Dundee Utd0–2Aberdeen

United made one change for this North East derby match at Tannadice. John Rankin returned to the side with Butcher dropping to the bench. Aberdeen, playing in white shirts, were unchanged from their previous fixture. There was a near sell out crowd for the match and great anticipation from the stands as the game edge towards kick off.

The game kicked off in competitive fashion but it wasn’t long before Aberdeen took control. Looking the most industrious and first to almost every lose ball, Aberdeen got their noses in front after just 19 minutes. Logan was fouled by Dow midway inside the United half and McGinn swung in the resultant free-kick. Former United man Goodwillie engineered a powerful header straight at Cierzniak. Just as the United fans were breathing a sigh of relief, the ‘keeper spilled the ball and quick as a flash Adam Rooney was in to smash home. United had a chance to score when Erskine burst through on goal but unfortunately for him it was in his weaker right foot and Brown blocked his effort. It was soon 2-0 to the Dons after some ugly tangerine defending. It all started with a slack pass from Souttar which went straight to Pawlett. The midfielder powered forward and played some neat passing with McGinn and Hayes before the ex-Inverness man clipped in ball to the edge of the box. With the United defense all at sea, Considine picked up the ball, rolled it across goal and Adam Rooney was on hand to fire home his second. It was all Aberdeen for the remainder of the half and they could have had at least two more goals when McGinn struck the inside of the post and the ball spun across the goal line and clear. Aberdeen also hit the bar with a long-range effort.

After a rough first half for teenager Souttar, he was withdrawn at half-time and Morris come on to replace him. Shooting down the hill, the United fans would have been expecting a cavalry charge in the second half. However, United failed to build up any momentum at all during the second period. Mackay-Steven and Connolly were thrown on to try and turn the tide but Aberdeen were dominant for the majority of this game. The damage was done in the first half and United fans left hoping this was a mere blip in what has been good season thus far.

Manager's Comment:
“The goals were very poor. Too many players were off their game today. We had chances to get in behind Aberdeen in the first half but didn’t take them. Aberdeen dropped deeper in the second half and it was harder to get in behind. There were so many things wrong with a lot of parts of the game today."

Fan's Comment:
“A no-show by the team today. We were well and truly out-passed, out-run, out-fought and out-thought by Aberdeen. The energy and strength shown by Aberdeen had United on the back foot from the start and we were never given the chance to get a foot-hold in the game. The fact that second half substitute, Callum Morris, was United’s best player tells a story. United fans will be looking at disastrous festive periods over the last few years and hoping this isn’t going to be a repeat. Need to forget this one and move on.”

Match Photos courtesy of Riki Grauer - More photos available at:
Dundee United Official Flickr Page