Aberdeen 1-0 Partick - 27-Dec-2017 : Match Report
Adam Rooney's second-half goal proved enough for Aberdeen to see off Partick Thistle in the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership.
Rooney netted the vital goal from close range just after the hour mark to keep the gap to leaders Celtic to eight points at a snowy Pittodrie.
Derek McInnes' men were looking to get back to winning ways after defeat to the league leaders at the weekend and they started strongly.
The Thistle goal was under pressure within the first 30 seconds, but neither Shay Logan nor Rooney were able to connect with a teasing cross from the left.
The Dons looked comfortable against a side who had only hoisted themselves from the bottom of the table at the weekend, but the Jags defence proved tough to break down.
It took until the 18th minute for Greg Stewart to carve out his first chance, his low effort held at the second attempt by Tomas Cerny.
At the other end, Joe Lewis had been called into action just seconds earlier, the Dons goalkeeper dealing with Connor Sammon's shot comfortably.
But the visitors had a lucky escape after 27 minutes when Rooney, at the third attempt, hooked the ball high into the net from a Stewart corner, but was penalised for a high foot as he beat Jordan Turnbull to a loose ball in the build-up.
The scores remained level at the interval, but it took some fine defending to stop Ryan Christie giving the home side the lead five minutes after the restart.
Logan lofted a pass over the Thistle defence for Christie to run onto and he cutely lifted over the onrushing Cerny, only for Ryan Edwards to chase back and hook the effort behind for a corner.
Partick's Czech goalkeeper was called into action again just before the as Stewart worked space on the right to get an effort away, with Cerny parrying away for a corner.
But that only delayed the inevitable, and Aberdeen's pressure finally paid dividends four minutes later.
This time it was Christie who twisted and turned inside the penalty area, before cutting back for Rooney, who could hardly have missed the target from two yards.
A one-goal lead can always be nervy, though, and 10 minutes later, Danny Devine flashed a header over the crossbar from Blair Spittal's corner to remind Aberdeen the game was not won yet.
Responding to that threat, Stewart sent a curling effort towards goal from the edge of the area, but Cerny was again equal to the effort, throwing himself full-length to push the strike away.
Source: PA
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