Aberdeen 0-0 Hibs: Nisbet's missed penalty denies Hibs win
- Published
Kevin Nisbet's penalty could have won all three points and moved Hibs above Hearts
Aberdeen stayed five points clear in third place in the Scottish Premiership after a goalless draw with Hibernian, despite arguably their worst performance under new manager Barry Robson.
The Pittodrie side owed their point to Kelle Roos' heroics, with the Dutch goalkeeper stopping Elie Youan on numerous occasions before saving a Kevin Nisbet penalty.
A win would have been deserving for the visitors, who dominated a day which was supposed to be a celebration of Aberdeen's greatest triumph - the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup win.
Despite the lacklustre showing, Hearts' draw with St Mirren meant it was a point gained rather than two lost for Aberdeen.
All week, the city of Aberdeen has celebrated the 40-year anniversary of the club's greatest achievement - the 2-1 win over Real Madrid in Gothenburg.
That squad has been given the Freedom of the City, been honoured with plaques and dinners, and applauded around the Pittodrie pitch.
Unfortunately, the hangover of those celebrations fed on to the pitch. Aberdeen, who had won seven in a row before last week's loss to Rangers, looked lethargic and desultory - far removed from the side that have risen to third.
Instead, it seemed the Hibernian front line had been given the freedom of Aberdeen, with Youan in particular threatening down the left - fresh from signing a permanent contract at Easter Road.
Nisbet also troubled Roos a fair few times, and Lee Johnson will be disappointed his main striker didn't rustle the net at least once.
His best opportunity was undoubtedly from the spot, after Hayden Coulson was adjudged to have handballed Harry McKirdy's volley - an effort which hit the post.
But the spot-kick was poor and Roos saved well with his feet, as he did on a few occasions.
Twice he had to look on as Youan hit the woodwork, slamming a shot on to a post and hitting the crossbar with a header, but Hibs would come no closer.
Player of the match - Kelle Roos (Aberdeen)
Five saves from the keeper, one from the spot. That clean sheet was well-earned.
Hibs building momentum as Aberdeen shudder to halt - analysis
Robson will be furious, Johnson will be disappointed.
Aberdeen owed their point to the heroics of Roos, who bailed his side out of trouble on a few occasions as Hibs peppered the Aberdeen goal.
An xG of 1.95 tells you that Hibs should have scored at least one. Even without the penalty, they created plenty but just could not find a way past the keeper.
It's a little worrying for Aberdeen. They looked resolute and determined before Robson signed his permanent contract, but today they were bereft of ideas and lost star-man Luis 'Duk' Lopes to a hamstring injury.
Hibs were superb in the first half of the win over St Mirren and dominated here over the 90. They'll hope to take a point or two off the Old Firm before the final day Edinburgh derby. A lot could ride on that.
What they said
Aberdeen boss Barry Robson: "A difficult game for us with a lot of emotion - the Gothenburg Greats were here, a full house, Hibs came at us. It was difficult.
"We were not at our best. We were dogged, we hung in. We never passed the ball we wanted to, we never put our structure and system on them, which we've done brilliantly in the last three months. You get games like that."
Hibernian manager Lee Johnson: "I thought the boys deserved it with their energy, work rate and quality, up until the final third. It was total domination. We're all frustrated given that we haven't come away with three points.
"The performance has been consistently there for three or four games. We're building something here. Next season we're going to be really strong, I truly believe that."
What's next?
Aberdeen visit Tynecastle to play Hearts next Saturday (12:30 BST), while Hibs host Rangers at Easter Road on Sunday (12:00).