundle home from all of two yards, Ryan Edwards on the line unable to prevent the inevitable.
A mere 60 seconds later, Besuijen was at the heart of the action again, this time picking out the unmarked Ramirez with an inch-perfect cutback who wastefully blasted over the bar from the penalty spot.
United dominated possession but most of it resided in the defensive third, Aberdeen’s press forcing Courts’ side into a Route One style up towards McNulty and Watt who struggled to make the ball stick up against the physical backline. The match, therefore, was to be won and lost on the second balls in midfield.
A couple of half-chances followed for United on the 27th minute. Tony Watt displayed his pace and power when he outstrenghted and outpaced Bates down the right before looking to find a black and grey shirt in the middle but Declan Gallagher raced across to intervene. From the resultant throw-in, the ball eventually sat up nicely for Ross Graham to hit on the half-volley 25 yards out, forcing Joe Lewis into a relatively comfortable save.
Dylan Levitt also tried his luck from distance but failed to find the target with his right-footed strike.
Besuijen was then the recipient of almost an identical chance to the one he had created, this time Kennedy the provider after bursting past Edwards as he drilled the ball across the area for his colleague who struck over the bar at the back-stick.
On the stroke of half-time, only a well-timed intervention from Connor McLennan prevented Watt from teeing up Niskanen with a cut-back from the byline.
After the break, both sides struggled to find a rhythm, and the match descended into a difficult watch as the ball spent most of the duration in the air. The only chance before the hour-mark came when Ojo picked out Lewis Ferguson at the front post, the midfielder collecting and screwing his shot into the ground, Siegrist doing well to deal with the awkward ball on the bounce.
Barron and Butcher both had long-range strikes which failed to trouble either ‘keeper, then Ferguson had a cross collected by Siegrist after nifty footwork from the dangerous Besuijen. If Aberdeen were to find a winner, it would likely come from one of that duo.
Siegrist once again came to the rescue after Ferguson danced around Niskanen on the right of the box and went for goal, throwing himself down quickly to deny his opponent and beat the ball to safety.
With 12 to play, Teddy Jenks raced through one-on-one after a misplaced pass from United and looked certain to score, but Liam Smith sprinted after the substitute and put in a game-saving recovery challenge on the slide, also saving a corner in the process.
The Dons’ best chance to win it came after Ramirez’ held off Graham on the halfway line and laid it left for Besuijen. The winger found himself in a one versus one with Edwards and continued to advance towards the area, eventually caressing the ball narrowly past the post, Siegrist beaten all ends up.
As the clock ticked onto the 90th minute, Graham cleared Jenks’ unorthodox effort off the line after a cross from Besuijen drifted all the way to the far post, this proving to be the last action of the clash.
United unable to maintain the intensity of their blistering start but still remaining rock-solid defensively to put another point on the board as the race for the top six heads for its breathless conclusion.
