Aberdeen show 'fighting spirit' to get job done

Dylan Lobban made his senior debut in Aberdeen's 1-0 win at Kilmarnock

Aberdeen picked up their third domestic victory of the season and, while it was a much-needed win, it was far from convincing.

For the first half against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, they were well on top. They had four shots, three on target, as well as two efforts inside the box.

And they made their advantage count when Stuart Armstrong scored the only goal with 18 minutes on the clock in Ayrshire.

But the second half was an entirely different story for Jimmy Thelin's side.

Kilmarnock started on the front foot and even had a goal disallowed for offside in the early stages of the second period.

As the clock ticked down, they kept pushing and Aberdeen had to put in a serious defensive shift to keep their precarious advantage intact.

"We've played a game where we've had the majority of the ball, the majority of chances, majority of corners, all the pressure," Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell said after the final whistle.

And he wasn't wrong. Kettlewell's side had 11 shots, 10 of which came inside Aberdeen's box. They also had 19 touches in the penalty area (compared to the visitors' five) as well as 39 final third entries (Aberdeen had 34).

Kilmarnock put in 25 crosses (Aberdeen had three) and won six corners compared to Aberdeen's one.

Kilmarnock's second half touch map

Aberdeen second half touch map

"The amount of balls that went into their box in the second half was quite unbelievable," former Aberdeen captain Willie Miller said on Sportsound.

"It just kept coming, waves of attack. It wasn't silky soccer it was straightforward to put the Aberdeen defence under pressure.

"Aberdeen at times were riding their luck and getting bodies in front of strikes from inside and outside the box, clearing ones off the line."

Thelin's side made 12 tackles in the second half and won six of them while committing 17 fouls and picking up six bookings for their trouble.

But the Dons head coach hailed his players' mentality to come away with a much needed victory in Ayrshire.

"We have to have this fighting spirit to take three points," Thelin said. "It was a really important win for us.

"Also, the way we win the game, we know [Kilmarnock] are good in these situations around the box, how they can overload the box, their set plays, they are a really strong team there.

"I'm really proud of the players."